Filter questions

[tonywuhl]

So I'm considering getting a UV and a circular polarizer filter...

About the UV filter, should I just get a basic one, that does nothing but protect the lens? Or is it worth it to get a fancier one... like one with Haze/multi-coating? Mainly I want to just protect the lens and keep it on all the time, but if I can get other benefits (and hopefully no trade offs) I wouldn't mind paying a bit more.

As for the polarizer... how useful are these if I just want to take hand held shots outdoors? My concern would be that since they stop down your exposure, you'd need a tripod to hold it still to compensate for the slower shutter speed.

Thanks!

 

[Alex_B]

the coating basically helps against flare/reflections at the filter glass and also has a protective effect. so the "fancier" it is, the less it does to your images.

as for the polarizer, outdoors it really helps sometimes. yes, it takes away some light, but from morning to evening the daylight has many stops difference anyway, so the little bit the polarizer does here will not do a major change to you shooting without a tripod.

 

[tirediron]

Since filters are part of the optical process, they're not a place to save money. Always buy good-quality, name-brand filters (Hoya, Tiffen, B+W, Heliopan (if you've won the lottery)). Multi-coated filters are generally better as they reduce the glare/abberation you can get from sunlight.

Circular polarizers are very much worth the money, and very useful if you plan to shoot anything out of doors. They enhance colours, provide better contrast between sky and cloud, eliminate reflections, and generally improve your image. As far as the the reduced exposure, it's only one stop, so an image that was shot at 1/250 of a second will now be shot at 1/125 of as second.

If money's a concern, look around for used. As long as there are no scratches are smears on the glass, a second-hand filter is just as good as a brand-new one, for a lot less money.

 

[tonywuhl]

So would a UV filter that has Haze/multi-coating still work fine for all/most lighting conditions? Or would it perhaps it would start to affect the image quality of indoor/lowlight shots?

 

[manaheim]

+1 to tired. (this has a double meaning since it's 4 am and I'm posting )

As an example, I pretty much always toss on a circular polarizing filter when I'm shooting outside. Even on a somewhat overcast day I still have PLENTY of light to get my images. (you need a circular one, btw,the linear ones no workie with the AF from what I understand)