What am I doing wrong?

[ababysean]

I got a polarizing filter and a diffuser filter.

I did get the circular polarizing filter because someone told me only the circular ones will autofocus.

I have not opened it yet, however I did open the diffuser, and I put it on my lens, but it would not focus properly.

Is there something Im doing wrong?

 

[fokker]

Is there something Im doing wrong?

Yes, wasting money on a useless filter.

 

[ababysean]

:lmao:

So should I return it?

I still have the packaging.

 

[dxqcanada]

Diffusion filters were used in the past to soften the focus ... that dreamy look.

If you are shooting digital ... you can do that with most imaging software.

The Polarizer is a different story. You need one of those.

 

[ababysean]

yes I am seeing now that I look it up that diffusion filter IS supposed to make it blurry. Why in the world does anyone want one of those? lol

 

[dxqcanada]

diffusion filter - Google Search

 

[Derrel]

In-camera diffusion effects can not be duplicated in post...post work can "sort of simulate" the effect, but some diffusion filters, like Tiffen's superb black net style are impossible to re-create in post. What happens when you use a diffuser in-camera, over the lens, is that highlight light is actually scattered INTO the shadows, changing the way the dynamic range of the scene is recorded.

If you like diffusion, doing it in the camera is vastly different from trying to re-arrange the pixels later,at the computer. Especially if you have a black net diffuser. Or if you use a cross-star or other "mesh" type filter in bright sunlight...the effect cannot be duplicated by pixel-rearranging, since it is actually done by affecting the actual light that the lens directs to the sensor. This is a fact that is often lost on the Photoshop-can-do-everything-optics-can-do crowd. If you want genuine diffusion or genuine soft focus or genuine diffraction effects, filters and diffraction gratings are impossible to duplicate in post.

 

[ababysean]

This filter *might* work with a newborn? soft, out of focus picture? oh well it was 20 bux.

But I did not open the polarize because I dont want that one to be blurry, but you are saying that filter should not affect the sharpness?

 

[Overread]

Any filter or additional glass placed infront of your camera lens will affect your overall image result - put highgrade glass in front like teleconverters and high grade diopters and filters and the effect upon your overall image quality will be minimal and you will still get usable photos - having good lenses further improves this.

However putting poor quality filters on your setup will degrade image quality - sometimes this can be very noticable when you use the very cheap filters.

I've no idea what kind or quality of polarizer filter you have so it might or might not adversely affect your image quality. Testing it out though is the best way to find out - it also means that you get to see and judge the effect yourself.

 

[sobolik]

Here is what I would do. Focus and then put the filter on.
Manual focus is probably the most aggravation free choice.

I have a diffuse filter but no longer use it since Photoshop elements 5.0 does that instead and much better. As far as my desired results are concerned.

As far as the polarizer, it is the bomb. It works wonders that software cannot duplicate. Mine is with me always in case I need it.