Filters

[Groucho]

I have not tried shooting the office shots in RAW, only JEPG under all the various WB settings. I will try the next one in RAW and see what happens.

I would be using the graduated ND outdoors for nature/landscapes out in the open, not at Disney so much.

For the record, my camera is a Pentax ist*DL.

I am afraid that my current PC would not hold up to a fully modern photo processing program - so I'd not only have to spend a few hundred on the program, but many hundred more on a PC to run it! It can handle PSP5, but the newer ones are bigger and require more RAM - since one of my RAM slots are dead I'm only really running around 1.5GB of RAM at the moment and the HD is getting full (I also do music and the music program and files are huge.) So I don't know that updating my software at the momet will work too well. When I am able to replace the computer I will certainly be updating all of the software, especially the photo editing.

Your camera (which I am well familiar with, I just recently sold mine to a friend actually ) came with Pentax Photo Laboratory (which is a version of Silkypix), and is not too demanding on resources. It may run a little slower on an older PCs but should definitely work.

I would recommend going to Pentax's website and downloading the newest version - it's an upgrade, though, so you have to install the version from the CD first. You can download the upgrade here. While you're there, you can also get the latest firmware here.

The software is mildly confusing at first glance, but it's not bad once you get the basics down, and it's very powerful. As with all raw converters, it lets you do almost anything you want with the white balance, so you don't even need to think about it when taking the photo (unless you want to shoot an 18% gray card for reference later.)

 

[dweitzel0]

About 15 years ago I bought a film SLR. No really knowing much about photography, the salesman sold me a yellow tint filter (I lived in Utah and he said it would improve pictures in the snow). Turns out I never used the filter. I did recently upgraded to a dSLR (Nikon D60) and was wondering, is there any use for this filter with a dSLR?

 

[mabas9395]

Not really. Some filters can be useful with digital (UV, CPL). But generally, any filter that adjusts just the color, you can get the same effect with your photo software.

 

[dweitzel0]

That was my thought, but I thought I would check with the "experts". Thanks

 

[dr_zero]

Does anyone still use filters or has everyone gone to doing it in photoshop?

I love my Cokin filters for all kinds of effects and the screw on ones also can be fun! From stars to center spots to softening filters.

Take a pic of Christmas tree and the lights look pretty and all but add a star filter and it totally changes the image.

http://photo.lvthunder.com/v/other/IMG_0882.jpg.html

Here is some more examples of filters in use
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/camera-lens-filters.htm
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/filters.htm

 

[DVC Jen]

I do occassionally - mostly my polorizing filters though.

I should dig out and try some others - especially the fun ones.

 

[Furgus]

I just bought a couple of Cokin filters a few weeks ago. I like them and will continue to update my filter library now that I have started.

 

[fhirleighinn]

I use a circular polarizer the most. Other than that, a Neutral Density so I can get some longer exposures (now if my camera qould do ISO 12 I would not need one). Other than those two, the last filter that I used was my Enhancing filter (but sadly it is too small to use with my current lenses)
I do not use photoshop to simulate filters, actually I do not use photoshop at all. If there are effects that you are intending at the time that you shot, I think that you are better to use filters instead of post-processing.

 

[jann1033]

i use a nd, cp often since you can't really do that except in real life. i have some fog, star etc filters i use very very very rarely if i feel like something different. personally i don't see the sense of using color filters since i can do it with one click in photoshop and do different things as the mood strikes

 

[jann1033]

I use a circular polarizer the most. Other than that, a Neutral Density so I can get some longer exposures (now if my camera qould do ISO 12 I would not need one). Other than those two, the last filter that I used was my Enhancing filter (but sadly it is too small to use with my current lenses)
I do not use photoshop to simulate filters, actually I do not use photoshop at all. If there are effects that you are intending at the time that you shot, I think that you are better to use filters instead of post-processing.

wondering why you feel this is better

 

[thomas998]

CP and ND only... everything else can be done better with photoshop or a plug-in... just as I would never set a camera to B/W because I might someday want color in the shot, I would never use a filter like stars, or fog because once you put that filter on the lens you are stuck with it in the shot... decide later that the stars look cheesy and what are you options? You have none unless you want to dink around with photoshop trying to clone over them.

 

[alan]

I frequently use a polariser. Pictures like this one from our holiday last week just wouldn't look the same without it!



regards,
/alan

 

[handicap18]

I don't use them often, but I do have a Circular Polerizer and a 4 stop Neutral Density. I haven't used the ND yet, but I do know a few places where I can use it, just haven't gotten there yet. I've used the CP a few times, especially in mid day around the water on bright blue sky days.

 

[dr_zero]

I do occassionally - mostly my polorizing filters though.

I should dig out and try some others - especially the fun ones.

I think you hit upon a good point they can be fun to try and experiment with the different effects.

And if you want take one pic with and one without if you want to play with it in photoshop.

Some of the look and feel that come from the computer just isnt the same kinda like vinyl and cd's to some I guess.

 

[bob100]

I frequently use a polariser. Pictures like this one from our holiday last week just wouldn't look the same without it!
/alan

actually they can look the same using Photoshop plug-ins such as Redynamix and other HDR filters. I've tried it! If you want that deep blue sky you can get it without filters but if you don't know about post processing sometimes it's just easier to use a filter

 

[dr_zero]

I frequently use a polariser. Pictures like this one from our holiday last week just wouldn't look the same without it!


regards,
/alan

Very nice!!

 

[wenrob]

So that's how they get Christmas trees to look like that. Believe it or not I've been thinking on asking advice on shooting pics of Christmas trees etc but figured it was too early yet.

I'm still learning my camera so haven't even thought about filters yet. Would love to hear/see descriptions of some and what they do.

 

[dr_zero]

So that's how they get Christmas trees to look like that. Believe it or not I've been thinking on asking advice on shooting pics of Christmas trees etc but figured it was too early yet.

I'm still learning my camera so haven't even thought about filters yet. Would love to hear/see descriptions of some and what they do.

Here are some more stars to check out
http://www.2filter.com/tiffen/Tiffenstarfilters.html

If you can look for a cokin filter book there are some neat pics in there also to show the different effects.

There are multiple image filters that do like the little toys you used to get in your cracker jacks and when you look there are five or six of what you are looking at and rainbow filters you see them sometimes when they are shooting jewelry and they have that cool rainbow sparkle.

 

[jann1033]

Here are some more stars to check out
http://www.2filter.com/tiffen/Tiffenstarfilters.html

If you can look for a cokin filter book there are some neat pics in there also to show the different effects.

There are multiple image filters that do like the little toys you used to get in your cracker jacks and when you look there are five or six of what you are looking at and rainbow filters you see them sometimes when they are shooting jewelry and they have that cool rainbow sparkle.

never got anything cool like that in cracker jacks( just dumb little cardboard things ) but if you download a free mehdi plug in for photoshop( works in elements, i have 5) you can do kaleidoscopic like stuff very fun to do..sorry i am killing the cokin stock huh...my nd is a cokin so i'm not anticokin but this one is photoshop and free, i couldn't help myself from mentioning it this was originally a photo of windows in Charleston SC

i think this might have been the original or at least similar since i have a few shots of this place

 

[dr_zero]

Cool will check it out!