Nubie Questions

[chrisl]

Nubie here. Warning I haven't read the entire manual. Just excited to get started so if the answers are RTFM :D , then let me have it.

Got my package today.
Have a few questions. I know some of the answers are here but could not find the thread again.
1. What the correct order for the Adapter, Hood and filter?
2. What the correct order for filter/tele or filter/wide?
3. Is there a cap for the hood or do I have to always remove it?
4. How and where do you secure the lens cap. The ties extend thru a little plastic tube, do I remove it first. I'd hate to have to force them back thru it.

[truflip]

1. adapter then filter then hood (may vary)
2. i dont think your TC and WC have front filter threads.. if your filters have front threads, then its adapter>filter>tc/wc (highly dont recommend this)
3. i believe you can reverse the hood (put it in backwards)
4. which lens cap? the one canon gave you? not sure what youre asking here. :confused:

[saturndude]

For this model, we always put the adapter on first.

Personally, I have a 52mm adapter (lensmateonline) with a UV filter to protect the lens. It has front threads that are not used. I plan to use this for indoor shooting, or outside when I don't need a polarizer.

For outdoor shooting, I have a 58mm adapter (lensmateonline) with polarizer. The polarizer has front threads, I put a UV on it (to protect the polarizer). The UV has front threads, and I can put a hood on it, but I have not done this yet. I don't believe I need a lens cap when using a hood. I think I will simply put the hood away when I am finished and use a regular lens cap (my hood screws in to the front threads on the 58mm UV when outdoors, Canon's hood might fit around the adapter like a rubber band, I don't know).

As far as filter/tele or tele/filter, I don't know what your threads will let you do.

If the telephoto has front threads and it is a different size than the adapter threads, then you will be buying a filter that can only be used in one specific arrangement (adapter --> filter --> tele or adapter --> tele --> filter, not either way). Read lots of product reviews, and lensmateonline's site, to see if vignetting happens (soft focus or darkening in the corners, this is most likely to happen at long zoom). Generally most people say the filter should go on LAST. If you choose "adapter --> filter --> tele", you put more stress on the filter.

BTW, you can use a linear polarizer with this camera, it is less expensive than the circular type. Polarizers darken the sky and eliminate *_some_* reflections.

After I attached the camera strap to the camera, I made a knot with the lens cap string and tied it to the camera strap on the left side. Leave the plastic tube on the string, that is where the ends of the string are held together. (I think you will not have to change lens caps if you use Canon's lenses and such. With two different sizes of lensmate adapters, things are confusing for me.)

I have had my S3 for three weeks now, it is a great camera and I am having much fun. You will have great fun too!