Filters for 70-200 F2.8L IS

[KBMphotography.com]

Hiya

Am off to sunny South Africa from the dull UK in 10 days and am looking for a filter to fit on the end of the 70-200 F2.8 IS. Is the Canon range (more expensive) better than the Hoya range??

Should I go for a Linear or Circulizing Polarizer? Any other filters to suggest (am in the UK) and it will be on the 10D

Cheers y'all!

Alan

www.kbmphotography.com
www.pbase.com/kbmphotography.com
Alan@kbmphotography.com

[defordphoto]

The way I look at it, Canon makes the glass. I'm sure they can make a filter. Get circular. South Africa. Very cool. On assignment or vacation? If you don't mind me asking...

[KBMphotography.com]

Very much vacation....

Cape Town.... Garden Route.... Jo'burg.... Zambia (Livingstone and Victoria Falls....

Is the Canon Circ Polarizer Filter at £155 compared to the Hoya Circ Polarizer at £65 worth it's money???

Alan
www.kbmphotography.com
www.pbase.com/kbmphotography.com
alan@kbmphotography.com

[PaulB]

Get a good UV or Skylight filter to keep on the lens at all times - most of the known branded filters are OK, but the Canon ones are perhaps the best (they do UV, Skylight and Protect - just plain optical glass) but expensive. Better to wreck a filter than the front element..............
As for the Polariser; must be a circular polariser otherwise you can screw up the metering and AF.
Would not personaly go for the Canon as I could not justify that price for a filter I only used occassionaly - you are unlikely to keep it on in place of the UV/Sky all the time - so even the Hoya at £65 seems a little over the top for the use it might get.
Have a good time.

[defordphoto]

Very much vacation....

Cape Town.... Garden Route.... Jo'burg.... Zambia (Livingstone and Victoria Falls....

Is the Canon Circ Polarizer Filter at £155 compared to the Hoya Circ Polarizer at £65 worth it's money???

Alan


Very nice! Have fun!! And yes, a circular polarizer is not just a simple piece of glass. The extra $$$ is worth it.

Also keep in mind that the lens you're putting it on is one of the finest lenses made. Period. You don't want to ruin a great piece of glass with a cheap filter.

And yes, Paul's right (IMO), get a UV and leave it on. I put UV's on my lenses right out of the box.

[Scottes]

I'm not a believer in "UV all the time" since I'm a believer in "hood all the time" and don't believe in putting useless glass in front of a great piece of of glass. Very few UV filters do anything beyond protect the front element, and if the hood can't protect the front element then I really did something wrong.

So I'd save a few bucks on the UV and spend the big bucks on a B&W or Hoya circular polarizer.

[scottbergerphoto]

I firmly believe that s**t happens. So I always leave a UV filter on my lenses unless I'm using a CPL or other filter. Even if it's just to keep the front element clean. If you scratch a UV filter while cleaning it, you toss it. You can't do that to a front element. I use Canon UV filters and a 77mm B+W CPL. The 70-200 2.8 is one of Canon's best. Why take a chance?
Enjoy the trip.
Scott

[PaulB]

Scott is dead right.
A few years ago a colleague of mine was quietly doing her job, trackside at Brands Hatch, when one of the cars went off into the kitty litter (gravel trap).
As she was showered with aggregate she ducked but not before a piece of gravel had gone through the front of her 400/3.5 Nikkor! (Manual focus, on an F3 I believe - used film; whatever THAT was.....).

The moral of this is that a filter is disposable - even if it is 120mm and cost £1 a mm back then! - Yes she had a filter on. The front element was fine and the lens soon sported a new filter.
Now a hood can't save your lens in that circumstance can it?

[Scottes]

Now a hood can't save your lens in that circumstance can it?

Nope, and it's a good point. I don't go running around where gravel might fly up at my lens. Of course I could come up with a thousand scenarios where UV ain't gonna help either.

I also look at the insurance idea. If you put a UV for every lens you could probably/possibly afford another lens. For the price of one UV filter you fully insure all your equipment against everything possible for a year.

S**t happens. So take control and don't let it happen so much.

[KBMphotography.com]

Right - that's it - am planing to order: (from warehouseexpress.com (UK))

Canon CPL (77mm) at £157.49
and the Hoya UV (77mm) Super HMC Pro-1 at £43.30

Is that a good deal for the UK????

[PaulB]

I still think that the Canon PL-C is vastly overpriced for the amount you are likely to use it - go for a Hoya. The price you quote was the Canon RRP two and a half years ago.
If you want to spend nearly £200 on filters fine but get a Canon 77mm UV to keep on the lens and a cheaper Pola.
Then buy another CF card with the money you save.

[KBMphotography.com]

Thanks for that Paul - Mrs Kbmphotography will be pleased....!

Cheers

[PaulB]

Post us some pics when you get back - enjoy the trip and take LOTS of photos.