Good Filters? Favorite filters?

[crm]

<p>Hello again,<br>

I was looking into trying out some filters with my new camera. Just wondering if anyone has heard of or has any filters made by Camray or Asian. They both sell rather cheap sets of filters, which I figured would be good to experiment with.<br>

Also, any suggestions on what filters I should purchase? Filters you commonly use that are your favorites?<br>

Filters for any circumstances? Im not really into any specific kind of photography, I'll try anything once! haha<br>

<img src="http://www.camray.us/images/product_images/product_image1_40.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="400" /><br>

Thanks!<br>

-Chris</p>

[luis_g]

<p> Cheap filters are a waste of money and degrade your lens' IQ. I'm not saying you must use B&W or Heliopan, but at least get to the Hoya level.</p>

[alpenglow]

<p>I don't know about the filter brands you mention. But I agree that good quality filters are a wise investment (Hoya and Tiffen make great, affordable filters).</p>

<p>There are only a few filters that will be of real use to you. By far, the one filter to have with you all of the time is a polarizer. This filter is a must and is useful for either digital or film cameras. If you are using digital, most of the filter effects can be done in post processing. If you are shooting with film and you're interested in B&W, then you'll want to get a red #25 and yellow #15 for contrast variations. ND filters are also useful if you want to experiment with long exposure imaging. And graduated ND filters to balance exposure in contrasty scenes are also handy on ocassion, but you'll want to get square - adjustable filters for this application (like the Cokin series).</p>

<p>But again, before you get anything else, look into a good polarizer.</p>

<p>Mike</p>

 

[Alan Marcus]

<p >Once upon a time our gadget bags were filled with filters. In the days of black & white we needed a red filter to bring out clouds, a yellow filter to improve tonal rendering etc. </p>

<p >We mounted UV (ultra violet) filter to cut haze when doing scenic photography. We mounted a polarizer to mitigate reflections from glass and water etc. We mounted ND (natural density) fitter to cut down bright conditions. </p>

<p > </p>

<p >When color became the norm we carried warming and cooling filters to adjust the film to math the light. We found the polarizer to be the most valuable. We continued with ND filters and used graduated ND to change the intensity of the sky. We mounted diffusion filters to get haziness and pattern filters to get stars and sheen and the like.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >With digital, most all can be done using software so the need for filters is minimized. Spend your hard earned money on a polarizer and on a graduated ND. The UV is the most popular, sold to protect the lens. The UV effect is only achieved when shooting high altitude aerials. The UV never works at sea level. The polarizer is also a UV filter.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >When ready to buy, hold the filter in you palm. Look at reflections from its surface, i.e. use it like a polished glass mirror. Look at the reflections of a grid ceiling, are the lines straight? This is a good in-store test. Pass this test, both sides, you are good to go.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >UV is waste of money. Polarizer best bet. Two flavors of polarizer – linear is best but can interfere with some digital automation. Next best is circular polarizer. A circular is two filters sandwiched together. The first is a polarizer; the second disperses the polarization so the digital camera is minimally disrupted. Both work by minimizing reflections and adding contrast without changing the color of the vista. This should be you first purchase. Next is the graduated ND. </p>

<p > </p>

<p >Every filter adds glass to the lenses optical system. Extra glass increases flare. Flare is devastating as it reduces contrast. Never mount a filter unless the benefit prevails over the debasing. </p>

[JDMvW]

<blockquote>

<p>Once upon a time our gadget bags were filled with filters</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Some of us are still in the "once upon a time" - if you shoot film these things are very handy.</p>

<p>However, the truth is that the polarizers <em>are</em> the most useful filters today, since their effect cannot be duplicated in Photoshop in the elimination of reflections, etc. As tempting as that humongous collection of filters might be, you will probably not get the "best" optical glass with such a selection.<br>

One type of polarizing filter is what Spiratone used to call the Colorflow filter, a polarizing filter that can allow you to choose to go to one color of two, or blend them. Diffusion filters can create effects not easy to duplicate in Photoshop, star filters can create star-like highlights, "repeater" filters can multiply parts of the image, etc. .........so there are still some useful filters out there.</p><div></div>

[lex_jenkins]

<p>Cheap filters can be useful for experiments. If you like the effect, then you can invest in a better quality version.</p>

<p>Besides the usual stuff - UV/protective filters for adverse conditions (bad weather, water spray, etc.), standard polarizers and neutral density - my favorite filters are those goofy multi-colored polarizers from Cokin. I don't use 'em often but occasionally they're fun for special effects that would be much more difficult to mimic in digital editing.</p>

[crm]

<p>Thanks for you input everyone! Just as a sidenote I do already have UV filters on all my lenses, and a Circular polarized filter. I bought them with the lenses for protection. I am using a Canon XSI so I guess I would be better off editing the photos afterward in most cases.<br>

Thanks again!<br>

-Chris </p>

[nogub]

<p>I like neutral density lenses, they help a lot when going outside to take pictures. And I think you should think about what Luis said, it is better to get good filters to don't regret your purchase and not take the risk to damage your lens in anyway.<br>

Noel</p>

[cj_mccawley]

<p>I ordered the set of 28 filters for my Canon PowerShot SX20 IS. I have an adapter ring so I can use filters with it even though it's a fixed lens. While they are inexpensive, I am having a lot of fun trying out the various filters and effects. So I think they are good if you are trying to figure out which ones you really like before investing $20-$30 per filter. </p>