Lens filter recommendations

Subject: Lens filter recommendations 2009-08-14, 01:48

I'm planning to buy lens filters for both my lenses on my 450D. I'm not clear on whether to buy UV or polarising filters.

Apart from shooting aircraft I also look for interesting skyscapes. Would a polarising filter be better for both uses?

Any recommendations for a particular manufacturer would also be great.

Subject: Re: Lens filter recommendations 2009-08-14, 04:54

St John get both mate but for everyday protection I use the UV one the polarising ones I tend to use if I want better water reflections or cloud backgrounds on bright sunny days.

Some may suggest a daylight filter but they are expensive that why mosy choose a UV one as a cheaper alternative and of course you can mount the UV and put the polarising one on top of it, you probably knew that soI apologise if I offended.

Have a look here for some cheap filters I think your lenses are 58mm so here have a peek at these

http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/default.php?cat=1&type=1250&man=0&filterwords=&go=SEARCH&comp=

good luck

Location : Somerset Spotter Watch Member : No

UV is fine for lens protection, and IMO essential at airshows - aviation fuel residue in the air will destroy the coating on lenses if unprotected and it's a lot cheaper to replace a filter each season than to replace a lens.

Regarding polarisers - great for landscapes- they darken blue skies, emphasising cloud formations and enrich green foliage as well as other benefits, however I wouldn't use one for aviation, other than for statics, as a polariser will cut the light by about 1 to 2 stops and for in-flight shots, you tend to need all the light you can get to maintain a decent shutter speed and aperture at a low ISO ....... besides which, trying to rotate a polariser to the best effect while panning & zooming would just add to the complexity!

As to stacking filters, while it's possible, I wouldn't recommend it - each additional layer of glass that you put in front of the lens will, to some extent, increase light scatter; thus reducing contrast and degrading image quality. For the same reason, buy the best quality filter you can afford, they have better coatings and will minimise light scatter - it's false economy to spend hundreds on a decent lens then ruin the quality by sticking a cheap piece of uncoated glass on the front. Another point against stacking filters is that you run an increased risk of vignetting, especially at wider angles.

For a manufacturer, Hoya HMC multi-coated are good quality at a price that isn't outrageous - avoid single-coated or uncoated filters and anything ridiculously cheap. I'd also advise against Jessops filters - I had a couple once and the coatings started to come off after cleaning a few times.

HTH

Terry

Subject: Re: Lens filter recommendations 2009-08-15, 02:40

Thanks for the advice guys.