 Richard Hogg |
Type of Filters I've recently purchased my first SLR, which is the Nikon D40X. I love it so far, but I've been told I should get a/some filters for it. Could you give me some insight on what exactly filters can do (Both posively and negatively) and which are the best types.
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robert G. Fately |
Well, Richard, while you can do a lot of things in post processing (i.e. - Photoshop) that can mimic what some filters would do (like color correction for lighting), the one filter that cannot be replicated in post is a polarizing filter. I suggest you get one of these; as far as brands you can go deluxe with B+W or Nikkor, or get a good Hoya or Tiffen. The other kind of filter some folks use are clear or UV filters, with the intent to protect the front surface of the lens itself. On this topic, people hold to their beliefs like religious zealots - there are those who think it's absolutely necessary and will give you a thousand reasons why, and then others who claim it's a waste and degrades the image by inserting more glass/air surfaces into the light path - blah blah blah. You can find debates on this topic here as well as on photo.net, dpreview, and no doubt lots of other places. Bear in mind that if the camera salesperson is suggesting that you get a UV filter to protect your lens from damage, his goal is to reap the relatively huge profit margin on the filter. Hope that helps...
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John P. Sandstedt |
Some thoughts on Bob's recommendation on a polarizing filter: First: Check the Adorama.com site. They have an instructional area under the initials AIRC. One of the editors, Meson Resnick, has a cool article that shows you how to use Photoshop to simulate a polarizer. The "with" and "without" images are compared and he offers the viewer to decide which is which. That being said, I use a polarizer. In fact, I have three: two are Hoyas, the other is a wide angle Tiffen. The wide angle means that the ring holding the filter is very thin, achieved by eliminating threads to mount another filter outside the polarizer. This is pain since it also precludes using the lens cap. The wide angle filter is supposed to eliminate vignetting. With my Canon 30D fitted with my 17-85 mm IS zoom, I still get vignetting at 17 [28] mm. I continued to laugh at all the stuff that being hyped for digital. A good friend, and PSA recognized photographer, advised that there is a difference between a polarizing filter and one made for digital work. The filter is coated on both sides. Also, make certain you get a circular polarizer. The plano type will screw up your auto-focus and auto-exposure. If you plan to shoot Fall foliage, you might like the Tiffen Enhancing Filter. True, you can reduce Hue and bring up the Saturation of an image in Photoshop, but the enhancing filter does a better job in my opinion.
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William Schuette |
Hi Richard, if you are going to be shooting any landscape or outdoor shots, the one filter you should have is the circular polarizer (all DSLRs require a circular polarizer rather than a linear polarizer). When used correctly, it can deepen the color of the sky and reduce or eliminate reflections from glass, water and moist surfaces(but not metal surfaces). Reducing these reflections, will enhance the contrast and color saturation in your file. But, do not cheap out on a circular polarizer, it is an extra layer of glass and can produce abberations. Bill
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