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How filters can improve your pictures: a brief, non-technical
explanation
"Protective" filters - not just a ploy of the greedy camera salesman.
Filters are relatively cheap. Many photographers put a glass UV (ultraviolet) filter on every lens. This keeps the lens from getting scratched. If a rim gets dented, it's the filter instead of the lens rim. We've seen many lenses saved by a relatively cheap filter. The UV filter does not affect visible light. It will filter out some ultraviolet light (to which film is sensitive.) Unwanted UV can make the sky look too light and make pictures taken at a distance look hazy. As long as the UV filter is well made and clean, it will not degrade image quality while it protects your expensive lens from damage. I do suggest taking off the UV filter if you use another, because every air-to-glass surface can cause reflections. PROTECTIVE AND UV ABSORBING FILTERS:
POLARIZING FILTERS and Special Effects filters (Linear) Polarizer & Circular Polarizer - Essential for outdoor photography; deepens intensity of blue skies; reduces or eliminates glare. Use circular polarizers for auto-focus cameras or any SLR with a beam splitter meter, as recommended by the camera manufacturer. Center Spot - Clear central area for dramatic focus, surrounded by ring of moderate diffusion to minimize distracting background detail. Star Filters - Achieve dazzling star effects from any direct or reflected point light source. Add sparkle to water scenes, candle flames, product shots and more. Choose from a variety of exciting patterns. Fog Filters and Diffusers - Adds drama to your scene by producing misty atmosphere. Lights flare, softens contrast and sharpness. Available in several grades. Sepia - Creates a warm brown tone (for color imaging) for that old time feeling. Grade 3 adds a light fog effect. Available in 3 grades from Tiffen on a special order basis; in stock in Cokin system Filters for Black and White Photography All film is too sensitive to the color blue. That's why blue skies are always a lighter shade of gray - a "whiter shade of pale" - than you would expect. This is especially true with black and white film. To make the gray tones look more like what your mind expected when you took the picture, use a yellow filter for every black and white picture. All filters make their own color look lighter and their complementary (opposite) color look darker. So a yellow filter makes the blue sky look darker, without making the clouds look darker. #8 Yellow - Most natural tonal correction; improves contrast. Ideal for landscapes. #15 Deep Yellow - Enhances landscapes, marine scenes and aerial photography. In black and white, all colors become a shade of gray. A red rose looks medium gray. Its green leaves look medium gray. There's no contrast, and the picture looks dull. Your picture shows gray flowers against gray leaves. Red filters make the reds look light and the greens look dark. Your picture now shows a light rose against a dark leaf. #25 Red - Creates dramatic sky effects and simulates moonlight scenes in daytime. Great for use with infrared film. Also for arcitechtural studies. Green filters will make the rose look dark and the leaves look light. #11 Green - Universal asset for all scenics. Especially suited for portraits photographed against sky. When taking color pictures, it's important to match the designed color balance of the film to the color of the light source. Most films are designed for lighting that is the same color as daylight. Electronic flash is approximately the same color as daylight. Other light sources are not. Incandescent (tungsten) bulbs are much warmer, or more orange, than daylight. A blue filter such as an 80B matches the film to the light source. Flourescent bulbs emit light that doesn't have a continuous spectrum. There's a lot of greenish light, not much yellow, not much red, not much blue. A filter known as FD-L or FL-D provides a big improvement, but not a perfect color match. COLOR CONVERSION FILTERS:
The "Fall Foliage Filter"Red enhancer filters use a special "Didymium" glass to increase the color saturation of reds by decreasing the intensity of its adjacent color yellow. It creates richer autumn foliage images. Some people also like it for sunsets and portraits. The effect is almost magic - but then that's true of almost all advanced technology. Red enhancers are about twice as expensive as other filters.
Chris' Camera Center, South |
Camera
lenses are made of relatively soft glass. It's easy to scratch them, even
in the act of cleaning them. Repairs or replacement of lenses can be very
expensive.
