Filter question

[mamatojack]

Where can I find filters that will fit my telephoto (100mm) lens, my wide angle (24mm) lens, and my macro (50mm) lens? I've been looking at Adorama and BHP, but haven't found anything yet. I would like to get a polarizer filter, as well as a few "fun" filters.

Thanks!
~Katy

[Olegis]

You should buy filters by their diameter - every lens accepts filters of certain size. The B&H and Adorama stores have almost all the filters you'll ever need - just check the diameters sizes.

For example - the Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens has a 58mm filter thread, so every 58mm filter will fit. The 70-200 f/2.8L lens has a 77mm filter thread and so on ...

[redbutt]

Extending on what was just said...look at the front of the lens. Around the perimiter right near the edge, there will be printing. One of the things printed there is the thread diameter for filters and lens caps.

[DaveG]

Where can I find filters that will fit my telephoto (100mm) lens, my wide angle (24mm) lens, and my macro (50mm) lens? I've been looking at Adorama and BHP, but haven't found anything yet. I would like to get a polarizer filter, as well as a few "fun" filters.

Thanks!
~Katy

The cheapest way to do this would be to find the filter size of your largest diameter lens, say 62mm. Buy a 62mm filter and a couple of step down (step up?) rings. This would adapt the larger filter to the smaller lens filter size. That way you can spend more money on ONE good filter and use it on all of your lenses; instead of having more afordable - and more mediocre - filters, for each lens.

Look into the future a bit too, and if you think that you might be getting a larger filter sized lens, then it might be a good idea to buy filters in that size now. For example the 16-35 L and the 70-200 f2.8 L both take 77mm filters and you will be out of luck if you buy one and your largest and favorite filter is only 62mm.

As far as filters go there are basically three that will give you some utility. You should have have a UV filter on all of your lenses to protect the front element. A good quality Canon filter will do the trick and I think that it's very important to protect that front element and your investment. Yeah there will be lots of people out there who will tell you that it degrades the image but with a good filter that impairment will be negligible. What isn't negligible are those scratches to your front element that are bound to happen in normal use. So decide as to whether you want to throw a damaged UV filter away every few years or want the same damage done to your infinitely more expensive front element.

A circular polarizing filter is also a lot of fun. The "circular" part of the polarizer is needed for the auto focus to work right.

The other filter would be a neutral density filter. This knocks a couple of stops off the exposure and can be useful if you are trying to use slow shutterspeeds to show water movement in waterfall shots. I put my camera on a tripod and want to use 8 second exposures. This takes the moving water and makes it very etherial. theproblem is that at ISO 100 I can't get shutterpeeds slow enough even at F22, and the neutral density filter helps.

I don't see much advantage in any other filter since Photoshop will do it better, and more importantly later. A coloured filter will just add a colour cast that you could easily add in Photoshop and or remove if you didn't like it. I used to use a blue split neutral filter with film, to add some density to washed out grey skies, but now I'd just use the gradient tool to do the same thing.

A star filter makes specular highlights like candles take on star like flare (duh) and that's interesting, although a one trick pony. It also can be done for nothing if you have a piece of window screen around. Just hold the screen next to your lens and you'rein the star filter business and don't feel cheap since that's what they use on movie camera lenses!

[mamatojack]

Thank you so much everyone! I appreciate your help!

~Katy the Newbie