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Filters |
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For most people the most popular filters are those which screw onto the end of the lens, but others, such as Cokin and Singh-Ray, make flat square or rectangular filters that attach differently to the lens. Filters can create special effects, correct colors, add highlights, enhance subjects, cut out glare, diminish ultra-violet light, etc. Therefore, filters can make your pictures better and more natural looking, as well as help you be creative. Several companies make filters, with Hoya, B+W, Heliopan, Tiffen, Singh-Ray, Lee, SunPak, Cokin, Canon, and Nikon being the best known names. Of these B+W and Singh-Ray have the highest quality and most respected names, followed by Nikon, Hoya, Tiffen, Lee, and Heliopan. Cokin, SunPak, and various other brands take up the lower ground, not generally thought of as high quality, and usually being cheaper in price.
I will not attempt to list every filter made. Some companies have their own styles which are similar to others but go by different names. I will, however, list the most popular types of filters and for what they are used.
Lens Protection Filters - First, let me talk about filters used as protection for one's lenses. This is a bit of a controversial topic. You'll find that in one camp it is believed that one should always use a protection filter. That is, one which is often used to protect the front of your lens from getting dirty, scratched, or broken. On the other side, you'll find those who say that a protection filter should not be used, that it should only be used for its intended purpose and that using them can degrade your picture, - and that using a lens hood is the better way of protecting your lens. I'm of the second group, but I won't argue the point here, and there is no point in arguing it anyway. The two groups will always exist, and both have their good points.
I will say, however, that the more glass one puts in front of their lens, the more chance they have for flare, ghosting, and picture degradation. On the other hand, it only makes sense to use protective filters in situations where there is blowing dirt, sand, salt spray, or other foreign objects which could cause lens damage.
Sky 1-A, or Skylight - This is most commonly used as general protection filter. It also absorbs significant UV light, and is slightly tinted to bring out a warmer color.
Haze 1, Haze 2, or UV - The Haze 1 absorbs about 71% of UV light, while the Haze 2 absorbs all UV light. Also called a UV filter, depending on brand. Especially helpful at high altitudes and for marine scenes. This is also a filter normally used as a protection filter.
Polarizing Filter - This is a filter which is probably more useful than all others. Many people also use this filter as a lens protection filter. Its main purpose, however, is in outdoor photography, where it deepens the intensity of blue skies and reduces or eliminates glare on water, windows, plants and other shinny objects. It also comes as a Circular or Linear Polarizer, the practical difference being that for the most part only circular models should be used on autofocus cameras, while either kind can be used on manual focus cameras. In recent years, warm polarizers, also called a Moose Filter, have been developed that adds a warming element along with the polarizing effect; as well as a variety of colored polarizing filters for more creative photography.
Neutral Density - Neutral Density, Slpit Neutral, and Graduated Neutral Density filters are light balancing filters. They reduce the amount of light passing through the lens, either all over, split in half, or gradually, without changing or adding color to the scene.
Soft/FX/Diffusion - This is primarily a portrait filter. It retains overall clarity while also softening unwanted details such as minimizing facial imperfections. They can be found in several grades, as well as warming varieties.
Center Spot - A Center Spot filter has a clear central spot for picture clarity, while the surrounding area creates diffusion, maximizing attention to the central subject and minimizing distracting background detail. Very popular for portrait photography. These also come in various varieties, including warm, colored and various degrees of diffusion.
Mist Filters - There are several varieties of mist filters. Tiffen, for example, has a Pro-Mist, Warm ProMist, Black Pro-Mist, and Warm Black Pro-Mist, each coming in various grades. A Mist filter softens sharpness and contrast, and creates a pearlescent glow around highlights. They are used primarily for landscapes and portraits.
Star Filters - These also come in a wide variety of styles and are also known as Cross Screen filters. They achieve star effects from direct or reflected light sources and are offered in varieties creating four, six, eight, or more points or rays of light.
Sepia - Sepia filters also come in several grades. These create a warm brown tone, giving the feel of old time photography to a picture. In the grade 3 variety a light fog effect is produced.
Fog Filters - There is a Fog and a Double Fog. They add a fog effect to a picture, with the Double Fog giving a more natural fog effect. Both come in various grades.
Half and Graduated Color - These filters are half colored and half clear, with the graduated variety being a graduated density transition for blending, often used for sunsets and sunrise, and with black & white film. They come in a very large variety of color combinations and graduations.
Enhancing Filters - There are various enhancing filters. The most common are called Enhancing or Intensifier, and Color Warming. Enhancing or Intensifing filters create brighter, more saturated reds, browns and oranges - or other designed color combinations - with little effect to other colors. Color Warming filters improve skin tones and absorb the blue cast sometimes gotten from electronic flash.
Color Conversion Filters - These come in different series, each with different grades. Series 80 filters are used with daylight film when shooting indoors, with tungsten lighting, without a flash to provide correct color. Series 85 filters are used for shooting tungsten corrected film outdoors. And FL series filters are used to correct color under fluorescent lighting.
Black & White Film Colored Filters: Colored filters are normally for black and white photography, but can also be a creative tool with color film. Yellow 1 is a tonal correction filter and improves contrast, and also darkens sky and emphasizes clouds. Yellow 2 the most accurate tonal correction outdoors. Produces greater contrast in clouds. Deep Yellow enhances landscapes, marine scenes and aerial photography., with strong contrast for clouds. Green improves all scenes in black and white and is especially good for portraits set against the sky. Also lightens foliage. The deep the green, the lighter the foliage. Orange has deeper effects than Deep Yellow. Light Red is very good for architectural photography and darkens sky and water. Red creates dramatic sky effects and simulates moonlight during the day. Dark Red for strong contrast and copying blueprints. Blue comes in various shades and simulates night time in both black & white and color, in the darker shades. Dark blues also create a fog effect as well as accentuating haze and fog. These are often found today listed as day to night filters or some variation.
In addition there are multivision, stripe filters, magenta filters, rainbow filters, tri-color filters, split field filters, dual image filters, streak filters, contrast filters and others, all to help you be more creative and/or improve picture quality. You can take great pictures without filters, but you can often take better ones with them.