Four camera filters you still need for digital photography (Polarizer, ND, UV, Graduated ND)

Are camera filters obsolete when we can just Photoshop things? Not so fast! We look at four camera filters you still need in your bag (polarizer, ND, UV, graduated ND). Unfortunately for Chris, however, digital killed the Rainbow Star (filter).

-----------------------

[tallaganda]

Polarisers and ND for me, I’d rather exposure blend with luminosity masks than Nd grads. I tend to get better results.

[gewglesux]

I have a small fortune invested in filters. I still love to use them.. and yeah i run a protective UV on all of my glass.
Love the Lee system....
Thanks for this Video.

[martingranger]

Nailed it - unleashing the creative process...out in the field, rather than behind a computer.

[BertieFett]

Great video guys. For me the fun of photography is in the picture taking so I like to use old school filters rather than post where I can. Circular polarisers and ND definitely and I’m still partial to a FLW for sunsets and my star filter. Using filters is easier to me and I get a better understanding of what I’m doing compared to using a computer when its all software
The great thing about modern photography though is you can mix up old school and modern methods depending on how you feel and what you want to do

[Smaug]

Polarizer - Absolutely. If only I could ever remember to bring and use it. Side benefit: it also makes a good 1.5 stop ND filter!

ND - Absolutely, for the reasons you stated, and also for video. No knowledgeable person would dispute it.

UV - I'm with Jordan here. Just take reasonable care of your gear and it's 100% unnecessary. Use a hood instead, which gives more protection AND reduces flare. Cleaning marks (damage to coating) won't really affect image quality. Get in the habit of using a blower or brush instead of scrubbing with the ol' microfiber each time.

Graduated ND - 100% replaced by HDR.

[street_biologist]

I fell off 30 feet from a cliff while hiking on top of a volcano in Ecuador in 2011. I had a major shoulder injury but the UV filter saved my Nikon lens; the filter was completely shattered, the lens still works! I will always vote for the UV filter.

[davidanderson]

I really like the B+W high transmission polariser. They're very useful for handheld stuff.

[scdobserver]

Slide something in and screw... *wink*. Chris, your dad joke is getting badder. Love it!

[bernym]

Regarding UV filters for lens protection. I totally agree. Cleaning any glass surface will damage it over time, gradually degrading it. also the obvious front element protection from accidents. I go one step further on my mirrorless camera. I use an internal uv filter (actually the manufacturer calls them 'sensor protetors'). cleaning a camera sensor is fraught with risk of damage. Therefore it's much less expensive to damage an internal filter than a camera sensor. Great video, thanks.

[JanneRanta]

Dont forget infrared! That effect cannot be done in post.

[chrisw]

UV filter everything, put your gear on renters or business insurance, get a warranty, and for the love of god.... DO NOT LEAVE A TRIPOD WITHOUT A SANDBAG. Sorry... PTSD kicked in when he said lenses falling... Good video.

[CanadianArchivist]

I’ve been looking at ND filters and seen reviews. Colour shifts and vignettes in images. The more expensive ones seem to do a better job, and then there is the question of screw on or slide as you mentioned. The question remains on which system is more affordable and still get great results. The slide filters can be used on all lenses. The screw on must be purchased for each lens you own.

In my earlier years I used film and did a lot of black and white using different colour filters. Red darkening the sky, a yellow-green tended to be mid range for a lot of things. I still have the filters. I made the transition to DSLR, and unboxed a few of the filters I had in storage with my old film camera.

I have neutral colour filters instead of UV on the front of some of my lenses to protect them from dust. Some may say that a lens hood would solve that issue, and why put a piece of glass on the front element, especially when you made a large purchase to get the lens in the first place?

Layering and photoshop - Not everyone has or uses photoshop. I do fix some images using software. I do as little as possible to keep an image from looking so different, that it no longer looks like what I started with.

[matthconphoto]

Hi guys - love the video - and you are right. It's not all about technology! Call me old fashioned too but I for me filters are an essential part of the experience and the "slowing down process" when shooting landscapes. Cheers, Matthias

[rickietatum]

I still use filters and enjoy doing so. It's a legacy from my days of using film, something that I still do, not everything can be done in post production.

[vidthreenorth]

A polarizer can be used to increase reflections as well as decrease them. Also, there is at least a theoretical place for color correction filtering in extreme cases. But you are counting on having enough extra light to "throw away". The advantage is avoiding noise in one of the component colors.

[bikecommuter]

I keep three filters in my Camera Bag, a ND, CPL and spare clear -UV Filter. I do use a UV for cheap protection, a few years ago my Camera came loose from my cheap cross body strap and it hit the ground and just like you said the UV broke by the lens was 100 percent.
I also bought a black rapid strap right after that. 😁

[MeAMuse]

I used to be on the no UV filet camp... I bought some off brand lens caps... and they popped off in my bag. Now have 2 G Master lenses with imperfections / slight scratches. Luckily don’t affect performance... but definitely converted as it will affect the resale value.

[onthemove]

I generally fit a Hoya lens filter for protection. Twice, in the last 45 years, that protection has saved a lens from damage. And they keep dust away, which creates minor scratches on the lens when cleaned. Lee ND filters are truly neutral, which is more than can be said for cheaper filters.

[cavalrycome]

7:41 I wouldn't say that using filters isn't a technical exercise. They're just a different kind of technical that some people find more intuitive than software.

[JamesPetts]

Ahh, I remember colour correction filters. Those were the days (when photography was hard work).