filter questions

[goodoneian]

hey, where is a good place to buy filters? i don't mean the screw in kind, but the ones that are a square of glass that mount on the end of the lens such as ND filters. sorry i don't know any of these by their "technical" names you could say. i've seen some on ritzcamera.com, but i'm sure there is more out there than that, and i'm wondering what you guys would recommend. thanks

 

[rjackjames]

you can try www.bandhphoto.com or www.adorama.com

they sell variety of filters and very trust worthy.

 

[Garbz]

http://www.cs.mtu.edu/~shene/DigiCam/User-Guide/filter/Cokin-Systems.html The Cokin P system is the one you should be searching for.

 

[Village Idiot]

www.hvstar.net

Pretty much the lowest prices I've seen from a legit site. They have B+W filters for less $20 and $30 less than B&H

 

[Steph]

The Cokin P system is the one you should be searching for.

The only problem with those is that their neutral density filters are not really neutral and sometimes give a purple cast to skies!

 

[Dutchboy]

The Cokin holder is great, have been using it for years. It can also hold a large circular polarizing filter. I highly recommend it.

While on the subject of filters, should I remove my UV/haze filter before screwing the Cokin holder on? I've heard stacking filters may not be a good idea sometimes. For that matter, is there any real reason to have a UV filter as opposed to a clear glass protective plate (or nothing)? I've heard mixed opinions about UV filters.

http://www.cs.mtu.edu/~shene/DigiCam/User-Guide/filter/Cokin-Systems.html The Cokin P system is the one you should be searching for.

 

[Socrates]

The Cokin holder is great, have been using it for years. It can also hold a large circular polarizing filter. I highly recommend it.

While on the subject of filters, should I remove my UV/haze filter before screwing the Cokin holder on? I've heard stacking filters may not be a good idea sometimes. For that matter, is there any real reason to have a UV filter as opposed to a clear glass protective plate (or nothing)? I've heard mixed opinions about UV filters.

A filter ALWAYS reduces the quality of the image (the only question is the degree of quality reduction) and a filter iis ALWAYS a bad idea unless you have a good reason to use it. It follows then that multiple filters reduce the quality of the image more than a single filter does. Stacking can also cause vignetting (not in the case of Cokin) because the multiple filter mounts cause the lens to look through a tunnel.

I buy only absolute top-of-the-line filters because I want to minimize the loss in quality and maximize the benefit.

Regarding UV... If you already have a UV filter, it's fine as a lens protector but, if you're purchasing a new filter for that purpose, clear glass is less expensive. However, as I indicated above, the filter quality is paramount.

 

[Dutchboy]

Regarding UV... If you already have a UV filter, it's fine as a lens protector but, if you're purchasing a new filter for that purpose, clear glass is less expensive. However, as I indicated above, the filter quality is paramount.

So would you say that UV filters will improve the image then (provided it's a near-top of the line one)?

Thanks for the info Socrates.

 

[goodoneian]

http://www.cs.mtu.edu/~shene/DigiCam/User-Guide/filter/Cokin-Systems.html The Cokin P system is the one you should be searching for.

alright, i've seen that one before but wasn't sure if it was good or if there were any more recommended ones. thankyou

 

[Socrates]

So would you say that UV filters will improve the image then (provided it's a near-top of the line one)?

Thanks for the info Socrates.

No. It won't "improve the image" UNLESS your intention is to remove ultra-violet rays. By the way, UV rays are present in sunlight and they adversly affect film. I don't know if they affect digital sensors. On the flip side, buying a high quality one means that it won't degrade your image as much as a cheap one will.

 

[Garbz]

Quality wise I'm not to sure. I have heard about their purple cast problems. That said I don't know any other square filters than the Cokin P system.

 

[Helen B]

Singh-Ray, Schneider/B+W, Heliopan, Formatt, Lee, Harrison and Harrison, Tiffen and probably one or two more companies I'll remember later.

I use mostly Schneider, with a few B+W and Lee ones. They are very common in the movies.

Best,
Helen