Good filters reccomendation

[Mastamarek]

Hey,
I'm in need of filters. I need CPL, UV and ND. What companies to look for and which one to aviod? I've been hearing lots of good info about B+W but I need a set of 3 types of diameter x 3 types of filters, so I need 9 filters total. 9x$130 = $1170. Thats a lot of $$. I would rather spend that kind of money on new lens. So here's the trick. I can spend max of $50 on each filter. Also I'm coming form the film/video world and here we have ND3/6/9 with a filter factor of 2. Does this still apply to photography filters? Also if you think I should spend more on filters plz let me know. I like different opinions. I can get rid of UV filters but I only wanted to buy them for protection purposes. That L glass looks sooo pretty.
thx in advance,
Marek

[Wilt]

Lots of posts on this topic. Hoya SHMC, Hoya HD, at the minimum Hoya HMC; B+W MRC; Heliopan

Forget the cheapos or the single coated or even double coated...Tiffen, Canon, Hoya in the Green box

[RandyS]

You're shooting digital so why do you need UV filters? If it's for protection your hood will do a better job.

You may need to get more than one ND filter for a given lens depending on your needs. Do you know what your needs are in this? What density of ND filters does your work require? Do you need the same ND filters for all three lenses?

Work out the details of what you actually need, and you might find that B+W or Heliopan will fit your budget.

[xcel730]

For UV, you should get one for all three lenses. Hoya Super HMC or B+W will work great. Some people vouch for UV for lens protection, some thinks it's unnecessary and feels that the extra filter will reduce the image quality from the L lenses. I taken photos with and without the UV filters and I cannot really tell the difference, so I keep mine on. I use UV mainly because I don't want to clean the lens because I'm afraid I may damage it.

For CPL and ND, instead of getting for all three lenses, you could opt to get the largest one (i assume it's 77mm) and get step-up rings for your other two lenses? That way you could buy one CPL and one (or more) ND filters. You could get step-up filter rings here: http://www.2filter.com/prices/products/rings.html

For CPL, I have a B+W MRC version and it's been doing me great.

For ND, you have to consider what density you want. I never found much use for 0.3, so I would skip that and start with 0.6 and 0.9. That'll give you 2 and 3 stops of light reduction. I went with B+W for my filters and they're pretty pricey (about $100 each). I was patient enough to pick them up used from forums and paid around $50-$70 each.


I hope this helps.

[MintyBerry]

You could go with a Lee filter holder. I'm using it right now and in love with it.

http://www.leefiltersusa.com/camera

The holder attaches to the front of your lens via an adapter ring. The rings come in many many sizes so you can just use the same filters for all your lenses. The filter holder holds up to 3 (standard filter holder) filters. The most expensive thing is the CPL. It attaches to the front of the filter holder via an adapter ring. To prevent vignetting, a large CPL is used - 105mm. You can imagine how expensive that is. The cheapest 105 I've seen is the sigma one at 150.

Filter holder - 75
Adapter - 27 standard or 54 for slim (for wide angles)
ND grads - 90
Nd solids - 100
or
250 for a set of 3 - .3 .6 .9
105 mm CPL - 150
adapter for cpl - 50

I guess you can put UV filters underneath your filter holder, but I've never used UV filters and I've been fine. Hoods work perfectly well.

You can get almost everything I mentioned from 2filter, though their site is a bit hard to navigate. :D

[Mastamarek]

You're shooting digital so why do you need UV filters? If it's for protection your hood will do a better job.

First of all, thanks for reply's everyone. Thats exactly what I need my UV for. Whenever I look into that 70-200 glass, I know I dont wanna touch it or clean it. Filter would fix that.

For UV, you should get one for all three lenses. Hoya Super HMC or B+W will work great. Some people vouch for UV for lens protection, some thinks it's unnecessary and feels that the extra filter will reduce the image quality from the L lenses. I taken photos with and without the UV filters and I cannot really tell the difference, so I keep mine on. I use UV mainly because I don't want to clean the lens because I'm afraid I may damage it.

same here.


For CPL and ND, instead of getting for all three lenses, you could opt to get the largest one (i assume it's 77mm) and get step-up rings for your other two lenses? That way you could buy one CPL and one (or more) ND filters. You could get step-up filter rings here: http://www.2filter.com/prices/products/rings.html

For CPL, I have a B+W MRC version and it's been doing me great.

For ND, you have to consider what density you want. I never found much use for 0.3, so I would skip that and start with 0.6 and 0.9. That'll give you 2 and 3 stops of light reduction. I went with B+W for my filters and they're pretty pricey (about $100 each). I was patient enough to pick them up used from forums and paid around $50-$70 each.


I hope this helps.
thats handy. Does it degrade IQ somehow? also will I fit my lens hood over it? Getting one CPL for all lenses sounds awesome. For ND I will definatelly go with a 2stop one. 1 is too little for me a 3 is too much for my needs. I mostly shoot landscape and automotive stuff.

[tvphotog]

DSLR sensors are not affected by UV. Get a clear filter for protection. Regarding the other issues, call www.2fitler.com and speak to the people there to get some recommendations. They're in New Hampshire, have excellent prices, are reputatble.

The last is important because if there's a problem, the Hong Kong dealers are far, far away---despite their low ball prices and sometimes questionable sources.

Also significant about B + W: www.2filter.com and Adorama are authorized B + W dealers; B&H is not, and neither is Maxsavers in HK. Keep that in mind if you consider B + W filters.

[sperho]

I personally like B+W MRC UV/Haze filters for protection. Good bang for buck.

[René Damkot]

http://diglloyd.com/articles/Filters/index.html

If you feel you need a filter, get a B+W MRC.

Only filter I occasionally use is a polariser.

[Mastamarek]

ok guys, so my first order is just gonna be CP filters. I need 3 different sizes:
72:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=WishList.jsp&A=details&Q=&sku=181625&is=REG
77:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=WishList.jsp&A=details&Q=&sku=181590&is=REG
82:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=WishList.jsp&A=details&Q=&sku=181592&is=REG

all of those are B+W MRC slim models. Whats the difference between slim and regular ones?

I'll be getting ND filters next month and here is what I was looking at (0.9 ND)
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=WishList.jsp&A=details&Q=&sku=235872&is=REG

this one is actually 0.6 as I couldn't find 0.9, but I just wanted to make sure that at least, I'm looking into good direction.

[dpark]

Do you really need every filter for every lens you own? You might do better to pick the lens filters you truly have a need for instead of trying to make sure you have every possible situation covered perfectly. For example, if you shoot landscapes with your 16-35, buy the CPL in 82mm. You could use a step-up ring on the 70-200 and 24-105 if you find a need for a CPL on them as well. Yes, that precludes using the hood, but are you really going to be using a CPL on them often enough to justify a dedicated (and expensive) filter? As for the 135, do you really need a CPL on that at all? You have the range covered in the 70-200, which you can use a step-up on, or at least share with the 24-105.

Also, the slim model filters are to prevent vignetting on wide-angle lenses. I'm not sure if one is necessary on the 16-35 or not. Do be aware that many slim filters do not have threads for a lens cap to attach to.

I recommend saving money on the UV filters by not getting them at all. Your 70-200 isn't made of cotton candy. It can survive being cleaned. Many people have used lenses for years with no filters and they still have pristine glass.

[jdang307]

Buy one filter, the largest, and use step up rings. Save the money for a new lens.

[Jon]

Since I hate changing filters whenever I change lenses, I have a polarizer for every lens; I think you're going the right way. Plus, if you use a step-up ring to fit the 82 mm filter to your 24-105, 70-200 or 135, you won't be able to use the hood with the filters. But you don't need slim filters for the 24-105, the 70-200 or the 135. I'm not even sure if you'd need slim for the 16-35 II, but then I don't have that particular lens. Slim filters are thinner than regular ones, so they're less likely to vignette at extreme wide angles. The B+W slims, however, don't have front threads to attach your lens cap to; you need to use a (supplied, until you lose it) slip-on lens cap with them. The B+W F-Pro filters are slim enough, certainly, for the 24-105 and probably for the 16-35; they've got front threads so you can use your existing lens caps.

[Mastamarek]

thx guys for the replies!! I got 3 CPs. One "regular" and two slim ones. Weirdly my 24-105 has the same diameter as my 70-200. lol. So I guess, they'll be sharing the slim model. If vignetting is going to be unacceptable then I can always return it. Also, I can't use step up rings as I'll be sharing some of my lenses with 2 different bodies. So I'll need more then one filter does everything situation. next up are my ND filters ... thats gonna be tricky as there is a trillion of different models even among B+W so I'm definitively going to need some advice on that. I don't need ultra long exposures but I do want to shoot wide open on an extremely sunny day and use em for my car rigs as well. I say a good 3 stop ND filter would fit me perfectly. Now the question is .... which one? lol