Thread: What filters and why?

I usually only have / use 2 , a skylight 1A or UV to keep on the lens at all times for protection and a circular polarizer to help with colour saturation
. I used to have a full kit of cokin filters but some little ****er stole all my gear while i was working in Adelaide but funnily enough left my Mamiya C330 and lenses behind.

I only have UV filters. Basically just to protect the lens from scratches. Would rather replace a $20 dollar filter than a lens. I may look at getting a polarizing filter for summer when I take more beach shots.

I too am a believer in protective/UV filters so I have one on each lense that can take a filter.
As to the others: I carry a B+W Kaessman CPL, 6 stop ND and 10 stop ND.

The 10 stop is great as it knocks a 1/30" shot down to a 30" shot and where I normally shoot thats a big plus for water falls and ocean shots where you want that blurring of the water.

e.g. This was taken around midday.


My next purchase will be a set of drop in grad ND's. I'll only go the greys only to begin with.

UV or skylight on lenses 99.99% of the time. Polarizer (B+W Kaessman CPL), graduated ND. Have got a few Cokin filters for effects but use them about 00.01% of the time. B+W mostly although I do have a few Jap filters.

Only ever use Hoya UV and circular polarizing filters. I try to get the light right 'natural' rather than mess around with filters that make dramatic changes.
I use polarizing filters just to reduce glare in water shots. I find it better to keep things as simple as posible and shoot the best of what I see.

Allen

Another vote for polarising fileters. I did have a circular polarising fileter on one lens, and a UV one to protect the other. However the UV one did it's job and was broken when an ambo knocked the camera off a bus seat (doing his job, I was helping with the 1st aid). And now that I jumped up to a L lens for most of my use I need to get a larger 77mm polarising filter. I won't need a circular one though as the front element doesn't rotate. I might get one anyway.

I also want to get a warming filter into my bag as well, but other things are demanding the $$ in my budget at the moment.

i did recently come across a polarizer that was a warming one, has anyone ever used one of these personally i thought it would be just as easy to warm up the settings with in the camera using the kalvin scale

Whith the introduction of affordable digital bodied cameras to the masses any thing 6meg+ with good white balance dont seem to need all our old filters. Kodachrome, Ectachrome, Fuji, Ilford, etc.