Dumb Filters Question

[RItz68]

Hi all, I'm new here & have a really dumb question. Other than just purchasing a UV filter to protect the glass, what are the advantage (if any) to purchasing polarizing filters, or warming filters, or colored filters, if those effects can be added to the photo during post-editing? (Lightroom/Photoshop)

If they're not useful, I was looking at this: http://www.amazon.com/Professional-F...605200&sr=1-21 (more for the macro filters than anything else) or this: http://www.amazon.com/Protection-Mic...2605348&sr=1-3 (I need a lens hood)

Thanks in advance

[RichardTaylor]

The effects of a polariser cannot always be replicated when PPing, especially reflection control.

[Nicole]

And the effect of grads and nd filters can save a hell of a lot of time in post processing. Plus you can use the nd filters to get the smooth water look. I'm a big fan of filters when they make my life easier.

[Tiberius]

There are only a few filters that need to be used on digital cameras.

Colour correction filters were mostly used in film cameras. There were two types. Correcting for different colour temperatures (which today is done by changing your camera's white balance) and special effects filters, which today can be done in photoshop.

You only need to worry about four kinds of filters for your digital camera.

Firstly, there is a UV filter to protect your lens. Many people don't do it, figuring that a lenshood and lens cap will protect their lens. I personally use UV filters for protection, and I had an incident just the other week where I dropped a lens. Totaled the filter, but saved the lens. It's really just a personal choice.

Secondly, there are polarising filters. They increase colour saturation, make white clouds look puffier and help to remove reflections. You can replicate the effects in Photoshop to a degree (the colour saturation, for example), but you can't get the reflection reduction. Not without a helluvalot of fiddly cloning. The polariser is easier.

Then there are ND grad filters. They are basically just sunglasses for your camera, which cut light and allow you to get very long shutter speeds, which is useful if you want to use slow exposures for waterfalls and the like. You can't really get it any other way. The effect can be imitated in photoshop using motion blur, but you'll find it very hard to get the arcing blur that is found in nature.

There's also ND grad filters, which have a clear half and a tinted half. These are used to reduce the brightness of skies in landscapes so you don't blow the skies out. Can be replicated in photoshop easily (using HDR or just taking the sky from one image and putting it into another image), but an ND filter will also do the job.

Any other filter can be ignored, as its effects can be easily done in Photoshop, and with greater control over the final effect.

[Nicole]

Originally Posted by Tiberius

There's also ND grad filters, which have a clear half and a tinted half. These are used to reduce the brightness of skies in landscapes so you don't blow the skies out. Can be replicated in photoshop easier (using HDR or just taking the sky from one image and putting it into another image), but an ND filter will also do the job.

And the bolded part is why I prefer to use a grad ND filter because having to do all that in photoshop is just a PITA that I'd rather avoid if I can take a few seconds to slap a filter on my lens. But that's me.

[RItz68]

EXCELLENT..That's what I needed to know. So then is this a good item to consider? Amazon.com: Hoya 52mm Digital Filter Kit With UV, Circular Polarizer, NDX8: Kellards and is the price fair & the brand good? Amazon has some other filters (Zeikos, Opteka, Tiffen, B&W) but I'm new to this & don't know what to get. I seem to read a lot about Hoya, which is why I was looking at their stuff.

[Krusty79]

Originally Posted by RItz68

EXCELLENT..That's what I needed to know. So then is this a good item to consider? Amazon.com: Hoya 52mm Digital Filter Kit With UV, Circular Polarizer, NDX8: Kellards and is the price fair & the brand good? Amazon has some other filters (Zeikos, Opteka, Tiffen, B&W) but I'm new to this & don't know what to get. I seem to read a lot about Hoya, which is why I was looking at their stuff.

Hmmm. $60 for three filters? That's on the cheap side. A good B+W polarizer or ND filter is going to run about $100 for just one filter, so I'd be hesitant to recommend that kit. Maybe to start out, but as you progress, you might find yourself wanting to upgrade. I don't know how good your current lenses are, but you don't want to put a cheap piece of glass in front of an expensive lens. You might consider just getting a good polarizer for now and getting the other filters as you save more money. A lens cap has always protected my lens.

[Nicole]

I tend to use Hoya polarizers. They're pretty wallet friendly and I've found them to work quite well. I haven't used their ND filters though so I can't say how they are in terms of quality. Then again, I also use the cheap Cokin filters and am happy with those.

[Tiberius]

Originally Posted by Nicole

And the bolded part is why I prefer to use a grad ND filter because having to do all that in photoshop is just a PITA that I'd rather avoid if I can take a few seconds to slap a filter on my lens. But that's me.

Oops! I meant to say "easily"! I agree with you, it's better to get it right in camera.

[Nicole]

Lol no worries :-)