DSLR filters.

[ik9000]

Got a few filters for my 60D. Do I need to keep buying Canon ones or are other brands good enough?

So far I've got Kenco Skylight UV filter (or something like that - didn't Kenco used to make coffee??)
Canon Circ-polariser
Hoya Circ-polariser (not used yet so don't know how it compares to Canon one)

Looking to get some Neutral Density Filters so I can get some smoother waterscape shots etc. Canon ones look pricey, but are they worth the extra?

Also, what filters do other people use and what would you recommend? I used to have a set of coloured filters for my film SLR, but seems to me with digital you don't need them quite so much as the Camera/post-editing deals with more of this now. Or should I look at buying the old yellow-orange-red-blue-green 5-pack for my new lenses?

[g8ina]

Im sure Bob will be along soon, but my 2p worth - I only use circ-pol and NDs on top of my UV filters. The est I can do in Photoshop (mostly).

My NDs are cheap and cheerful and I've not noticed any detriment to the images. Mind you, I'm not a pro like Bob

[kushtibari]

It depends what you will be doing - I always use soft grads in the Lakes when I'm doing landscapes and very often pair them with a 2 stop ND filter. I use Lee filters but before that I used Hitech which are excellent value for money (anything is compared to Lee).

[ik9000]

well my wife and I share the camera, and we each go for slightly different things. Between us we're into nightshots, long exposure stuff, landscapes, architectural photography, macro stuff of insects + flowers, as well as just general taking pics at friends weddings and on holiday etc.

Basically I'm trying to get us properly kitted out. Got most bits, just need a flash (guessing that will just be a Canon one so it syncs properly) and the filters for the time being. Long term I might look at better quality lenses, but can't afford that right now.

Thinking of the ND to help smooth waves/ripples on lakes/canals etc when taking pics and hopefully boost the reflection in the water surface.

What's a soft grad filter?

[Bobster]

i don't do filters

[Bobster]

What's a soft grad filter?

any filter with Vaseline smeared on it

[ik9000]

i don't do filters

great, thanks for your help.....

So when taking a sunset shot over a calmish sea, and you want to get the sea smoother, but there's too much light to do a long exposure even on a narrow aperture..... you do what exactly? Take a series of shots and use post-process overlayering?

[Bobster]

i'm not a landscape photographer.. so only time my lenses have ever seen a filter was when i shot some airsoft events.. otherwise nothing comes between my lens and sensor..

ND filters are the way to go if you want to loose stops of light, there are some people who use welders glass because its cheap..

this may be of interest to you
http://www.singh-ray.com/varind.html

[Steve]

Just remember to only use one or two filters at a time...

http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2011...th-bad-filters

[kalniel]

The only filter I have is a circular polariser and I don't even use it very often because it seems to create some white balance problems (camera has external white balance sensor). Easily correctable though at least in post process (PP - editing on your computer ).

ND will reduce the light allowing for longer exposures at a given aperture. A grad ND is one where half of the filter has ND, and the other half is clear. A soft grad is one with a more gradual transition. Grads help where you want to bring down the exposure of the sky to better balance it with the landscape or to give a more dramatic effect. You can do the same thing in PP without a filter if you either a) have enough dynamic range in the sensor to capture both sky and land with enough information or b) can take more than one exposure and blend in PP.

[csgohan4]

Just remember to only use one or two filters at a time...

http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2011...th-bad-filters

I think you will find the images to be just pure blackness, lol

[ik9000]

I think you will find the images to be just pure blackness, lol

so, can I look at the solar eclipse yet dad?

[csgohan4]

so, can I look at the solar eclipse yet dad?

For you son, you don't need filters just look at it directly, you'll get more vitamin D

[cam1986]

ND would be the only ones i would use myself. Dont like to have a filter on a nice lens. Are expensive filters worth it? Not sure they are myself.

[FatalSaviour]

It really depends on the environment you work in, the photos you take, and your own attitude to your kit.
If you're careful, or can afford to replace scratched front elements, then by all means don't use a filter - I'm certainly not going to judge you because it's not my place. For me *personally*, I like being able to clean the filter fairly carefree, and I believe Canon themselves state that for full weatherproofing with some of their lenses, a filter is recommended. In terms of choice of filters, I generally stick to Hoya HD variants - I've found them much easier to clean than the Pro-1 equivalents, and the mounts are usually fairly slim (useful for UWA lenses).
This is especially true of the 77mm CPL filter that I bought. Hoya state that the HD variant reduces the amount of light by around 1-stop, as opposed to 2 (something I can attest to, as the 58mm Pro-1 CPL I have looks positively black, as opposed to the grey-brown hues of the HD 77mm CPL).

There's no right answer at the end of the day, but that's my $0.02 - hope that helps!

[Bobster]

anyone who says a UV filter will protect a lens, has never dinged the front of their lens with a filter on..