Cokin and other filters...any good to me, you think?

[Bend The Light]

Hi All,

I am after some advice. I have accumulated over time a few cokin and cokin-like filters, holders etc. I am wondering if they are actually of any use to me, or not. I have a canon 400d, and an assortment of (mostly) manual lenses which I play around with. I have never used filters at all. I use CS5 for PP.

Here is a list of what I have...

2 x cokin filter holders (with 52mm thread adaptors)
1 x filter holder (looks like the cokin ones, but isn't), again 52mm thread.

1 x square filter holder with detachable hood. reversable 49mm/52mm thread adaptor.

1 x cokin A005 sepia
1 x cokin A127 (looks like blue grad)
1 x A056 (doesn't say cokin - round filter, looks like it's a 6-star, or something)

A cokin filter box with:
1 x blue grad (doesn't say cokin)
1 x cokin "chanpagne" - looks like a portrait filter, hazy outer around an oval centre.
1 x grad tabac (doesn't say cokin)
1 x warm tone UV -(doesn't say cokin)
1 x sepia (doesn't say cokin)
2 x grad (looks sepia)(doesn't say cokin)
1 x portrait filter (clear centre circle, textured outer)(doesn't say cokin)
1 x starfire 8 (doesn't say cokin)
1 x portrait soft spot (actual hole in the middle)(doesn't say cokin)

I saw a single cokin holder on ebay go for £10 the other day...so I am trying to decide if these are actually of any use to me, or do I sell them and put the proceeds towards my desparately desired 50mm f1.8!

Thoughts?

 

[Big Mike]

The only ones that I'd consider using, would be the grad filters...or maybe the star. The rest are just too easy to replicate in Photoshop (and it's a lot more flexible to do those things in PS).

 

[Bend The Light]

The only ones that I'd consider using, would be the grad filters...or maybe the star. The rest are just too easy to replicate in Photoshop (and it's a lot more flexible to do those things in PS).

So keep those, and ditch the rest. That is the way I am leaning right now, unless someone convinces me otherwise. Cheers.

 

[Big Mike]

Frankly, I'd be tempted to just dish all of them. I have some old Cokin filters and I haven't used them in probably 5 or 6 years. Some people like to use filters and some don't. It's a personal thing.

The one filter that gets a lot of use, is a circular polarizer and maybe an ND filter.

 

[magkelly]

People down them, and yes I could do some of this in Photoshop, but I still like the Cokin filters I have. In fact, I'd buy more gradients and such if my wallet could afford it right now. I can't say I have found much use for the spot filters I've got, but the gradients, and the rest I like.