Lens Filters 101 | Top 5 Filters You Need To Buy

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▬ Contents of this video ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
0:00 - Intro
1:28 - What is a Filter
2:38 - Step Up Rings
3:42 - Matt Box vs Circular
5:08 - VND/ND
8:55 - Gradient Filters
10:31 - Circular Polarizers
12:17 - UV Filters
13:40 - Mist/Diffusion Filters
14:52 - What Filters Should You Buy?
15:35 - Want to Learn More?
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

[filmstuff]

1.ND filter- sunglass for your lens

2 Gradient filter- blocks more light at top and less at ground. Good for landscape shoot.

3.Circular polarizer- remove reflections (ex-car windows)

4.UV filter- just for protection of your lens

5.Mist filter- dreamy look, lifting contrast, glowing effect, halation, soften your image and doesn't reduce your video quality.

[ego]

This is by far the most educational, informative and easy to digest video on camera lenses I’ve come across. I’m a music producer who’s starting to do my own videos and this may have saved me a few years of grey hair in my journey on learning what to do

[Nobody_shortsm]

First I need to get an actual camera, I only have a gopro

[timothystockman]

If you're getting a VND, I highly recommend getting a VND+CPL combo. A VND is made from 2 polarizing filters which rotate against each other to vary the brightness. But putting on a normal VND is like putting on a CPL adjusted to a random polarization. This is because, in a normal VND, only one of the polarizers rotates; the other is fixed to the lens in whatever orientation it has when the filter threads are tightened onto the lens. A VND+CPL combo is still made from two polarizers, but it has a lever which rotates one polarizer against the other, and a ring which rotates both polarizers together. You can first set the brightness with the lever, and then adjust the ring to get the most pleasing polarizing effect. The deaded color shift will occur with certain scenes and lighting; that's the reality of polarizers; but with a VND+CPL filter you can set the polarization for the best effect for that particular shot, rather than being stuck with the polarizer orientation fixed by the tightened filter threads. You could, of course, make any VND into a VND+CPL combo by just loosening the filter threads and rotating the whole filter to the best polarization...

[quandaledingle]

I know absolutely nothing on cameras and this gave me 2x the amount of knowledge I had prior to watching this.

[burnsage_]

No way this guy is saying 50 dollar filters are cheap

[erickheyl]

I made the mistake of buying a cheap VND filter and had so many images ruined. 😞😞

Really helpful overview of the filter types I was interested in — thanks for making it!!

[edcAdventures.]

Your video is very informative and clear. No unnecessary tangent or blabber. Very professional. Thank you

[engineergaming]

I find it always sad that nobody explains exactly how polarisers work as far as I’ve seen. They just tell you what they do but I think understanding the physics behind it is quite interesting and certainly useful. When he says « nobody really understands » it’s not even that complicated. From what I remember from physics class. Light is made from magnetic and electrical waves perpendicular to each other. A single lights rays has various orientation of these waves I think and the polariser is here to redirect the waves on a single plane or in 2 dimensions. The filters only let’s in a part of the light, which is called polarised light. This polarisation can happen on multiple surface like snow, water and car doors I assume. By adding a filter to your camera, your filter is effectively blocking this very specific kind of polarised light. Which indeed reduces reflection cause it’s made of polarised light. And you have to turn the filter because of the way it works: a bit like trying to go through a door with a broom stick horizontally. You have to turn it to make sure to make it through the door. It’s just the opposite as your turning the filter here. And the intensity of the polarised light passing trough the second filter is equal to cosinus squared multiplied by the intensity.

[andyvan]

another tip, the filter size is also a number etched into the rear face of the lens cap (as it grips on this same surface, using the threads, but as an increased surface area for friction).

[Mecherle]

Extremely well done - concise, great visuals to go with the explanations, well done!

[andyvan]

ND 's where also created to adjust shutter speeds, as on MF and LF still cameras those leaf shutters only went as fast as 1/400 or 1/500th of a second, and in high sunlight this is how they got the exposure down to a shutter speed that was on the lens; also to reduce the contrast of a scene to a level the film can cope with, as some films can't handle over exposure, like slide (transparency) films.

[EnrichedExistence]

Simply: Imagine looking directly into a light ray that is flying towards you. It has got many photons that vibrate in a lot of different angles. Pure reflection has got more light rays that vibrate from one side to another on a straight line. Polarization filters have got like tiny little strings that can block exactly one "line" of light. So it removes all the light of one "line", which can be the reflection or example, and allows the rest in. There is way more to it, but I hope this is simple enough to understand.

[bustaubie]

Your videos are always a big help. I've been researching on which filter to get and this just made it easier. Thank you!

[maciejlegowicz]

On the polarising filters magic from a photographer's point of view ... and some experience - you'll get the best results if the light source (mostly sunlight) is on about 90 degrees - if you are shooting with the sunlight from your back, or is it "on you" - there is not much you can play. Btw - very useful video - I'll be getting gradient and variable ND. Cheers

[andyvan]

a Warning, there is not just a Filter thread out there, Hasselblad, esp. the 500c\m uses what is called a bayonet fitting, some are 60mm dia.{B60} others are 67mm some smaller, depends on focal length; also Nikon and Canon Telephotos use 48/58 mm dia. sizes ( a drawer in the lens itself, as those optical designs need the filter there, for performance, and minimising reflections).

[Bachelor_Gabe]

I'm a noob and learning. Thx for this excellent video. You da man.

[nayemMmm]

Thanks, Seth for this excellent video. I have a Canon M50 Mark ii with Sigma 30mm 1.4 DC DN (52 mm filter thread) and I mostly do photography. Could you please suggest 2-3 filters for getting professional-level photography?

[cyngen]

Great video, very informative. And, I loved the out takes 😂

[pedroarruda]

Thank you!
I use a Tiffen VNDF with my Sigma 18-35 in my Blackmagic Pocket 4K with a Metabones .71 Speedbooster (Pocket 4K version).
After we learn how to use, nothing was the same! 10 Years from now, I think I will gonna still use the same Camera/Kit ;-)
Regards and thank you.