Thinking Ahead for 09 WDW Trip - Which Is Best?

[annnewjerz]

So, with the holidays coming up, I am trying to think of some inexpensive photography related stocking stuffers I can suggest to DH (remote shutter release, filters I may want, etc.) and I got to thinking...

I will most likely want to travel as light as possible, so because of that no matter how many goodies I may have, I think I'll probably end up bringing my 18-200 and the Sigma 30. I have a hood for the 18-200, but it seems a little bulky at times.

If I had the option of using the hood or a multi-coated UV filter for protection for the lens while I am walking around The World (instead ot aking the cap on and off) - which would be the better choice??

 

[InsertWittyNameHere]

My vote would be for the lens hood since it will also serve a double purpose of blocking out any stray light from affecting your exposure.

 

[boBQuincy]

Just as we finished with the election we get back into the hood vs filter thing again...

Lens hood.

However... a hood that covers 18-200 is not going to be very effective, at least at the longer focal lengths. OEM hoods are $$$ but I have read some poor reviews of 3rd party hoods (like they fall off often).
Ymmv...

 

[annnewjerz]

Just as we finished with the election we get back into the hood vs filter thing again...

Lens hood.

However... a hood that covers 18-200 is not going to be very effective, at least at the longer focal lengths. OEM hoods are $$$ but I have read some poor reviews of 3rd party hoods (like they fall off often).
Ymmv...

Hi Bob, the lens hood that I have came with my 18-200 VR and is a Nikon Hood and haven't had any problems with it falling off.

Can I ask why it wouldn't be effective at the longer focal lengths? When I attach mine to the lens, the hood slides in and out when I zoom from 18-200, so what makes it less effective at 200 than 18? Yet another subject that I am clueless on!

Thank you!

 

[Steve's Girl]

I have had the 18-200 lens for 2 years now and the hood that came with it has been fine. I would recommend the hood. It is easy to reverse when you want to put the camera in the bag. I don't like to use filters too often since I think they can degrade the image - but that is a debatable topic for a different thread At Disney, in particular, the hood has saved my lens from a lot of bumps and scrapes. There are a lot of people and no matter how careful you are, your camera is going to get banged around a little and someone - usually my kids - is going to run into it.

 

[GrillMouster]

I leave the lens hood on always. I take the lens cap off before my first shot of the day and I don't put it back on until I'm done shooting for the evening. I usually keep the camera on a strap all day long, so I'm always ready to shoot. On the rare occassion that I do put it away for a short while, I leave the lens hood on and I don't bother putting the lens cap on; the hood protects the lens while it's in the bag.

The hood not only protects the front lens element, but its primary purpose is to reduce flare. A UV filter, on the the other, hand makes flare more likely to happen, because it provides another surface for light to bounce off of. As for the amount of protection a UV filter provides, I won't enter that arguement. What I will say is that if the UV does wind up protecting the lens from a bump and scratch, the UV filter itself will be scratched, and what do you do then? Unless you happen to carry a back-up filter at all times, you'd either continue working with a scratched filter (ruining images), or you'd take off the filter and work with an unprotected lens.

 

[annnewjerz]

I
What I will say is that if the UV does wind up protecting the lens from a bump and scratch, the UV filter itself will be scratched, and what do you do then? Unless you happen to carry a back-up filter at all times, you'd either continue working with a scratched filter (ruining images), or you'd take off the filter and work with an unprotected lens.

That is a good point. Although the hood would still be in our hotel room so if the UV filter got damaged, I could always go back and get the hood (I have all intentions of bringing the hood no matter what, just thought there might be a less bulky option for the park i.e. the filter).

It seems like the majority of replies thus far recommend the hood, so it looks like I am going to think of alternate stocking stuffer ideas for this Christmas, any thoughts???

 

[handicap18]

I'd go with the hood over a filter and ask for more SD cards. You can never have enough memory cards. Even when you think you have enough, you'll say I should have bought more.

 

[Quicklabs]

Other stocking stuffer ideas (and avoiding the hood/filter controversy entirely because I still haven't made up my mind)...
Get a good micro cloth to keep either the lens or the filter clean. At 6--7 bucks a pop, you probably should have a few. No matter what you do regarding hood or filter, that lens or filter needs to be kept clean.
And ditto the idea about more SD cards.
Also, unless you already have it, get a remote for about $15. If you're taking night shots and stabilizing your camera on a tripod or some other thing that's handy, you'll want that remote instead of firing that shutter manually and shaking everything up...

 

[My2Girls66]

I'd say get a remote, too. I got one for my D50 before we went away in April and I actually got to get in some pictures with my family!! All 4 of us in one picture- thats unheard of!
It was one of the 1st things I bought for the D80 when I got it last month. It doesn't get used much but its nice to have.

 

[My2Girls66]

I'd say get a remote, too. I got one for my D50 before we went away in April and I actually got to get in some pictures with my family!! All 4 of us in one picture- thats unheard of!
It was one of the 1st things I bought for the D80 when I got it last month. It doesn't get used much but its nice to have. The Nikon one comes in a little pouch that I put right on my strap so its always with the camera.

 

[ukcatfan]

A long range zoom will have a hood that is not as effective at the longer focal lengths b/c as the focal length increases, the hood needs to get longer. On your zoom, it cannot be as long as it should be, or it would show up in the wide shots.

Another filter that you might need is a CP. If you plan on doing any long exposures in good light, consider a ND filter.

 

[annnewjerz]

A long range zoom will have a hood that is not as effective at the longer focal lengths b/c as the focal length increases, the hood needs to get longer. On your zoom, it cannot be as long as it should be, or it would show up in the wide shots.

Another filter that you might need is a CP. If you plan on doing any long exposures in good light, consider a ND filter.

Gotcha.

I do have an ND...a Hoya NDx400. Unfortunately I think I may return it because I bought it for my kit lens when I got it, not thinking I would purchase the 18-200 so shortly after getting the camera, so now I need one that fits a 72mm filter thread size.

NDx400 seems that it might be a little bit of overkill, plus it seems much more expensive...what do you think would be an acceptable ND filter that I can still take long exposures in daytime with (i.e. down mainstreet in WDW).

 

[InsertWittyNameHere]

Would 1 stop, 2 stop and 3 stop ND filters be considered over kill?

 

[GrillMouster]

Would 1 stop, 2 stop and 3 stop ND filters be considered over kill?

It wouldn't be overkill for me, but it would be overkill for someone who buys them and never actually uses them.

 

[boBQuincy]

Would 1 stop, 2 stop and 3 stop ND filters be considered over kill?

I can't see much point to a ND1, we can usually adjust the camera enough to get the same effect. A ND2 is only a little more useful. ND3 is getting somewhere, we can use it to get a slower shutter speed or wider aperture.

To me ND6 is more like what I am looking for, to get nice blur of waterfalls and moving objects in daylight. Even then, it would limit us to about 1/2 second (ISO 100, f/16) on a sunny day. For real motion blur we might need ND8 or so.

A very small aperture is not a good answer either, diffraction starts to reduce sharpness at around f/11 or f/16 and it gets worse as the aperture gets smaller.

 

[Groucho]

Would 1 stop, 2 stop and 3 stop ND filters be considered over kill?

I would think so unless you're really planning on setting up a tripod during the day. ND filters, from the little bit I've used of them, are not the kind of things that you just slap on and keep on shooting (like with, say, a circular polarizer.) They are used when you're going to spend some time working on your shot.

FWIW, I bought an ND8 filter before my last trip and didn't use it even once.