More Questions - Filters

[colin626]

Hello again sorry more questions this time trying to understand the use of filters on the camera lens, can someone explain why and what would be the correct ones. is lens size all the same for my D5600. thanks again

 

[cgw]

Hello again sorry more questions this time trying to understand the use of filters on the camera lens, can someone explain why and what would be the correct ones. is lens size all the same for my D5600. thanks again

Google...

 

[dstreetphoto]

It depends on what you want to do. If its long exposures then you will need ND Filters which will either be circular and screw onto your lenses filter thread or square. The former will only fit a specific lens (or lenses with the same filter thread size) whereas the latter can be attached to any lens. Which you go for will be down to personal preference. Personally I always opt for circular Hoya Pro ND Filters as I find them easier to handle and less prone to damage. When picking the "strength" of your filter it is always good to have a range, for example, I always have 2, 5 and 10 stop filters. This way, I get good control over my shutter speed.

This is a good guide on ND Filters.

 

[wfooshee]

The "correct" filter is the one that does the effect you're looking for. ND filters mentioned above reduce the amount of light entering the lens by some given number of stops. I have one called Big Stopper which looks black to your eye, and reduce exposure by 10 stops, which is 1/1000 the amount of light hitting the sensor, so if I could shoot unfiltered at 1/30, I could throw the Big Stopper on and expose for 30 seconds.

There are also graduated ND filters, the darken towards one edge, so you could darken your sky and leave the lower part of the frame alone.

Circular polarizers are useful for reducing reflected glare, and they have the effect of brightening greenery and making skies a deeper blue.

For film we used UV filters, but DSLRs don't pick up UV like film could, so there's no need for UV as a filter. As this thread shows, a lot of people of for it in the belief that it protects the front element of the lens.

As for the lens size, the lens will have a number on the label, with the Ø symbol. That number is the filter diameter. You can get adapter rings to step up the filter ring size, so you could mount a 77-mm filter on a lens that takes a 52-mm filter. Sometime you need to stack two or even three of the adapter rings, but what the rings do is keep you from having to buy multiple filters just to get all your sizes. (And that filter mm number has nothing to do with the lens's focal length; it's the actual physical diameter of the filter.)

 

[petrochemist]

Circular polarizers are useful for reducing reflected glare, and they have the effect of brightening greenery and making skies a deeper blue.

Circular polarisers are often quoted as reducing reflected glare, but this depends on their alignment, they can also boost reflections. When the photographer understands them they are the most useful of all filters, but they need adjustment for each shot to get the right amount of effect. I probably use mine more to boost reflections than to reduce them!

With a polarised light source they can show stress patterns in transparent plastics too
stressed stencil by Mike Kanssen, on Flickr

Combined with a linear polariser they can create a variable ND filter, but these tend not to work well with wide angle lenses.

 

[wfooshee]

Yeah, basically point the marker on the rim of the filter at the sun. for least reflection

 

[colin626]

Wow , there's a whole new world of photography using filters, i really think i should walk a little slower first and learn more camera skills. like to thank all of you for the knowledge you bring, cheers.

 

[RacePhoto]

Just a note, if you are using Automatic White Balance, and you put any colored filter on a lens, it will have no effect. This is a benefit and could be confusing. You need to have manual WB for colored filters to make any difference.

What is probably the first filter that anyone would want to get and learn, the most potentially useful, in my opinion, is the CPL: When to Use a CPL Filter and When to Avoid One | Digital Camera HQ

NDs are next if you are going to need that or do some shots that would benefit.

 

[wfooshee]

Colored filters are generally for black-and-white photography, not for actual color effects, although that can be fun, too, tinting a scene.

 

[smoke665]

is lens size all the same for my D5600. thanks again

Generally the diameter is different. As mentioned above you can use adapter rings to step up or step down, but be aware that placing additional rings or stacking filters, can cause vignetting on the image. A better solution is to use a square filter holder that holds 100mm square filters that comes with adapter rings to fit the lens you're using. Low end filter holders start at less than $50 and go up from there. These also let you stack filters without the vignetting problem.

Colored filters aren't as necessary on today's digital, however, CTB and CTO (temperature correcting Blue & Orange) can save you a lot of post editing time when using a flash, with ambient light.

 

[petrochemist]

Just a note, if you are using Automatic White Balance, and you put any colored filter on a lens, it will have no effect. This is a benefit and could be confusing. You need to have manual WB for colored filters to make any difference.

What is probably the first filter that anyone would want to get and learn, the most potentially useful, in my opinion, is the CPL: When to Use a CPL Filter and When to Avoid One | Digital Camera HQ

NDs are next if you are going to need that or do some shots that would benefit.

Warming & cooling filters are easily covered by white balance, but the stronger coloured filters (such as #47, #58 & #25) are well beyond what most cameras can deal with. As @wfooshee mentioned these are really intended for black & white use, but they can be very effective with full spectrum IR converted cameras too

CPLs are indeed the most useful, provided you know how they work & take care to adjust them for the best effect (not necessarily most effect).

 

[RacePhoto]

Colored filters are generally for black-and-white photography, not for actual color effects, although that can be fun, too, tinting a scene.

Yes, that was the point. Also if someone wants a protective filter, whether it's UV, Skylight, Clear or haze will not change anything, so which one anyone has, will work.

Adding any filter, always adds the possibility of an unwanted reflection.

This project has an 77mm 85A that I got out of a junk box at the photo store. I think I paid 50 cents for it.

 

[cgw]

OP last checked in on 2/14...

 

[RAZKY]

I think his last post said it all - nothing further for him to comment on.