Filters w/ DSLR

[MassJester]

Do you use them?

When?

Anyone use square filters?

 

[Master Mason]

Not to open the UV debate again, but I have them on all my lenses. I also have a circular polorizer.

 

[extreme8]

Ever since high school I kept a UV filter on my lenses with the reasoning that it's easier to replace a filter than a lens element. Now that I've invested in a high end camera with quality lenses I can see the difference that extra piece of glass makes in my final image - lens flare, softness, chromatic aberation, distortion, etc.
It no longer makes sense to me to put a $60 plate of glass in front of a $1500 lens. If the Nikon engineers wanted on there they would have put it there.
No more sticking filters on "just because" for this guy.
The larger lens hoods provide plenty of protection.

I should invest in a quality polarizer and a couple ND's though. In those situations where they're called for nothing else will do.

 

[0bli0]

i chose polarising only as that's the only one i'll typically use - a b+w polarising *only* when conditions are suitable. i'll also use a IR pass filter on occasion. as extreme8 hs said, i don't want to spend $2000 on a lens only to get a $50 image. i have not scratched an element (touch wood) and hoods have protected me well. on my rangefinder lenses i have hoods and i cover the lenses with neoprene (optech hood hats). fwiw i have a russian jupiter 12 rangefinder lens i picked up off of ebay which the element is scratched, and you can't see its effect in photos.

 

[donaldduck1967]

I use UV on all my lens'. I'd rather scratch a $20.00 filter then an expensive lens.

 

[jann1033]

well i use uv but also know it degrades the photos( unfortunately I read an article that proved it..the old ignorance was bliss deal )so i am hoping i can stop using them and start with hoods..i am chicken i must admit although considering i don't have any scratches in the uvs...what are the chances i would have scratched the lens

i use a cp, and bought some used hoya filters( ie star filters etc) off ebay for really cheap that i use on occasion just for fun. i want to get either a neutral density or graduated nd haven't decided which yet ( not sure which so if anyone has a recommendation, i'm open for it)

 

[handicap18]

right now I don't use any filters. I did have a UV filter on most of my lenses, but wasn't real happy with the final results. Since taken them off I've noticed the images look better.

After taking some pics earlier this week I've come to realized that I should have a polarizing filter. Sun wasn't in the best spot for my subject and there was no way I could move the subject or change my position (I was on a boat taking pics of an aircraft carrier). A polarizing filter would have definately helped with a lot of the glare off the water.

I'm also going to look into ND filters. One of those might have also helped. My main lens has internal focusing so putting on filters of any kind isn't an issue.

 

[DVC Jen]

gggggggggggrrrrrrrrr why couldn't someone have posted this thread earlier? BEFORE I went out and spent all that money on UV filters for all of my lenses.

Oh well.

So - I would get better images by simply investing and always using a lens hood and forget about the UV filters?

And another question. I have some soft rubber lens hoods that I bought at the local camera store. Are these OK? They are much smaller than the hard ones. Or should I break down and just order the harder ones for each lens?

Where do I get them if the harder ones is the answer?

 

[tinksdad]

I have a couple of UV that are used when I feel it's necessary (not that often), a polarizing filter I like VERY much and a graduated neutral density filter that is fun, but not that useful. I've gotten into the HDR instead of using the GND filter.

 

[ukcatfan]

I voted muti, but that does not include UV.

Kevin

 

[AndrewWG]

Sorry, after I posted this, I realized that you were asking about the Digital SLR's only. The S2IS is far from a DSLR. MY fault.

I use UV only, but only for the protection of the camera lens. I have the Canon S2IS and bought the adapter for it just so that I could have this feature. My last camera (Canon PS A85) met an untimely death due to a drop on pavement. Lens was shot.

I have not been impressed with the polarizing filter that I bought. Seems to not work as well as the one I had on my Rebel SLR film camera for some reason.

 

[MassJester]

I'm all for lens hoods, but unless I'm mistaken, they won't help the glare off of water and other objects. Isn't their value pretty much confined to keeping mischevious light from other sources at bay?

 

[Groucho]

I have not been impressed with the polarizing filter that I bought. Seems to not work as well as the one I had on my Rebel SLR film camera for some reason.

I'm in the same boat. I picked up a circular polarizer and was not impressed by the results when I tried using it at WDW. Perhaps I need more practice with it - I would think that they're more or less all the same in terms of what they do?

I also have a star filter that I use rarely (very gimmicky). No UV filters. When I want to protect the lens, I have the cap on, and when the cap's off, there's often a lens hood.

 

[Groucho]

I'm all for lens hoods, but unless I'm mistaken, they won't help the glare off of water and other objects. Isn't their value pretty much confined to keeping mischevious light from other sources at bay?

Sounds accurate to me. I think the references in this thread were lens hood vs UV filter (for protection), not lens hood vs polarizer (for controlling glare).

 

[Thumper_ehhhhh]

I have uv filters on my lenses just in case I scratch it. Cheaper to replace the uv lens than the lens itself. On day I will learn all about the differences and I might use them for other reasons but for now just in case.

 

[PoohJen]

I too bought a UV for my walk around, b/c when I do have my camera out, I get pretty active with it and fear I'll get careless re: scratches. But I don't have one on my zoom; I'll have to see if I prefer the pics of one over the other.

AFter a weekend tournament last summer in the glaring sun, I was disappointed by the 'washed out' look my pics had (yeah, I know I can fiddle with post production), so I bought a not-cheap hoya polarizer. Not thrilled with the results; I haven't used it in a while (well, we'll see what this spring/summer brings!).

 

[MassJester]

I've been doing a little research on filters, and there seems to be a pretty wide variety of quality and materials involved. I had been in the habit of using a polarizer with mid-day shots in bright sun (where I would find glare..well...everywhere) however I never got into the habit of using any others.

A buddy of mine gets much deeper into the practice--highlighting reds in shots of foliage and whatnot. However, I'm wondering if that sort of effect can't be easily achieved in PS or the like.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I go nekkid most of the time. I sometimes pop on a B+W UV filter when I'm going someplace really gritty like the beach. I've never scratched the UV filter, so I suppose I've been wasting my time.

I almost always use a good lens hood ('cept on the 17-40 for which the lens hood looks like a dinner plate). That does a better job of impact protection.

If you do scratch your front element, it can be replaced. Heck, as costly as good UV filters are, it might not be much more money.

A polarizer is great when the conditions call for it. It's a pain at WDW, though. Constantly taking off inside and putting it on outside is more hassle than I can usually deal with. I suppose it's doable if you're there on a photo trip, but if you're there on a family vacation, it's more trouble than I can bother with.

 

[MassJester]

Mark you've been lurking How are the house projects coming?

I've been looking at the Cokin P system -- of course this system is a little less attractive than others. It does seem to have a versatility advantage, particularly when dealing with different sized lenses.

Have you done any expirimenting with other types of filters?

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Mark you've been lurking How are the house projects coming?

I'm through the crisis time. I've still got plenty to do, but I don't feel buried anymore. I think I've managed to hold onto my job (although nothing is definite until the end of this month). I'm looking forward to some vacation time next week.

I used the Cokin system eons ago. It was fun, but I never got serious about it. The problem with most filters is that the effects can be easily done in post processing. That's especially true for things like colored filters.

The main ones that think are useful are polarizers, neutral density, and graduated neutral density filters. Oh, and close-up filters can be a handy workaround for people with macro lenses. I think they are much easier to use than extension tubes.