Advice on filters for new camera system

[grumpybeard]

Hi,

Just about to bite the bullet on Fuji X-E3 with 18-55.

What filter would you recommend as "stay put" daily protection for the lens?

First major use of this will be documenting our wedding and honeymoon in the Caribbean in Feb - midday sun, lots of water reflection? Would best filter be some sort of ND or polariser?

Also spend a lot of time in the alps, lot of snow fall at the moment. Would ND or polariser also work well here?

Thanks very much for any guidance

 

[EsaT]

Polarizing filters lower reflections from water surface, or any "specular "/mirror like reflecting surface.
Besides light scattered by air (but not clouds) with biggest sky darkening effect at 90 degree away from sun.
In lower light their general light loss again is downside for keeping image quality.

Snow with its rough surface again doesn't really polarize reflected light. (diffuse reflection)
And getting rid of more excess light than polarizer's general light loss needs ND filter.


UV filters don't do really anything image wise because filter stacks of sensors include at least ~400nm UV cut off filter.
(some using more agressive longer wavelength filters)

Anyway for some actual protection from elements there's that thing called weather sealing...
Filters in end of lens don't help any if any droplet can get inside from any other crack.

 

[grumpybeard]

Hi EsaT,

Thanks for the feedback. With regard to the protection, I was not thinking about weather, it was more protecting the lens from scratches (of course being as careful as poss anyway, but accidents happen).

Any particular ND grade recommended?

Thanks

 

[Spleen Sauce]

Just use the lens hood to protect it from knocks and bumps? I only add filters to the front of a lens when I'm trying to achieve something specific.

 

[Phal]

Filters can keep the dust off and might protect from light scratches but there's drawbacks.

1- Any filter will reduce image quality. With a good filter you probably won't notice the difference but how much do you really want to spend on a dust shield?
2- Damage to the filter could actually damage the lens more than if it hadn't had a filter. A broken bit of glass can scratch the lens and more expensive filters with metal threads can be difficult to remove if they've been deformed by the drop.

Use the lens hoods and pay attention to what you're doing I think I've dropped 2 lenses in 5 years and there was no damage (one was dropped on grass and the other landed on the hood lol).

 

[EsaT]

Any particular ND grade recommended?

Depends on how much you want shallow depth of field and if you want to use slower shutter speeds.
If it's just landscape photography then max shutter speeds isn't problem and you'll usually want to have bigger DOF.
Though that 1/4000s max of mechanical shutter is little on slower side and you'll be stopping lens down to apertures where diffraction starts having its effect.

Unless toy err smartphone is all you have you could easily check what kind f-ratio/shutter speed combinations snowy landscape gives in sunny days.

Here's how many f-stops what ND filter affects:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutral-density_filter#ND_filter_ratings

Looks like that ND100000 equals to what solar filters for visual sun observing are...

 

[Steve M]

1- Any filter will reduce image quality.

Thats not true. Lets in less light probably, but it won't reduce image quality.

 

[i know nothing]

Formatt-Hitech manufacture some very high end filters and they have a Christmas sale on, which went live a few minutes ago in case you're interested:- https://www.formatt-hitech.com/

 

[Phal]

Thats not true. Lets in less light probably, but it won't reduce image quality.

As I said, with a good filter, you probably won't notice it. What affects image quality less - nothing, or a piece of glass?

 

[neodude]

I'm in agreement with Phal here, the more layers of glass in front of the sensor the more the image will suffer, albeit by a tiny amount, unless the glass is structurally perfect, which it won't be.

 

[Steve M]

I'm in agreement with Phal here, the more layers of glass in front of the sensor the more the image will suffer, albeit by a tiny amount, unless the glass is structurally perfect, which it won't be.

I'm in agreement with him too that you won't notice it. Even if you did (and you wont with any half decent filter) the benifit you get from a polariser or an Nd grad will far outweigh any loss in image quality.

 

[EsaT]

Here are some tests with example photos of how much filters add reflections.

https://www.lenstip.com/113.1-article-UV_filters_test.html
https://www.lenstip.com/120.1-article-UV_filters_test_-_supplement.html

https://www.lenstip.com/115.1-article-Polarizing_filters_test.html
https://www.lenstip.com/119.1-article-Polarizing_filters_test_-_supplement.html
https://www.lenstip.com/139.1-article-Polarizing_filters_test_2015.html

 

[Phal]

I'm in agreement with him too that you won't notice it. Even if you did (and you wont with any half decent filter) the benifit you get from a polariser or an Nd grad will far outweigh any loss in image quality.

ND and CPL filters have a job so you just make sure you have a decent one and use it as necessary. My comments were aimed more at using a UV filter for protection. If you don't need a filter then my opinion is that it's best not to have one instead of having an expensive sacrificial layer or a cheap one that butchers your optics.

 

[Steve M]

ND and CPL filters have a job so you just make sure you have a decent one and use it as necessary. My comments were aimed more at using a UV filter for protection. If you don't need a filter then my opinion is that it's best not to have one instead of having an expensive sacrificial layer or a cheap one that butchers your optics.

Yeah, I've never bothered with UV filters. Pointless in my opinion. As Spleen Sauce said earlier, I only use filters when I'm trying to get a specific effect.