- This topic is empty.
Polarising filters?
-
My new lens(my long awaited 70-200f4L just in time for the northwest 200 :D) has just arrived and I’m wondering what to do to keep it in ‘tip-top’ condition for as long as I can.
When I was looking for a new lens I was looking through ebay and stuff and realising quite a few of hte second hand ones said that they had had a polarising filter on from the first day…
What exactly is a polarising filter?
Thanks.
Monty.Have a look on this page for a description of a Polarizing Filter along with other filters: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photographic_filter
A lot of people put a UV filter on all their lenses to protect the glass from scratches.
J
yup, thats what i meant :oops: :(
Is it advisable to invest in one or will the lens do easyily enough without one?
cheers.
monty.Well… lets say you drop the lens… when it hits the ground the UV filter might get scratched but the lens glass should be protected.
I recall this happening to a colleague of mine.. the filter got busted but the lens glass was fine. Then it’s just a matter of taking off the UV filter and replacing it.
UV filters are pretty cheap… anywhere from €5 upwards on the internet.
Of course… other bad things can happen when you drop a lens… but that’s another story.
so i should buy one then? i was reading that article on wikipedia and it says that if you have one on you can’t have a hood..is this true?is it the higher the price the better the quality sort of thing or are they all much of a muchness?
I have one on my 70-200f4L… hood goes on no problemo.
I tend to buy the more expensive Hoya branded ones… cos I am a brand whore sometimes…
Even More Expensive
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Hoya-67mm-67-mm-PRO-1-PRO1-Super-HMC-UV-0-UV-Filter_W0QQitemZ120176312717QQihZ002QQcategoryZ67353QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItemI got a 77mm version of Option 3, Even More Expensive, for me new 100-400 today… treat ’em like a baby I do.
Definitely not much of a muchness-
like any filter, you get what you pay for-I inherited a cheap pl once,
and its absolutely unusable-
looking at the reflection in the filter, you can see a ripple-So I wouldn’t even use it on one of my projector lenses-
If it seems like a really good deal,
it probably isn’t-j
yup, thats what I’v ejust got, 70-200 f4/l, whats your views on it?
First outing on saturday at the NW200, can’t wait:D;)
so the second 1 would have good quality?would it be noticable that it was on..apart from stoping the uv and stuff it’s supposed to do if you get what i mean?
would there be any for more round a fiver?Congrats on the new lens monty. You’ll have fun with it for sure.
To spend £300 odd on a lens with great optics, and then stick a £5 piece of plastic filter on it doesn’t make sense. It will reduce the image quality. If you are going to get a filter, at least get one that is multi coated. I picked up one of these. It is completely clear- in fact, when I first picked it up, I thought it had no glass in it. Even when I held it to the light. But its more like £30, not £5. I have a couple of cheap UV filters, and they are smeary and flare easily. Not worth it.
A UV/clear filter will stop the lens getting scratched. But with that big hood on, its pretty well protected already. Keep the hood on. You should be fine. And buy a better filter when you can afford it to protect your nice glass.
Enjoy it!
PeteMcD wrote:
To spend £300 odd on a lens with great optics, and then stick a £5 piece of plastic filter on it doesn’t make sense.
I agree. No filter can ever match the quality of the glass in a top quality lens which is one reason I gave up using filters for protection purposes several years ago. The only time I would consider using one now is in severe conditions, such as when shooting by the sea with waves crashing on the rocks, in order to avoid the sea-spray and air-borne salt from settling on the lens for example.
Sorry, the lads are 100% right… just to cause less confusion I should have mentioned that I always buy the top end Hoya PRO1 Super HMC UV(0) filters. You can buy cheaper, but as the lads say… why put a piece of junk on a £300+ lens… I always buy the more expensive stuff without taking that into consideration… I just buy it cos I assume it’s better.
I have no idea why I even bothered mentioning the cheap filters.. I certainly wasn’t trying to promote them. Lapse of concentration methinks.
This is the one I use… the “Even More Expensive” option… this is Hoya’s top of the range UV filter:
You can pick up from any of the reputable Honk Kong eBay sellers for a lot cheaper than closer to home.
But as Pete says, the lens hood on the 70-200mm is quite mammoth and will do a good job of protecting the glass.
nfl-fan wrote:
Sorry, the lads are 100% right… just to cause less confusion I should have mentioned that I always buy the top end Hoya PRO1 Super HMC UV(0) filters. You can buy cheaper, but as the lads say… why put a piece of junk on a £300+ lens… I always buy the more expensive stuff without taking that into consideration… I just buy it cos I assume it’s better.
I have no idea why I even bothered mentioning the cheap filters.. I certainly wasn’t trying to promote them. Lapse of concentration methinks.
This is the one I use… the “Even More Expensive” option… this is Hoya’s top of the range UV filter:
You can pick up from any of the reputable Honk Kong eBay sellers for a lot cheaper than closer to home.
But as Pete says, the lens hood on the 70-200mm is quite mammoth and will do a good job of protecting the glass.
You can get them here also:
http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/default.php?cat=1&type=1260&man=0&filterwords=&go=SEARCH&comp=
Talking about polarizing filters,
in a fit of temporary insanity
I recently bought a 112mm B&W Kaesemann CPL-
I’d be worried about screwing your €300 lens to it-:D
j
Thorsten wrote:
PeteMcD wrote:
To spend £300 odd on a lens with great optics, and then stick a £5 piece of plastic filter on it doesn’t make sense.
I agree. No filter can ever match the quality of the glass in a top quality lens which is one reason I gave up using filters for protection purposes several years ago. The only time I would consider using one now is in severe conditions, such as when shooting by the sea with waves crashing on the rocks, in order to avoid the sea-spray and air-borne salt from settling on the lens for example.
I’m with Thor on this. If you keep the lens cap on and the hood on when in use, you have to go some to hit the front of the lens. Even with a filter on, if you drop the lens, the filter can smaxs and scratch the front of the lens and stick on the filter thread. HOrses for courses.
If you do use a filter, it needs to be spotless to minimise flare.
Si
Well, last night, I dropped my lens with the lens cap and filter on. It landed on the front end first. The lens cap got pushed past the filter threads and smashed the filter glass. And the filter is, as Si has pointed out, pretty well stuck on there.
Oh the irony..
I should mention that it landed on carpet, with wooden floorboards, from about 5 feet.
So, any tips for unscrewing tight/jammed filters with broken glass?
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
