questions about lenses & filters

[kgreen]

hi, i just seen another post about filters, but had other questions about lenses & i didn't want to take up the users post. so i hope it's okay to post a new thread. i have an olympus c-5060 wide zoom camera. i have had it several years, but it's still a very good camera for me. so instead of leaping out & purchasing a new one, i decided to up grade mine with a new lens purchase. i have always used my camera like it was purchased & never bought any lenses or filters. so it's brand new to me. since my camera is now an archived olympus there weren't many options, but i bought a 3x telephoto conversion lens. i read that if i take pictures at the wide angle & not zoomed out the photo's can have vignetting. so i am assuming i will only want to use this lens when i need to get close & not for everday photos. will you be able to see the darkening on the LCD screen, that way you know if you're not zoomed out far enough?? the 2nd lens i purchased is a 0.5x wide angle lens, with a detachable macro lens. will this be a good every day lens. my camera is allready a wide zoom, so i'm excited to see the diffrence this lens will make. then i purchased 3 fillters, uv, polarizer, & fluorescent. i have read what they are used for but can you leave one of them on all the time?? hopefully the filter's will fit over the new lenses, if not i think they make converters. thanks so much for all your patience! you all have been great

 

[GrumpyGoat]

There are several things you have to keep in mind when adding wide angle or telephoto lenses to that camera:

Those lenses fit on the front of the camera's existing lens. They are NOT a completely new lens as you would find on a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera. Because of this they may vignette at the wide end. Also, because they are an auxiliary lens, you may experience some loss of image quality.

As far as filters are concerned, I'm one of the "anti-UV filter" crowd. I gave up using them 30 years ago after experiencing vignetting on a 35mm camera. I feel a lens hood gives better protection. A polarizer can be a useful filter as it can reduce reflections on water and shiny objects and can make clouds stand out more by darkening blue skies.

I assume by a "fluorescent" filter you mean one to reduce or eliminate the green cast when shooting under fluorescent lights... Why did you buy it? With digital cameras it is totally un-necessary. Digital cameras have the ability to adjust what is know as "White Balance" in the camera or in post-processing in a computer after the pictures are taken. If you look at Page 128 of the User's Guide for your camera, there is an explanation of white balance and how to adjust it in the camera. Take that filter back to the place you bought it and get your money back...

 

[kgreen]

the lens & filters came as a kit on ebay. thanks for the explanation, i did't realize it would fit over the existing lens. do you keep the polarizer filter on all the time? i just tooks lots of pictures at the zoo with my family. i noticed the glare on pictures that i took through glass. i was hopeing this filter would help with that. i always shoot in super high quality & the photo's are pretty clear, so if i use these lenses i'm more likely to see image quality loss. you said look at page 128 to read about white balance.. do you own the same camera?? thanks for your help!

 

[kgreen]

With digital cameras it is totally un-necessary. Digital cameras have the ability to adjust what is know as "White Balance" in the camera or in post-processing in a computer after the pictures are taken. If you look at Page 128 of the User's Guide for your camera, there is an explanation of white balance and how to adjust it in the camera. Take that filter back to the place you bought it and get your money back...

now i understand, i looked through the menu on my camera & found the white balance. usually when i take photo's inside they have a yellow cast to them. i noticed my camera's white balance was set to "sunny" & i changed it to the auto setting. my picture's inside have a more natural look with out the yellow cast now. it has other options as well so i'll have to play with it a little to get it just right. thanks!