Mystery Filter!

box · 19 Dec 2007 at 18:04

I dug out one of my old Minolta SLRs today. It had a filter on the lens, but I'm not sure what type of filter it is...or even if it just clear glass.

What do you think?

ElDude · 19 Dec 2007 at 18:07

https://secure.soligor.com/index.php?id=15&L=1

Try asking them

GeX · 19 Dec 2007 at 18:07

1a = skylight filter.

33L · 19 Dec 2007 at 18:11

damn it was just gonig to say a sky liight!

box · 19 Dec 2007 at 18:16

I see, so if I'm not mistaken, that adds 'warmth' to shots? Would it be any good on a nifty fifty...for indoor/xmas shots?

gandhi · 19 Dec 2007 at 18:19

not with digital. Unless you like yellow people.

They were only really useful with film where you couldn't alter the white balance and where stuck with whatever W/B the film was meant for, e.g. tungsten

box · 19 Dec 2007 at 18:26

Got it.

Thanks all

aztechnology · 19 Dec 2007 at 19:06

As everyone has said, it's a skylight filter. It adds a little warmth to the shot by filtering out a little of the Blue light of daylight. It should not have too extreme an effect on Digital as they are not really used to alter film balance, and if you don't like the effect you could just dial in a bit more blue white balance to bring it back in. (if you have a custom WB mode you could get it accurate if you balance with the filter in place - it will have no real effect then).

Many people still use these as a lens protecting filter (in fact I might do so too).

chameleon · 20 Dec 2007 at 00:57

What would be the best or most transparent (in a non picture altering way) filter to use to protect an expensive lens? A uv? skylight?

alexisonfire · 20 Dec 2007 at 01:19

Don't use filters, use a lens hood

Messiah Khan · 20 Dec 2007 at 08:50

alexisonfire said:
Don't use filters, use a lens hood

Which helps, but doesn't protect it entirely, especially with wideangle lenses. I feel much happier with filters on all my lenses.

chameleon said:
What would be the best or most transparent (in a non picture altering way) filter to use to protect an expensive lens? A uv? skylight?

You can get completely neutral filters, ie just plain glass. I use B&W F-Pro filters (UV filters) for all my lenses.

IceAx · 20 Dec 2007 at 08:55

I use Hoya Pro 1 on most of mine.

The cheapers ones i dont bother with filters for protection.

Andy

Helium_Junkie · 20 Dec 2007 at 09:25

alexisonfire said:
Don't use filters, use a lens hood

I dropped my camera onto something pointy, a hood would have done exactly zilch! The skylight saved my expensive 10-20 from a nasty gauge across its front.
Keep in mind also that the wide angle hood is very very shallow.

ElDude · 20 Dec 2007 at 13:05

I use a circular poloriser on my 50mm. Well, I did until I dropped it in a pile of mud and lost it

neodude · 20 Dec 2007 at 21:09

Helium_Junkie said:
my expensive 10-20

Which you have turned into a cheap 10-20 by covering it with a UV filter. The coating on the front element of expensive lenses is there to reduce glare and reflections and is what makes your lens so expensive. Covering it with a cheap piece of glass is completely defeating the point of buying good glass.

Messiah Khan · 20 Dec 2007 at 21:17

neoduder said:
Which you have turned into a cheap 10-20 by covering it with a UV filter. The coating on the front element of expensive lenses is there to reduce glare and reflections and is what makes your lens so expensive. Covering it with a cheap piece of glass is completely defeating the point of buying good glass.

Who is to say he used a 'cheap piece of glass'? Decent UV filters have little or no effect on the IQ. I use B&W F-Pro filters for all my lenses (Except the 300mm f2.8 as the front element is too big, so no filter thread) and they have no noticable adverse effects.

neodude · 20 Dec 2007 at 21:20

I admit that better quality UV filters are a huge improvement on the cheaper ones but I personally do see an improvement without them. I grudge having to fit a CPL when the conditions call for it and generally do exposure blending in PS rather than use an ND-Grad. Each to their own I suppose.