Confussed about filters

Hello everyone,

Being so new to the world of digital photography I'm learning that not everything is so black and white...ahh...no pun intended.

I have the UV filter and a polarizing filter. When I talk to some folks they say with a digital camer you don't need a bunch of filters because you can just adjust the settings to achive the same goal.

I saw an ad for a intensifier filter and it had a picture of a tree changing colors and the filter in the ad really did seem to intensify the colors.

So I guess my question is, are these filters needed or can you achive the same results using just the settings on the camera?

I'm confused about all the filters and being told you really don't need them.

What are your thoughts on filter? I have the Rebel XTi.

Thanks in advance.
Mike

If it is the intensifier filter that I am thinking of it would be somewhat difficult to duplicate the effect with camera settings. The filter I am thinking of works by filtering out a narrow band of frequencies in the yellow region of the spectra. This gives the effect of making the reds and greens "pop"

Wayne

It was an ad for a Hoya Intensifier...and you're right...the colors in the ad real do "pop" out.

So there is something to having filters in your bag. Is there a "common" set of say 6 or so that is recommended?

Mike

Well dont make the mistake I did and purchase a full set of filters. I listened to my friend, whom is into film and I ended up with:

Red
Yellow
Orange
Diffusion
6x cross screen

And a couple others that Ill never use...


Circular polarizer is pretty much the only filter that I use. Oh, Neutral density filters are pretty useful too if you shoot alot of landscapes

Leaving aside the special-purpose ones like the Hoya intensifier you saw (which are a matter of taste/style) the ones everyone could agree on are a circular polarizer, neutral density and graduated neutral density filters. The circular polarizer is your friend in controlling reflections (from non-metallic surfaces) and boosting saturation. Regular neutral density filters let you use a slower shutter speed than you might otherwise need, blurring running water or blowing vegetation, for instance, or letting people move through the frame without being captured in the shot (since they're not in one spot long enough to register on the sensor). For both those types of filters, you'd want circular, screw-in filters from reputable manufacturers. The best are B+W, Heliopan and Hoya. If at all possible, and never mind the cost, get multi-coated ones, like B+W's MRC, Heliopan's SH-PMS or Hoya's S-HMC.

ND grads are a different matter - those you want to get rectangular filters and a filter holder on the front of the lens. They're used when part of the picture's much brighter than the rest. An example would be when you're photographing mountains silhouetted against a setting sun and want to capture some detail in the mountains. Your grad ND over the sky will help you balance the two different brightnesses. With the rectangular filters, you can adjust where the transition falls. There are circular, screw-in, grads, but with them you have to compose your image to match the transition rather than the other way around. There's a good tutorial here.

Thanks Jon. I'll look at that link.

I'd never have believed there was so much to photography. Phew....

WMS wrote in post #4212388
If it is the intensifier filter that I am thinking of it would be somewhat difficult to duplicate the effect with camera settings. The filter I am thinking of works by filtering out a narrow band of frequencies in the yellow region of the spectra. This gives the effect of making the reds and greens "pop"

Yes, its not exactly like a simple warming filter. The effect is particularly nice when combined with a circular polarizer.

jmann12180 wrote in post #4212359
Hello everyone,

Being so new to the world of digital photography I'm learning that not everything is so black and white...ahh...no pun intended.

I have the UV filter and a polarizing filter. When I talk to some folks they say with a digital camer you don't need a bunch of filters because you can just adjust the settings to achive the same goal.

I saw an ad for a intensifier filter and it had a picture of a tree changing colors and the filter in the ad really did seem to intensify the colors.

So I guess my question is, are these filters needed or can you achive the same results using just the settings on the camera?

I'm confused about all the filters and being told you really don't need them.

What are your thoughts on filter? I have the Rebel XTi.

Thanks in advance.
Mike

Filters can be used in digital photography, or not used. Some long-time professionals have dropped the use of graduated neutral-density filters, for instance, because there is so much that can be done in post-processing landscape photography, especially if you shoot in RAW, and if you use exposure bracketing the possibilities are vast without a special filter. It's really up to the photographer.

Polarizers are interesting. I have used polarizers for landscape photography to try to bring a bit more contrast and saturation out in a scene. Polarizers can also serve as a neutral density filter, by the way -- one stop and two stops -- kind of a dual-purpose filter.

The thing is, though, with digital capture and processing, you have more leeway in how you process your images and you may not want or need a bunch of filters. What you might want to pay more attention to initially is quality lenses and then how to process your photos after taking them to look exactly like you want them to. I've taken pictures with a lot of glare from sun reflecting off of water and with a bit of adjustment made the picture look as good as if I'd used a polarizer. I've also gotten good results with, say, a mountain photo with a bright sky in the background and, using a few possible approaches gotten a good blend of color and contrast. If I had used a graduated neutral density filter it would have helped tone down the sky, but you can still get the work done without one. It's a matter of personal preference. People who come from extensive experience with film will probably want to use all of their tricks, at least initially. But for someone new to SLR photography, I'd suggest concentrating on your skills, and, like I said, good quality lenses to cover the range of what you want to photograph and your "digital darkroom" skills so that your output is as great as your imagination is!

Hope this helps a little!

Tony

Jon wrote in post #4212510
...ND grads are a different matter - those you want to get rectangular filters and a filter holder on the front of the lens.

A popular one is called the Cokin Filter System.

I use Cokin filters and am very satisfied with them.


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