Tutorial on how to use filters, by WDC Part 2

[avallonmist]

Great tutorial!

[seereal220]

can u fit a polarizer filter on a sony cybershot dsc hx1 with just the filter itself? or do u need an adapter or something else to put the filter on.

[WhatDigitalCamera]

@seereal220 There's no filter thread. You may be able to buy some third party adaptor. Or you can also use blu-tac – it works.

[Jaminnman]

Very helpful video. I already have a general knowledge of filters i.e. ND grad, ND, etc. But I am curious as to which brand(s) you think produce the top image quality. From some basic research online many people thought the Singh-Ray and the B & W are the two top brands. I was very surprised Lee filters hadn't come up much in online, but I have always had the idea Lee was top 2 (with Singh-Ray). What brand would you suggest for ND/ND grad? Thanks

[WhatDigitalCamera]

@Jaminnman We did a comparative test once between the major brands - eg B+W, Hoya, Tiffen, Lee etc, and to be honest couldn't really spot any difference between them. Any differences that there are will be so subtle as to be negligible to most people. Obviously the cheaper Cokin ones are clearly not as good.

As for Lee, these are favoured mostly by landscape photographers, especially their ND grads, where they have an unrivalled choice of types and styles.

[WhatDigitalCamera]

@WhatDigitalCamera Just to add to that, for ND grads you want rectangular type, as made by Lee, rather than screw in (Hoya, B+W etc). Singh-Ray is not widely available in the UK (there's no official distribution here to my knowledge) so we haven't used them and can't comment. I'd say Lee is bigger in the UK/Europe, while Singh-Ray is more US focused.

[WhatDigitalCamera]

@WhatDigitalCamera Just to add to that, for ND grads the main thing is to use rectangular sheet filters rather than screw in ones (like Hoya, B+W). Lee has an unrivalled choice of types and styles in this area which is why they're favoured by landscape photographers. Singh-Ray filters are highly regarded in the US but are not widely available in the UK. I don't think they're officially distributed here at all.

[Jaminnman]

@WhatDigitalCamera Thank you, I appreciate the help!

[pfolvig]

Thanks helped me cleared up a few questions.

[supercheekykiwi]

Hello there. very well explained.

A question. I have a Fujifilm S1500 which cant have filters attached to the front. do you think there would be any issue if I were to just hold a filter infront of the lens? Just looking at the polarizing ones.

[WhatDigitalCamera]

No. One tip some photographers use is to put a blob of blu-tac on the front edges of the lens (not on the glass itself) to stick the filters on.

[mhshah7]

very helpful, thank you!

[sallymorningstar]

Fab video, thank you!

[thewholeheart]

would you ever use a polarizing filter in combination with a graduated neutral density filter?

[barryjones2003]

hi im new to all this use of filter and just wondering if you can help me,I have got to chose 10 filters from this list and not sure which ones would be idea to start with,Hope you can help. Blue, red, ND2, ND4, ND8, orange, brown, green, yellow, pink, purple, graduated blue, graduated brown, graduated red, graduated green, graduated gray (ND4), graduated orange, graduated yellow , graduated pink, graduated purple

[WhatDigitalCamera]

Ask for a neutral Density (or ND) Grad filter. They come in different strengths, usually 1,2 and 3 stops. Some companies market a 'Grey Grad' which is the same in theory but may not be guaranteed to be colour-neutral, and may add a slight colour cast to the sky.

[astig97]

thanks a lot

[astig97]

thanks a lot

[astig97]

a very good contribution...thanks a lot

[alman53]

Whats wrong with a magazine being about cameras?

[jondi11]

Thanks for the info, much appreciated. Cheers

[Jae0o0]

Your videos are the most helpful i've found. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge!

[fstopfitzgerald]

has answered a lot of questions. thanx