Lens Filter for very bright conditions?

[Mike330R]

I need a good lens filter to be used in very bright light. These shots will be in the bright desert sun with sand as a back ground.

On my fixed lens digital I always used a tinted lens cover and it made a huge difference.

I need to know which one to get for the Digital Rebel, where to buy, and which brand.

Thanks!

[hmhm]

Sounds like you're looking for a neutral density filter, one that just evenly "darkens" the light that passes though it. This can be handy when you're in a bright environment and attempting to use large apertures (typically on fast primes), presumably for shallow depth of field, and need a shutter speed faster than the fastest shutter speed your camera supports, or else you're trying to shoot long shutter speeds (e.g. for motion blur on a waterfall) and aren't getting a long enough shutter speed at f/22.

You can buy them anywhere, look on www.bhphoto.com under "filters and accessories" and then "round threaded" and then "neutral density". You'll need one that fits the thread size of your lens (or else use an appropriate step up ring), the thread size of the 300D kit lens looks to be 58mm.

A polarizer filter also has the effect of reducing the overall light level, thought it also tends to particularly darken the sky (which can help to balance it against a darker foreground) and reduce glare.
-harry

[Guillermo Freige]

Mike:
Probably you don't need any filters. Digicams have a minimum aperture of f/8 (diffraction problems) and a max shutter speed of 1/1500 or so. DSLRs are more flexible. Usually lens max aperture is between f/22-f/36 and shutter speed can be as high as 1/4000, so you can cope with much more extreme bright levels without the need of any filter.