Confused about filters

[ictsux]

Hi all,

first an foremost i'm a noob and have done some reading but still overwhelmed by the world of filters.

I've been concerning myself with UV, GND and PL filters and trying to find out more before i make purchases.

1) My 500D came with a uv filter and I read that UV filters would actually help in reducing haze.
However, I still got this hazy shot when i was at the zoo a couple of weeks ago.

Is this a case of my UV filter not being good enough? Kindly ignore my OOF and lens flare.


2) GND filter from what I read, refers to Gradual Neutral Density filter. Read that this would help with shots of landscapes with a great difference in contrast between two ends. Could any bro recommend a relatively good but not too ex GND? Was at Hoya webby but did not see a GND.

3) PL i read refers to polarisation and PL CIR refers to polorisation circular. Could I ask what CPL stands for? So far I'm assuming that CPL = circular polarisation. Just wanna get my facts right.
Anyway, PL filter is something I should get if I want nicer shots of clouds and sky right?
Any recommendations bros?

Btw I'm using Kit1 lens. I think thread diameter is 58mm.

Thanks all in advance.

 

[Rashkae]

All of these questions have been asked before. Do a search for "recommend filter" and you'll get lots of results.

As for UV filters, they had much more use i nthe film days. Nowadays, they're really just used to protect your lens.

In your shot, there's a huge lens flare. Did you use a hood?

 

[ictsux]

Ok man. Thanks for the prompt. I will do a search for "recommend filter".

And for your question, I do not have a hood.

Is it a must have or a good to have? :think:

 

[MarkNKL]

Type "Filters" under search and you should see similar threads started previously, but for the sake of being helpful heres what I wrote last time around...
As to what brand of GND filter to buy, a flickr buddy of mine uses some from Teamwork Digital to great effect, although there may be a fair bit of processing involved.
Look for C@rljones

Clear or UV Filter - Protects front element of lens, very very nice thing to have, some people say lens hood enough, I'm kiasu and kiasi, so I put a clear filter on as well.

Circular Polarizer Filter (CPL) - offers same front element protection, looks like 2 uv filters screwed onto one another, you can rotate the "outside" one when mounted on your lens to either give you deeper blues from the skies or to cut through reflections in glass

Neutral Density (ND) filters - Have limited experience with these, they stop some light front entering the lens, offering the photographer more flexibility in terms of shutter speed and aperture, (say they want a long exposure, but its a tad bit bright for the shutter speed, so put on the ND filter to drop light entering, without needing to up f/stop)

Graduated Neutral Density (GND) - half of the filter is of neutral density which transitions, either abruptly or gradually, into the other half which is clear. Used to bring an overly-bright part of a scene into the dynamic range of the sensor, think of it as Half-ND, Half-Clear.


And what are the basic filters that most photographer should have?
- Clear/UV filter , because you don't want to end up with chips or scratches on your front element
- CPL, very useful for getting more dramatic deep blue skies, and you can cut through reflections in glass or water (how much is dependant on the quality of the filter)

 

[ictsux]

Circular Polarizer Filter (CPL) - offers same front element protection, looks like 2 uv filters screwed onto one another, you can rotate the "outside" one when mounted on your lens to either give you deeper blues from the skies or to cut through reflections in glass

Graduated Neutral Density (GND) - half of the filter is of neutral density which transitions, either abruptly or gradually, into the other half which is clear. Used to bring an overly-bright part of a scene into the dynamic range of the sensor, think of it as Half-ND, Half-Clear.

Thanks alot for the reply bro.

I was wondering what it meant when they refer to turning the CPL. Now i know!!!

And I had thought the GND was gradually from dark to clear...... didn't know it's half/half....

 

[Rashkae]

And for your question, I do not have a hood.

Is it a must have or a good to have? :think:

It helps to prevent flare and glare when you have a bright lightsource (like the sun) just outside the frame.

 

[zac08]

Do a lil post processing and you can also cut away quite a bit of these issues.

 

[MarkNKL]

Thanks alot for the reply bro.
And I had thought the GND was gradually from dark to clear...... didn't know it's half/half....

GNDs have either Soft-Edge or Hard-Edge types so you can either get a gradual transition or an abrupt one

 

[spheredome]

I agree the haze in the pictured situation can be solve by hood. Polarizing or UV cannot solve it.

Sometimes I use my palm to shield the light.

 

[night86mare]

the haze is because of flare.

a hood will solve it by shading your lens from stray external sources of light, in this case, that would probably be the sun.

 

[ictsux]

Thanks all bros for your reply.

There's so much for me to learn from you guys.

The things you say, i somehow didn't encounter with a couple of hours of reading from google.

 

[night86mare]

well, but basic photogrpahy books will mention it

that said, asking about the "haze" in the picture is not such a bad question, but for the information on filters....... that one is easily available, actually

 

[ictsux]

whoa, finding a moderately priced GND soft edge filter screw on type has proven to be quite a challenge.

so far saw that b&w and tiffen has but quite ex.

saw that Hoya has a gradual grey colour filter but not sure if it's the same as an ND grad.

 

[shaoken]

Try doing PP.
Play with the levels and contrast.