 Mariana Festa |
Hood and Filter I'm pretty new with this and I will buy a UV filter to protect the lens and a polarizing one. I was wondering if I should by a hood as well. Can I use both, Uv + hood at the same time? what about the polarizing one and the hood? Thanks PS: Canon 400D + 17-85mm IS USM and 70-300 III
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Irene Troy |
Hi Marianna and welcome to BP. If I understand your post, you are asking if you should purchase a UV filter and/or a polarizer for your camera and also if you need a lens hood. The use of a UV filter as a means for protecting your lens is somewhat controversial. Personally, I do not use one and believe that it is not needed and can prove detrimental to lens quality. I invest big dollars in good lenses and do not want anything to interfere with the quality of that lens. Most UV filters are fairly inexpensive and they can decrease the sharpness and clarity of an expensive lens. Now, there are many who believe different and can provide you with good arguments for the use of such a filter. The main argument, as I have heard it, is that you might rather scratch or damage a relatively inexpensive piece of glass – plastic in some cases – than scratch or damage lens glass. Most of my photo work is done outside, often in harsh environments, but I still do not use a protective filter and have never (yet) scratched a lens. I do use a lens hood religiously and believe that they are an essential piece of equipment. So, IMO, you would do better to purchase a lens hood for each lens and forget the UV. You can use a UV filter and a hood at the same time; however, be aware that a filter and/or a hood – together or separately can cause what is referred to as vignetting. This is a unwanted (generally) effect where the outer edges of your image are much darker than the image center and distract from the image. If you look carefully through your viewfinder prior to pushing the shutter button you can generally see if vignetting will occur. As to the polarizer: this filter is most often used for two different purposes: first is to reduce glare; the second is to help darken skies and bring out deeper colors in subjects such as fall foliage. This is not a filter that you should keep attached to your lens at all times. Keep in mind that a polarizer only works when the light is at a 45 degree angle to the subject. If light is either behind or in front of the subject the filter is useless. You should also know that this is one filter whose affects cannot be duplicated in post capture editing using any software program – at least any that I know about. Make sure that you purchase a circular polarizer since these are the most effective ones and they can be adjusted to provide varying degrees of polarization. I advise buying the best one that you can afford, you do not want to scrimp on filters since any filter will affect the clarity of your lens. I hope that this helps and I know that others will probably provide you with more info and perhaps even some that disagrees with my opinions. That’s what is good about this site, we all offer our opinions based on our individual experiences and interests. Irene
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W. |
Hi Mariana, A polarizer is also a UV-filter and an ND-filter (Neutral Density). So a UV-filter adds no benefits. To the contrary: it adds 2 more reflective/refractive surfaces to the whole lens array. Which increases the risk of flare, glare, and chromatic abberation (purple fringeing). Use the hood at all times, if at all possible. It reduces stray light falling onto the lens from odd angles cutting down on flare and glare. Have fun!
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Irene Troy |
A polarizer is NOT the same as a UV filter nor is it the same as a neutral density filter. A circular polarizer is designed to eliminate glare – think light on water, reflections, etc. and to darken cooler colors such as blue sky. A UV filter is designed to reduce excessive blueness due to an over abundance of UV rays. The most common causes of such blueness are high altitudes, strong haze, pollution and bright sunlight. A polarizer is designed to enhance cooler colors (blues and some greens) and to reduce or eliminate glare and unwanted reflection. A Graduated ND filter is used to even tone and contrast when photographing high contrast scenes such as sunrises and sunsets. A GND may also be used when attempting to any high contrast scene. The easiest to use and most effective GND filters, IMO, are those that are square in shape and that fit into a filter holder system. The top portion of the filter is gray, while the bottom is generally clear. These filters come numbered to reflect the number of stops (amount of light) they will reduce. It is possible, even fairly easy, to replicate the effect of a GND using post-capture software (in Photoshop, for example); however, it is difficult or impossible to duplicate the effect of a polarizer. Hopefully, this will help you better understand the role that filters can play in helping to capture the subject as you want it to look. Irene
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William Schuette |
Hi Mariana, Irene has pretty much covered the subject except for one point (unless I missed it). Many people use the UV or skylight filter because they think they need it to protect the front element of the lens. Unless you are shooting in sandy environments or where there is salt water spray, the hood alone will provide enough protection for your front element, and will not take away from the optics of your lens. Bill
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Pete H |
Mariana, I have to agree with Irene on several points. I also, NEVER use a UV filter for the reasons mentioned. Why place a piece of glass in front of an expensive lens? There is something in optical physics called "air-glass refraction." Boiled down, it is a change in the angle of light when light passes thru two mediums..in this case; air and glass. ANY filter will exhibit this problem. ..and NO; a Polarizer filter is NOT a Neutral Density filter. A ND "reduces" incoming light without changing the characteristics of the light. The polarizer is probably one of the MOST used (or should be) filters for outdoor use..be it cloudy or sunny. Yes, get a hood, but be careful when using wide angle lenses for the reason Irene mentions, (vignetting)..especially with the polarizer.
Pete
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Mariana Festa |
Hi Irene and All, Thanks so much for your answers, explanations and suggestions. As I mentioned I am new in all this, so everything is usefull and help me to understand how each filter/hood works, etc. Once I start using the filter, we'll probably read more questions from me in the future... Thanks
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