Which filter: I want to buy a filter as a present for my husband. He has a 70-200 canon lens. I looked them up and wow what a diverse selection. They range from $8 to $150! Polarized...

Jeannie1 Loc: Sacramento,CA

I want to buy a filter as a present for my husband. He has a 70-200 canon lens. I looked them up and wow what a diverse selection. They range from $8 to $150!
Polarized, ND, etc. How the heck do I know. I want this to be a surprise and would appreciate a translation and any suggestions.
Thanks,
Jeannie

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

Jeannie1 wrote:

I want to buy a filter as a present for my husband. He has a 70-200 canon lens. I looked them up and wow what a diverse selection. They range from $8 to $150!
Polarized, ND, etc. How the heck do I know. I want this to be a surprise and would appreciate a translation and any suggestions.
Thanks,
Jeannie

If he does not already have one, a Circular Polarizer would probably be of the most benefit. For a front lens protection filter you could simply get a Clear Protective filter.

Jeannie1 Loc: Sacramento,CA

MT Shooter wrote:

If he does not already have one, a Circular Polarizer would probably be of the most benefit. For a front lens protection filter you could simply get a Clear Protective filter.

I watched a video trying to get a clue. The person in the video said don't put a cheap piece of glass on your expensive glass, it will cloud the sharpness. I wanted him to protect his new lens.

Thanks for your help, it is hard to shop whenI really don't know the products.

alx Loc: NJ

MT Shooter wrote:

If he does not already have one, a Circular Polarizer would probably be of the most benefit. For a front lens protection filter you could simply get a Clear Protective filter.

I agree. The Polarizer is the most useful filter to have in the arsenal.

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

Jeannie1 wrote:

I watched a video trying to get a clue. The person in the video said don't put a cheap piece of glass on your expensive glass, it will cloud the sharpness. I wanted him to protect his new lens.

Thanks for your help, it is hard to shop whenI really don't know the products.

I use the Tiffen Digital Ultra Clear filters when I need one for protection. Decent price and excellent optical quality with no loss of color or sharpness.

His lens will need a 67mm size if its an "F4" lens. It will need a 77mm size if its an "F2.8" lens.

Jeannie1 Loc: Sacramento,CA

MT Shooter wrote:

I use the Tiffen Digital Ultra Clear filters when I need one for protection. Decent price and excellent optical quality with no loss of color or sharpness.

His lens will need a 67mm size if its an "F4" lens. It will need a 77mm size if its an "F2.8" lens.

Thanks for your help, I was getting frustrated. You have given me some otions.

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

Jeannie1 wrote:

Thanks for your help, I was getting frustrated. You have given me some otions.

You are welcome

tdekany Loc: Oregon

How about a gift certificate at one of the large retailers or Amazon?

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

Jeannie1 wrote:

I want to buy a filter as a present for my husband. He has a 70-200 canon lens. I looked them up and wow what a diverse selection. They range from $8 to $150!
Polarized, ND, etc. How the heck do I know. I want this to be a surprise and would appreciate a translation and any suggestions.
Thanks,
Jeannie

You don't say if he already has any filters for this lens or what his shooting preference are.

Opinions vary and there is no right or wrong answer just opinions.

If someone gave me a Polarizer or ND filter it would sit in the drawer and never see the light of day. They are inconvenient to use and the benefits are limited to specific shooting situations. Not my cup of tea.

OTOH I find UV or Skylight filters very practical for protecting the front element of a lens from dust, finger prints, debris, water, etc.. It won't protect against a serious fall or direct hit from a speeding object.

Lens surfaces are relatively durable but coatings are not and may deteriorate over time depending on environmental exposure and repeated cleaning.

I want to get the most return on my old equipment when upgrading and when I sell a lens the front element is good as it was when new even after many years of extensive use.

I limit my choice to two brands...B&W and Hoya. Never had a issue with image quality even though I am a pixel peeper.

repleo Loc: Boston

Jeannie1 wrote:

I want to buy a filter as a present for my husband. He has a 70-200 canon lens. I looked them up and wow what a diverse selection. They range from $8 to $150!
Polarized, ND, etc. How the heck do I know. I want this to be a surprise and would appreciate a translation and any suggestions.
Thanks,
Jeannie

The usefulness of UV or Clear filters is a subject of eternal heated debate here on UHH. However, I think a circular polarizing filters is something most photographers would appreciate if he doesn't already have one. There are a couple of different Canon 70-200 mm lenses. Check the writting around the rim of the front of the lens. There should be a little diameter symbol with a number (probably 72 or 77). That is the size filter you need. B+W is a unversally respected top brand although I personally prefer Breakthrough Photography filters. I suggest buying from B&H or Amazon for their easy return policies.

Brokenland

Why limit yourself to just one filter. Buy him a package deal of several different types of filters. However before you buy, lets make sure what the filter size is on the lens as this is very important in selecting the correct filter size. Common filter sized range from 49mm to 77mm. Typically the lens in reference could be the 77mm filter type, But lets make sure as one would need to view the front of the lens for a filter number. One would need to locate a sequence of symbols and numbers like this: ⌀77mm on the front of the lens. Once you have this info, you can better assess what filter kit you should buy.

wilsondl2 Loc: Lincoln, Nebraska

Are you limited to one filter? Why not one to protect and one to play with. - Dave

Jeannie1 Loc: Sacramento,CA

repleo wrote:

The usefulness of UV or Clear filters is a subject... (show quote)

Yes, I peeked when he wasn't looking and it has 72mm o the lens. D you think the UV B&W UV haze for $38 is good enough? He would ever tell me if it wasn't, as not to hurt my feelings.

gmichaelbeach Loc: Connecticut

Since you husband probabl uh has better product/specification knowledge, being a photo and all, why not get him a $150 gift certificate so he can pick out the best filter to fit his needs.?

sueyeisert Loc: New Jersey

gmichaelbeach wrote:

Since you husband probabl uh has better product/specification knowledge, being a photo and all, why not get him a $150 gift certificate so he can pick out the best filter to fit his needs.?

I agree let him pick out what he wants. I always buy b+w filters because the rings are brass. I also use a filter for protection and when cleaning it’s the filter that gets cleaned not the lens.