Want to try filters - need a 'for dummies'

[texchappy]

Not talking about the 'protective' filters but circular polarizers, nd graduated, etc. Have a very basic understanding (i.e. what they do). What would be a good place to move on and start 'playing' with them and see how I can use them in my photography?

TIA,
Tony

[btgc]

Color or B&W film? For both polariser will make biggest bang for the buck, providing distinctive look of darkened sky (and removing reflections, if you ever care for this) - but isn't easy to use on non-TTL cameras. Also ND filters on both films will get you towards open apertures at broad daylight....or smoothly flowing water and streets without people, if that attracts you. Then classic yellow, yellow-green, green, orange and red set for B&W. Warming filter for color film. This I'd define as starter kit which will either expand or you'll skim it down to a few filters....or abandon at all.

Which to get? As usually - either try to snatch decent filters for peanuts and not loose anything after you have played, or buy quality stuff which can be sold afterwards - this also depends on fit and sizes, some combos are hot and some will not move. Buying new quality filters can be expensive affair - I've been in both camps and can say I do not use filters so intensively to justify set of new B&W F-Pro slim filters (which were stolen from our apartment, anyway....). Now I own some vintage filters didn't cost me a fortune and are fun to learn.

[Chris101]

Color film or digital - (as you identified) circular polarizers and neutral density (full and graduated):

Polarizers: Use circular polarizers. The effect is slightly less than linear polarizers, but the AF and exposure of modern cameras (which use partially reflective mirrors) do not work well with the linear variety. They block indirect reflections when used with natural light. Polarizers also reduce the brightness of the sky. This effect is best at 90 degrees from the sun, and diminishes at angles other than that. Normal and telephoto lenses do not show enough of the sky to notice any weirdness, just a darker sky, so these work well with these lenses and polarizer filters outdoors. Wide angle lenses will show an unevenly lit sky, which may add drama to the shot, or it may look cheesy. You decide.

Indoors, polarizers reduce indirect reflections, such as on metallic or plastic surfaces. When polaroid sheets are placed over the light sources at 90 degrees to the lens filter (known as cross polarization), specular reflections of the light source can be eliminated from shiny surfaces. This is especially useful with glass items.

Neutral density filters: These reduce the light over the entire spectral range consistently. Beware of filters which have a color cast, but with digital, you should be able to correct this by setting a white balance reference through the filter. Use a ND filter to get a longer shutter speed with a larger aperture, especially useful when shooting with flash on a camera which has a long sync speed.

Graduated Neutral Density Filters: Used to lighten a portion of the scene with respect to another area of the scene. For example a ND grad can be positioned over the sky portion of a landscape to give more exposure to the ground part. This will prevent the ground from being lost in the shadows, and the sky from being blown out white. The best ND Grads (as they are known) are rectangular filters which can be positioned at any angle and height on the lens with either a special holder, or by hand. This will allow the photographer to use them with subjects which are not split right down the center. ND grads come in several strengths, designated by the stops of difference between the halves of the filter. I'd suggest at least a 3 stop difference to get the best effect.

Other filters: Color filters will add a color cast, half magnifying filters will allow half of the scene to be a close-up with the rest to be distant, star and halo effect filters add spectral and multiple image effects, and cylindrical lens filters will "drag" a portion of the subject to simulate movement. Some of these effects can be simulated with software, but sometimes it's so much simpler to get it right in the camera!

[Chris101]

Color balancing filters for film. These filters are not nearly as useful with digital, as the main purpose of color balancing filters is to modify the color temperature response of the film in the camera. Wratten 80 and 85 series filters change the film wildly from tungsten balanced to daylight balance (or from redder tungsten to a daylight-like bulb) color temperature. 80 series filters (80A is stronger then 80B and stronger still than 80C) are bluish. 85 series (85A>85B) are orangish and they modify daylight to look the same as tungsten style incandescent bulb.

There are also halfway filters - the 82 series, called cooling filters) is similar to the 80 series, but only about a quarter as strong. They can be used to make golden hour light look like normal daylight (huh?) or to cool a mixed light situation.

81 series filters are known as warming filters. They make mid-daylight look like evening or early morning, compensate for mixed flash on tungsten film, and to create a warm look. Other variants include enhancing filters, which are often pink or magenta. These filters create stronger colors with "typical" scenes.

The final category of color film filters are the fluorescent filters. Known by names such as FL-D or FL-T, etc., these filters have complex transmission spectra which are specific to particular fluorescent tubes, but which can also be used for special effects, whit both digital OR film.

Note that nearly all of the filters mentioned in this post can be simulated with software if the pictures are ultimately rendered as digital images, with specialized software filters, or directly with the photo importing application.

[Chris101]

Black and white filters consist of two varietys: contrast filters, and spectral cut-off filters.

Contrast filters are red, yellow, green and blue filters, in various levels of saturation. The more saturated the filter, the more pronounced the effect.

Red filters lighten red and darken green, blue and violet light. This has the effect of lightening clouds, concrete and skin. They darken water and blue sky, and green foliage to some extent.

Yellow filters have a similar effect on skin and water, but less so on green foliage. Yellow filtered photos can be changed by over and under exposing to a greater extent than can be red filtered photos.

Green filters have the effect of lightening foliage. However their best use is to make swarthy male skin appear very rugged. Since green filters darken red, they will darken kin blemishes, so their use in portraiture should be undertaken with caution.

Blue filters are rare. They can be used to induce haze and fog effects in landscape photos, or to increase the imperfections in any face. They are not recommended for pretty pictures, but can be used for special effects.

In any event, have fun!

[jarski]

filters for dummies is nicely explained in "The Art of Photography" video podcast (just search from your iTunes), episode #15.

other episodes excellent too.

[Sparrow]

Red filters look red because they are absorbing the green part of the light (green is the complementary of red) so anything in the photo that's green comes out darker. Same for all the other colours.

Check on google for colour wheel to see what I mean

[Jockos]

Originally Posted by Chris101

Blue filters are rare. They can be used to induce haze and fog effects in landscape photos, or to increase the imperfections in any face. They are not recommended for pretty pictures, but can be used for special effects.

They have a very nice effect on blue eyed people, making the iris glow! So if you find a pair of blue eyes with very smooth skin around them (all imperfections will be visible!) they can beused for pretty pictures too

Oh, and be careful with red lipstick; will become black with the blue filter!

[David Hughes]

Hi,

Blue or bluish filters were, I thought, used with daylight films to correct the colour balance of artificial light. Or are we talking about digital photography in which case you just adjust the white balance and ignore the filter.

Have you visited http://www.hoyafilter.com/

Regards, David

[texchappy]

Thanks for all the responses

[David Hughes]

Hi,

Somewhere out there is a piece of software that you use on digital images that imitates the effects of various filters. It's called something like filtersim - I think or hope perhaps.

Regards, David

[Calzone]

If you can, pay the premium to get the hard multi-coated versions. I find that they are easier to clean and somehow stay cleaner than the non hard multi-coated versions.

BTW I often use a polarizer to kill 1 1/2 stops as if its a neutral density filter. Also works great for contrast control and making clouds more three dimentional.

Cal

[paradoxbox]

just curious how do you use a polarizer on a rangefinder when you can't see the effects through the lens?

i like using polarizers too but these days only use them on my slr

[Calzone]

Originally Posted by paradoxbox

just curious how do you use a polarizer on a rangefinder when you can't see the effects through the lens?

i like using polarizers too but these days only use them on my slr

I have one polarizer (77mm) made by B&W that has calibrated markings so that position and effect can be seen off the camera. Of course this is for my Plaubel 69W under a landscape conditions.

Otherwise I use my polarizers on my SLR's.

Cal