filters

[markyb]

i got a uv and circ pol for my fz20.
but what other filters are ok for digital photography.
in other words is it worth buying any others or should photoshop be used instead.
i know all filters are ok for film but is digital any different
a list of ones that work or dont work would be nice

[erichlund]

i got a uv and circ pol for my fz20.
but what other filters are ok for digital photography.
in other words is it worth buying any others or should photoshop be used instead.
i know all filters are ok for film but is digital any different
a list of ones that work or dont work would be nice

The circular polarizer is perhaps the most important, though I believe a linear polarizer is equally effective on non-SLR type cameras (and much cheaper). You may want to invest in a set of neutral density filters, if your type of photography tends to leave you with more light than you exposure control can handle. For instance, you may want to open the aperture all the way to limit depth of field, but you don't have a fast enough shutter to get a proper exposure. Of course, with a P&S size sensor, I don't know if you'll even have any reasonable control over depth of field.

Cheers,
Eric

[Rhys]

Generally, polariser, UV filter and possibly starburst - not yet seen any good starburst effects in Photoshop elements.

[markyb]

was going to invest in nd filters.
want to do slow shutter photos ie:waterfalls and can only go up to f8 so getting very bleached out photos.
how about gradual nd filters was going to invest in one

[ReF]

was going to invest in nd filters.
want to do slow shutter photos ie:waterfalls and can only go up to f8 so getting very bleached out photos.
how about gradual nd filters was going to invest in one

though i don't own any ND grads yet, i've been looking into them lately myself. the screw on type probably wouldn't work out too well because the split in right in the middle. it is also recommended that a soft line be used at wide angles and a hard line for tele - i'm sure you can image why.

[Rhys]

though i don't own any ND grads yet, i've been looking into them lately myself. the screw on type probably wouldn't work out too well because the split in right in the middle. it is also recommended that a soft line be used at wide angles and a hard line for tele - i'm sure you can image why.

I did try grads at one point but found that a polariser did everything the grad did but better.

[akysiev]

I did try grads at one point but found that a polariser did everything the grad did but better.

Then I believe you've missed one of the primary uses of the grad: equalizing light levels. Imagine a sunset. Foreground subjects will have to be completely black or near it in order to properly expose the sky (and no one wants to overexpose the sky). A polarizer certainly won't fix this problem, and neither will an ND as they both affect the entire image. Thus you use the ND grad to lower the light coming in from the sky so you can technically overexpose it and capture the detail in the foreground subjects.

I would recommend that you buy ND filters and ND grad filters. Buy them in the order of importance to you. For ND filters, a one-stop and two-stop should be enough, since you won't really need to reduce light levels by more than 3 stops usually (if you do, get the 3-stop as well). As for ND grads, you'll probably want one hard and one soft ND grad. Use the hard ones on scenes with clearly defined light level cut horizons (sunset over ocean) and use the grad on less clearly defined ones (sunset over mountains).

ND grads are probably very much useless in the screw-on mounts so consider buying the Cokin P system or the Hi-Tech version. These are incredible filter solutions and I personally don't use many screw-on filters anymore. They're pretty affordable too.

Screw-in ND filters are fine though.

As for starburst or diffraction or sunset filters, you really don't need them that much. It might look cool once in a while but there aren't that many times when you absolutely must use one.

Soft filters are a different matter though. If you plan on photographing studio or compliant subjects, a softening filter can be very useful. True, you can accomplish the effect in photoshop, but I'm just the type or person who dislikes too much post-processing.

You won't need color balance filters because of white balance.