Filters are a thin glass disk that threads onto your lens. The filter is coated with various coatings to modify the light going into the camera somehow. Some of the most common filters are:
Skylight (Or UV)
These filters are the most common.. I suggest buying one for every lens you own, and just keep that puppy on there. It will protect your lens, and help keep UV light off your film without changing the colors. Ever taken a picture of a landscape on a clear day, only to find there to be a light blue haze on the final image, kinda looks like fog? Thats UV.. These filters will help correct that.
Polarizer
Another very common filter. There are 2 main types of Polarizing filters, A linear polarizer, and a Circular polarizer. Difference? You CAN NOT USE a linear polarizer on a camera with auto-focus. You can only use a circular polarizer. Other than that, they both do the same thing.. Cut reflections. These filters are great for shooting on water, snow, or any other reflective surface.. Mount the polarizer, and frame up your image, Next, rotate the polarizer until the reflections are diminished or cut out alltogether. This filter is also great for seriously deepening the color of a clear blue sky, to almost a cobalt blue...
(ednote...polarizers will not cut the reflections from metal)
Neutral density filter (ND2, ND4, ND8)
A filter that cuts all colors of light equally, thereby reducing the total amount of light that enters your camera, without changing the color balance. These things are great.. Ever tried to do a 1 sec exposure (Say of a running waterfall) in bright daylight, but your camera just wont do it without over-exposing? Slap one of these puppies on, and you can. The different filters relate to how many stops it will cut down the exposure.. ND2 will cut 1 stop (let 1/2 of the light through) ND4 will cut 2 stops (let 1/4 of the light through) and so on. Also very useful for shooting with a wide aperture (for shallow DOF) on a bright day.
Close-up filters
"Filter" is kind of an incorrect name for these guys, they're actually a magnifying glass that you thread on to the front of your lens for doing Macro work. Usually these come in a set of 3 or 4, each with varying strength of magnification.. These filters allow you to focus on subjects closer than the lens alone would allow. Very useful if your camera / lens doesn't have a macro function.
Special Effects filters
There are other filters, Color filters, Transition filters, refracting filters, Soft focus filters, Prism filters and such that do all kinds of things. Halos, Rainbows, Kalideascope and a whole host of effects can be done with different special effects filters. There are so many different types, that its impossible to list them here, I hope this just gives you enough info to get interested, and do research on your own as to the types of filters you want to use.
Remember: Only get filters that are the right diameter for your lens. There should be a marking on your lens telling you the filter diameter, But if in doubt, Take the camera with you to a photo shop..
Get a few filters, and experiment, above all else, HAVE FUN!!
Tiffen has an informative site on their filters.
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by Jason  edited by tmpchaos
last modified: 2002-12-22 05:52:21 |
