filters???
- Thread starter PAS
- Start date
- Messages
- 7,299
- Name
- mark
- Edit My Images
- Yes
hi PAS...if you mean filters that protect the front element of your lens,then they are worth the cost as it's cheaper to replace a filter than it is to replace the lens if it gets damaged.UV or skylight filters will do the job,and shouldn't affect the image quality.another filter it is worth having is a circular polarizer...see here for an explanation of the benefits..
http://photocritic.org/polarizing-filter/
For MX use the only real benefit would be as Stan stated, a protector.
For lanscape it's extremely beneficial. You can use graduated filters that you place so as to filter only the sky where it is brighter than the land. Or you can use ND filters to hold back light and get longer exposures where clouds or water moves making them appear almost silky.
Oh and it's fun
For lanscape it's extremely beneficial. You can use graduated filters that you place so as to filter only the sky where it is brighter than the land. Or you can use ND filters to hold back light and get longer exposures where clouds or water moves making them appear almost silky.
Oh and it's fun
Markk
Suspended / Banned
- Messages
- 728
- Name
- Mark
- Edit My Images
- Yes
For MX use the only real benefit would be as Stan stated, a protector.
For lanscape it's extremely beneficial. You can use graduated filters that you place so as to filter only the sky where it is brighter than the land. Or you can use ND filters to hold back light and get longer exposures where clouds or water moves making them appear almost silky.
Oh and it's fun
Makes you feel more professional when you're changing filters and setting things up (especially in front of other people! Oohs and aahs!)
Flash In The Pan
Suspended / Banned
- Messages
- 27,793
- Edit My Images
- Yes
I had stones bouncing off the front end (fortunately just the el-cheapo hood that I fitted) of £1200 worth of 70-200 VR today - a filter and hood are essential for any off-road motorsports if you plan to get close to the action...
i have hoods on my lenses, just looking for protection for them. and would it be better with a UV filter?
Paul
Flash In The Pan
Suspended / Banned
- Messages
- 27,793
- Edit My Images
- Yes
a UV or a skylight, I tend to go for the UV ones though. Just remember that any glass you stick onto the front of your lens will have an effect on image quality, so buy the best you can afford...
Flash In The Pan
Suspended / Banned
- Messages
- 27,793
- Edit My Images
- Yes
Depends on your budget - I use Hoya Pro filters, which aren't too expensive, but you can get cheaper ones(and much dearer too)- avoid Hoya Green boxed ones though, they are uncoated and don't get great reviews when it comes to either image or build quality
Flash In The Pan
Suspended / Banned
- Messages
- 27,793
- Edit My Images
- Yes
Ebay is your friend 
Anorakus
Suspended / Banned
- Messages
- 836
- Edit My Images
- Yes
The only filters you'll need for a DSLR are:
To protect the lens (UV or skylight - the latter has a very slight pink tinge that's supposed to counteract the cool colour balance of a sunny day)
Or, to achieve effects that can't easily be replicated in software - most importantly the graduated neutral density filter (to avoid the sky being burnt out and to preserve detail that would otherwise be lost), and polarising filter (to reduce reflections and darken the deep blue colour of a clear sky).
Colour-correction filters have effectively been rendered obsolete by Photoshop - especially when shooting in RAW - you can achieve perfect white-balance by using the eyedropper tool, and you don't have the problem of having to increase exposure to compensate for a filter when, say, shooting on daylight film without flash using a tungsten light source.
Similarly you can take a colour photo and use Photoshop to simulate the effect of using strong coloured filters (red, yellow etc.) to shoot on black-and-white film.
There may always be a use for Cokin special effects filters and the like (starburst, soft focus etc.) but many of these effects can be achieved in Photoshop.
A.
To protect the lens (UV or skylight - the latter has a very slight pink tinge that's supposed to counteract the cool colour balance of a sunny day)
Or, to achieve effects that can't easily be replicated in software - most importantly the graduated neutral density filter (to avoid the sky being burnt out and to preserve detail that would otherwise be lost), and polarising filter (to reduce reflections and darken the deep blue colour of a clear sky).
Colour-correction filters have effectively been rendered obsolete by Photoshop - especially when shooting in RAW - you can achieve perfect white-balance by using the eyedropper tool, and you don't have the problem of having to increase exposure to compensate for a filter when, say, shooting on daylight film without flash using a tungsten light source.
Similarly you can take a colour photo and use Photoshop to simulate the effect of using strong coloured filters (red, yellow etc.) to shoot on black-and-white film.
There may always be a use for Cokin special effects filters and the like (starburst, soft focus etc.) but many of these effects can be achieved in Photoshop.
A.