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- #31
Buck - out of interest have you got a series of 100% crop tests to show for the effect of the filters? Web resizes are a poor way to determine quality issues as heck even 8mp phone camera pictures can look plenty sharp and detailed when resized for the internet and yet will show up significant differences when enlarged for other purposes.
The argument for and against cheap filters that I've always understood is that the cheaper filters can and will cause you loss of overall image quality (most visible at the larger magnifications). Cheaper and low grade filters will show this the most (and here we can debate between what brand options are cheap and bad and which are good bargines). I've also read and seen where users have had problems (this was with your dirt cheap UV filter) where the filter actually managed to mess up the AF system in the camera, throwing it off by a small margin (but enough to cause focus issues).
When it comes to filters my view is:
1) Get the best you can afford for your budget and market limit.
2) If you're getting a ND graduated filter same extra and get yourself a square filter and a filter holder (Cokin make an affordable setup for both). This gives you control over where the line of graduation in the filter lands within the scene itself; where as screw thread filters of this kind will force it upon the middle of the scene always (which is very compositionally limiting).
3) If you get a large filter size and then step down rings you can save money because you can sink more into a high quality filter, and then use the cheap rings to use it on various lenses. BUT you've also just removed the ability to use your lens hood on any smaller lenses. This might prove to be a pain in certain lighting conditions. If you're going to go for quality in a single filter for Neutral Density (ND) or ND Graduated filters I would strongly suggest the filter holder approach. you get a single multi-use filter and a square filter you can use on any lens for when you need to - and yes you've still got the problem of no lens hood, but you've gained in that you can now easily stack them with other ND filter and ND grad filters later on as you increase your setup.
The argument for and against cheap filters that I've always understood is that the cheaper filters can and will cause you loss of overall image quality (most visible at the larger magnifications). Cheaper and low grade filters will show this the most (and here we can debate between what brand options are cheap and bad and which are good bargines). I've also read and seen where users have had problems (this was with your dirt cheap UV filter) where the filter actually managed to mess up the AF system in the camera, throwing it off by a small margin (but enough to cause focus issues).
When it comes to filters my view is:
1) Get the best you can afford for your budget and market limit.
2) If you're getting a ND graduated filter same extra and get yourself a square filter and a filter holder (Cokin make an affordable setup for both). This gives you control over where the line of graduation in the filter lands within the scene itself; where as screw thread filters of this kind will force it upon the middle of the scene always (which is very compositionally limiting).
3) If you get a large filter size and then step down rings you can save money because you can sink more into a high quality filter, and then use the cheap rings to use it on various lenses. BUT you've also just removed the ability to use your lens hood on any smaller lenses. This might prove to be a pain in certain lighting conditions. If you're going to go for quality in a single filter for Neutral Density (ND) or ND Graduated filters I would strongly suggest the filter holder approach. you get a single multi-use filter and a square filter you can use on any lens for when you need to - and yes you've still got the problem of no lens hood, but you've gained in that you can now easily stack them with other ND filter and ND grad filters later on as you increase your setup.
