question about filters

[*natasha*]

Hi, I'm new here. I have always enjoyed taking pictures with my little $60 department store camera, but always dreamed of getting a real camera and attempting to take up real photography. Well, this christmas I finally got my real camera. Still figuring out how it all works, and trying to learn as much about it as I can.
My question is this. I am interested in buying a sepia filter, and have seen quite a few at different prices. I was wondering what I should look for in a sepia filter, and other types of filters for that matter, or if they are all pretty much the same. Also, does anyone recommend any particular online stores for buying photography equipment such as lenses and filters. Thank you!

 

[ferny]

Where are you based? UK, US? That way we won't be giving you links to sites that you can't use.

As for other filters, I'd recommend a polarizer.
http://www.popphoto.com/pdfs/2002/0902/Polarizer.pdf
http://www.geocities.com/cokinfiltersystem/polarizer.htm

May I ask what camera you have?

 

[*natasha*]

My camera is a Nikon N75 and I am located in the US. Any advice on good filters and lenses is appreciated. Thanks

 

[Big Mike]

Nikon makes some pretty good lenses to go with your Nikon camera. Sigma & Tamron are two other companies that make lenses to fit your camera.

A lot of people buy equipment from Adorama. Use the link at the bottom of the page.

I may be wrong but Sepia toning is usually done after the shot is taken. Traditionally, it would be done in the dark room with black & white film but these days it's very easy to do with a digital photo.

Welcome to the forum

 

[photong]

I may be wrong but Sepia toning is usually done after the shot is taken. Traditionally, it would be done in the dark room with black & white film but these days it's very easy to do with a digital photo.

You can use a filter to do it too There are all sorts of special effect filters that change the colours.

Personally, I think it would be cheaper to get it in Sepia when you have the film processed. Depending how advanced the lab is of course (In Canada we have Black's Photography, and I'm sure any pro lab can do it but those pro labs will prolly charge more. The labs that do it will prolly have digital machines...I cant think of the right words), all they do is press a few buttons on their computer and the image is now sepia (without changing the original film. They can do the same thing but with BW). It's up to you, so ask around so see who can do that and what it would look like

P.s. A filter may not look the same as getting it done in the lab, or a darkroom, or using a sepia film (which I think exsists).

 

[j_mcquillen]

Remember that a 'true' sepia image is essentially a monochrome image, where the midtones (think I'm right here... someone will correct me if I'm not ) have been replaced with a sepia tone... so essentially you get black, white and different tones of sepia.

If you're using colour film with a sepia filter, you'll still get all the reds, greens, blues etc of the original image, but 'shifted' towards the sepia colour of the filter (if you follow me...). This can still look nice, but doesn't have quite the same effect of proper sepia toning.

 

[*natasha*]

Thank you everyone for your replies, you have talked me out of the sepia filter. lol But seriously, it's a good thing. I will explore some of these other methods for getting sepia prints.
What I do really want, and was not aware of until you mentioned it, is a polarizing filter. I just got my first roll of pictures back and saw that the polarizing filter would have helped so much in quite a few of my photos.