tenny52 Loc: San Francisco

Thanks, I believe yours is an educated comment which the filter manufacturers have been tried to hide from consumers.
That is why I have read about no filter is better than any(or just UV) filter which reduces speed and induces flare. Any truth?
Can Dslr have built-in polarized filter or light reduction filter as well, can or can't this be done?
My Nikon D610 ISO setting allows me to setting to L0.3, L0.7 and L1.0 when tuned below 100. Should I set it to the lowest L1.0 before I use the light reduction filters

Petesfixit Loc: Houston Texas

I think the question should be:" am I satisfied with the image quality I am getting now?"
Don't fix what ain't broke. If somewhere in your photographic journey you will come to a place where you are dissatisfied with the quality you're getting and need or want to step it up, that would be a good time to upgrade.NOT BASED ON OTHER PEOPLE'S OPINIONS.
So, if you're a photographer just enjoy your camera ,go out and shoot some pictures.
And if your a camera collector go and buy what you want.Ok? Thanks

Petesfixit Loc: Houston Texas

Ok maybe just one more thing. Put your camera on a tripod take two identical pictures one with and one without a filter. Can you tell the difference? If not it doesn't matter. Have a great day.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Don't buy half a dozen filters and then try to see which one makes the best pictures. Let someone else do that for you.

Some comparisons -

https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2017/09/my-not-nearly-complete-but-rather-entertaining-circular-polarizer-filter-article/
http://www.lenstip.com/139.25-article-Polarizing_filters_test_2015_Results_and_summary.html
http://www.techradar.com/how-to/photography-video-capture/cameras/best-circular-polarizer-filter-5-top-models-tested-and-rated-1320842
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Circular-Polarizer-Filters.aspx
http://www.lenstip.com/index.php?art=139

https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2017/06/the-comprehensive-ranking-of-the-major-uv-filters-on-the-market/
http://www.lenstip.com/113.1-article-UV_filters_test_Introduction.html
http://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/2262/are-digital-sensors-sensitive-to-uv

Petesfixit Loc: Houston Texas

Ultimately, the less glass, the sharper image.Try a 50 mms 1.8 vs your zoom. It will be superior. But if you are only printing 5x7s or less or just watching on the monitor, doubt you will notice the difference.

cthahn

You purchase an expensive camera and then want to use the cheapest accessories you can find. That is like owning a Cadillac and riding on the cheapest tires you can find. The same with kit lenses.

Tet68survivor Loc: Pomfret Center CT

Hmm! I have Hoya on my D5200, and a whole package of Polaroid filters (uv, uv adjustable, sky and florescent) for my P100 and P600 cameras! To be perfectly honest, I see no difference in outcome! But, I really haven't put them to the test!

Bruce with a Canon Loc: Islip

I use Tiffen generally, good quality. Reasonable cost.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

I will try to answer your question in a very simplistic way. What is more expensive a Cadillac or a Chevrolet? Understand that both cars will take you to your destination but the difference is that the Cadillac will take you with more comfort and style than the Chevrolet.
You cannot expect that a set of cheap filters will do a good job when using good, well corrected optics. You need quality filters for that and there are many reasonably priced filters that can do an excellent job and I will give you a good example. I am using Tiffen and Hoya filters from my film days. They were reasonably priced at the time and they did their job as they are doing it now with digital. I would say that if you visit a camera store and ask a knowledgeable person there for a filter reasonably priced that person will give you a good answer.
There are expensive filters like B&W, some of the top Hoya and Nikon filters. Nice to have them but not absolutely necessary for quality photographs. As I said, I am entirely satisfied with my old filters.
Like others here I do not use UV filters for "protection" and while the UV filter can act like a Skylight filter better results and more controllable results can be achieved using WB settings.
If the filters you are using are satisfying your needs, be they cheap or expensive, do not change anything.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

The vast majority of my filters are B+W. The reason, top quality materials like Shott glass for starters. The real bonus is their frames are made of brass. This virtually eliminates the possibility of the filter binding with the threads in the lens.
--Bob

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

You don't need a UV filter. They don't do a thing except for provide a little protection for the front element of your lens. The CP or circular polarizer is used to increase contrast and color and help prevent reflections from glass, water and specular highlight reflecting off of things like leaves of trees etc. They have limited use as they only work outdoors with the sun at about 90 degrees to the front element of your lens.

frankraney Loc: Clovis, Ca.

The only filter I would recommend is such, to protect the lens. Cheap is fine. If you do not use pp software, then maybe a circular polarizer.

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

I don't think filters are generally needed on digital cameras, maybe ND filters to change exposure capabilities in a really bright setting.
One of our local camera stores has literally got bins of used or unsold filters in the back hall of their showroom. I think this is very telling as to the use of filters in the largely digital world we operate in today.

Best,
Todd Ferguson

CamB Loc: Juneau, Alaska

Tired of missing shots or dealing with front lens caps that seem to pile up in the bottom of my cameras bag, I threw them all away about 25yrs. ago. I have never scratched or hurt a lens because I didn't have one. This is the one thing I tell to my guests on almost all the tours I do that they never pay attention too. I love to catch them putting the camera to their eye and then discovering their lens cap is on. Happens on every tour, every day. Still, in thirteen years of doing photography tours, I don't think I have converted anyone.

Reinaldokool Loc: San Rafael, CA

Skip all filters except for occasional CPL or, even less often, neutral density. (I also use a UV filter to protect the lens) CPLs and NDs are supposed to be color neutral, but the cheap ones often are not. I would never put a Vivitar filter in front of my lens. Filters are not just a piece of glass. They are very special glass, planed to almost perfect parallel sides; coated with highly sophisticated materials. Tiffen got down in the dirt with the Vivitar and other junk brands, but more recently they have upped their product. So today, I consider the higher priced Tiffens, then the Hoya low end as the minimum standard. The middle of the Hoya pack on up to the top of their line are the better buys. Above the best Hoyas are all the brands like B+W and other esoterics that really have little to offer except very high prices. Some people purport to be able to see the difference between B+W and the best Hoyas, but I can't.

To belabor a point. Whatever you put in front of your lens IS IN FRONT OF YOUR LENS, so it needs to be as good as your lens. Good design and construction and good multi-coating. Also remember that you will want to remove the filter some time, so make sure it doesn't get stuck. (Aluminum rings sometimes do. Brass rings, much less.)