Is it worth investing in filters?

[tevo]

I've been reading more about landscape photography, and it seems that a drop in filter system (Lee, Cokin, etc) is very popular. Would it be worth investing in a Lee system for my x100s / 77mm lenses / 14-24? I'm not sure I can justify the price when I can replicate the effects in post for the most part; ND filters + Polarizers obviously have their use but graduated filters/color filters don't seem super necessary. Thoughts? Any cheaper alternatives to the Lee system (which is STAGGERINGLY EXPENSIVE or so it seems...)

 

[KmH]

It is worth investing in filters if you have a use for the filters you buy.

CPL, GND, and ND have uses for digital photography. Colored filters can be used to enhance photos destined for conversion to B&W.

Clear and UV filters are used but for 'protection' rather than for aiding digital photography.
An exception there is a Sky 1-A type UV filter used to cut through haze in the distance of landscape shots or to aid exposure control when shooting at high altitudes (10,000 feet or higher).

 

[vintagesnaps]

I have one Lee (I think) filter holder I got used/on sale somewhere, to use with a vintage Kodak ir filter that I've hardly used. So no I don't use filters much, some for B&W film sometimes or a polarizer, that's about it. Unless there's something you want to do that you find yourself thinking often that if I had ___ filter I could do ___ I don't know that it's necessary to buy a filter system.

Now that I think of it, I have some special effect filters like a Spiratone multi image filter and others I bought from a camera store whose owner was retiring and they must have dug up stuff they'd had in the place for years (new 'old' stock). For me they're just to have fun with.

 

[Overread]

Some filter effects you can't reproduce in editing - such as the effect a circular polarizer has on non-metallic reflective surfaces.

Also if you want to do blurry water a neutral density filter can cut down the light entering the lens so that you can use the aperture of your choice and use a clean ISO (some extra low ISOs are not as clean as the cameras base ISO).

A graduated filter or ND filter in a filter holder held so that it only covers part of the frame can be great for a shot of a living subject that requires such a modification. It can also mean that you can take a shot and not have to worry about having to blend two shots or more in editing, although yes for this specific use sometimes you can take two or three shots and get the same effect in editing (remember back in the film days that would have been a LOT more work and time).

 

[runnah]

CPL are a must have if you do any mid-day shooting. ND are good for slowing down water and well...ummm I can't think of anything else photo-wise.

ND filters for video on the other hand are a must have. I have several that I use to maintain a low shutter speed and a shallow DOF in bright sunlight.

 

[jsecordphoto]

I went almost a year without using any filters, but once I picked up a CPL and a few ND filters I could never go back. The polarizer is pretty essential for shooting landscapes, but the ND filters in particular have opened up a lot of new possibilities for me. Before I pretty much only went out during sunrise, sunset, and late at night for shooting astro stuff. I still won't shoot mid-day because the shadows are usually really harsh but the ND filters gave me a few extra hours of shooting a day, especially lately because I've been doing a lot of hiking and shooting waterfalls.

It really depends on what you like to shoot, but personally filters are a must have

 

[Scatterbrained]

CPLs are not only great, they can't be reproduced in post. I'm also quite fond of reverse graduated neutral density filters. Sure, you can HDR every scene you encounter, but I prefer to get the scene in one shot; especially if I'm running longer exposures. For a scene like this where you're already at 25 seconds, HDR isn't really an option, so reverse grad it is.

Lynnhaven Fish House Pier Sunset #3 by tltichy, on Flickr​

Not only is there a reverse grad ND filter on there, but there is an inverted grad ND to knock down the white crests of the waves in the foreground, as well as the vari-n-trio (variable ND/CPL). Doing that in post via multiple exposures would be tricky, simply because the light is changing with every exposure. When the light is changing quickly (sunset,sunrise) you're better off getting it in one shot. That's were grad NDs,and reverse grad NDs come into their own.

Another filter I'm fond of, is the blue/gold polarizer. Of course using this filter often requires post work, rather than the other way around, but the effect is worth it.

River of Gold by tltichy, on Flickr
​

Suffice it to say, I'm a firm believer in filters. NDs, Variable NDs, CPLs, Warming CPLs, Color Polarizers, Soft Focus, Grad NDs, Reverse Grad NDs; I find them all to be quite useful, even if I don't get to use them as much as I'd like.