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| April 6th, 2008 01:01 PM | |  LVE
Joined: Aug 1, 2006
Posts: 824 | Camera Filters
A lot of people have asked about using Camera Filters. Here is a list and a brief description of what they do.
Protective and UV Filters
UV Filters - Absorbs ultraviolet rays. Gives cleaner, sharper pictures with less haze. It is recommended to leave a UV filter on your camera lens at all times to protect the lens from dust, moisture, scratches, and breakage.
Sky Filters - Reduces blush tones in outdoor shots. Keeps skin tones natural and free of reflection from nearby objects. Also serves as a permanent lens protector.
Protector Filters - protect your valued lenses from expensive front element damage which could be caused by dirt, knocks or scratches.
Polarizing Filters
Circular Polarizer and Moose Filters - Essential for outdoor photography; deepens intensity of blue skies; reduces or eliminates glare. Circular Polarizing filters are used on auto focus cameras.
Linear Polarizer Filters and Linear Focus - Used on non-auto focus cameras.
Neutral Density Filters
Neutral Density Filters - Reduces the amount of light without affecting the color. Eliminates overly bright, washed out images. Great for video.
Filter Kits
Filter Kits - Popular filter kits to save you money.
Ultra Thin Filters
HOYA HMC Ultra Thin Filters - High end filters designed to avoid vignetting problems which occur with wide angle lenses.
Special Effects Filters
Cross Screen, Soft Screen, Star 4, Star 6, and Star 8 - Creates a star in the picture where this is bright light. Ideal for photographs of ladies wearing jewelry or other objects with strong reflections.
Close-up - For close-up photography.
Split Field Filters - One-half of the picture receives a close-up effect while the other half is normal.
Special Effect, MultiVision, and Mirage Filters - For special effect photography.
Sepia Filters - Give a nostalgic effect to otherwise ordinary color or black & white photographs.
Misty Spot Filters: Breeze, Halo, Windmill, and Gradual Filters - They have a sharp central image with a pleasant blurring of the outer field. For special effect photography.
Center Spot, Soft Spot, and Color Spot Filters - The center has a clear spot, while the outside can be used as a portrait filter or color.
Softener Filters - Gives a soft gradation image, with focal point somewhat retained.
Infrared (IR) Pass Filters - For infrared photography.
Intensifier Filters - Intensifies and enhances colors.
Portrait, Duto, Diffusion, Spot Diffuser Filters - Diffusion filters give an overall soft focus effect. Can be used to create the romantic and mysterious effects.
Fog A & B Filters - Fog filters give an overall soft focus effect. Fog filters can be used as a portrait filter or to create the romantic and mysterious effect of fog in any scene.
Colored Filters
Colored, Vario PL, Fantasy, and Tri Color Filters - Tone correction; improves contrast. Ideal for landscapes.
Half Colored and Gradual Color Filters - Half of the filter colored and half clear.
FL-W, FL-B, FL-D and Special Fluorescent Filters - Used to correct the greenish tone that appears when fluorescent lighting is present.
Warming & Cooling Filters
80A, 80B, and 80C Filters - These filters are for color photography in artificial light.
81A, 81B, and 81C Filters - Filters used to create a warming effect (reduces blues, increases reds).
82A, 82B, and 82C Filters - Filters used to create a cooling effect (reduces reds, increases blues).
85A, 85B, and 85C Filters - Filters used to create a warming effect (reduces blues, increases reds). These are more powerful than the 81 series.
| | | [1] | | | April 8th, 2008 10:38 AM | | RhodyGirl
Joined: Sep 18, 2006
Posts: 212 | Excellent job!
I'm printing this out and keeping it with my camera gear. Thanks, Larry! | | April 8th, 2008 03:26 PM | | LVE
Joined: Aug 1, 2006
Posts: 824 | You're Welcome!
| | April 9th, 2008 05:11 PM | | andreyG
Joined: Sep 19, 2006
Posts: 390 | Re: Camera Filters
my 2 cents - superthin filters - I think they are done to buy a Hawaii willa for company executive - I did head to head comparizon of superthin tiffen ($60) and chinese ($6) polarizers - I think chinese works better with vignetting. What I saw with polarizer - you have to get several pictures with the filter and the lense together - those pairs are working differently. But I see very low, if any, difference between high and low end filters, may be you can see it on flairs. Special effect filters - I sold all of mine on ebay - software manipulation is more accurate and less "artificial" I never can tell did I do the picture with UV filter, or with a simple protector, and never saw anybody who can - it is just a protector, no special functions. Also I want to add about light green (or green-yellow) and light blue filters - they definetly make a difference, - you have much more colors and it looks beautifull with greens, and much more contrast with blues. | | April 10th, 2008 01:40 PM | | LVE
Joined: Aug 1, 2006
Posts: 824 | I agee except........
I use UV Filters and with some of my shots I can see a difference, and it depends on the conditions, light etc. I have a pair of UV sun glasses,and if for example I look at a bight blue sky with a lot of cumulus clouds the difference with or without the glasses is spectacular. I have two different brands of UV filters for my camera, and they both do not give the same effect, but I sure can tell a difference. That's all I can say. I certainly agree with you about the high price filters not being worth it! One can buy a lot of double coated filters for $20 or less. | | April 10th, 2008 07:54 PM | | andreyG
Joined: Sep 19, 2006
Posts: 390 | Re: Camera Filters
UV on the ebay - $4 or less and $3 shiping. Old german filters are good. Double coating is good - but I really can not see any difference in not coating and double coating and (new feature) supercoating. I was quite snobby with filters, but head to head comparison - is a beautifull thing - spetially when you have my love - 18-55 canon kit lense - you can place any filter on it. Only on L seria lenses and close to full opening you can see some difference, but mostly - if it good in color and no zebra on it - any filter is good. Actually anything could be a filter. I have a piece of thick greenish glass - that gives low colors and high grafic pictures. also it is a good idea to apply some vaseline on the filter - you have creazy colors and distorted proportions. Just to place a penty on the lense when you do a portreit - makes it softer. colored plastick - is a nice addition. Make a holl in a green leave - place it before your lense and look what happened. In time of my youth - we blow sigarett smoke in front of the camera - fantastick filter. - try to blow smoke between 2 thin glasses - this is the best fog filter that you can get. Just everything is trhe filter, we just do not know how to use it. | | April 24th, 2008 09:33 AM | | SJD
Joined: Sep 18, 2006
Posts: 73 | Re: Camera Filters
Larry this in invaluable information and I will print it out as well. Thank you for the explination. | | June 2nd, 2008 09:45 AM | | LVE
Joined: Aug 1, 2006
Posts: 824 | Thanks for the info.
I have not tried the Cokin setup, but I know others that have, and like it. I have a variety of lenses with different diameters, an I use a stp up - step down adapter. for example, 55-58 and 62-67, etc. I primarily shot with the CPL and ND2 - ND4 & ND8 I have had some excellent results shooting in real bright conditions using an CPL - ND2 or CPL - ND4 together. | | | [1] | |
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