What filter

LRussoPhoto · August 17, 2011

Starting to venture landscape photography. Dont know exactly what they are called but I have seen video tutorials with the camera having a filter on the lens that can be rotated to change the effect on the color of the sky making it more blue and stuff like that. What would they be called, and what all is included when you purchase them?

Art Scott · August 17, 2011

Circular Polarizer maybe .....usually they are a screw on filter...just like with any filter the low end ones are crappy and the high end ones are very expensive...so what do you get ...usually a plastic box with a label on it showing brand filter size and so on...with 1 filter inside.....and there may be an image or 2 on the label showing the effects...... :~}}

lfortier · August 17, 2011

You're looking for a Singh-Ray Gold Blue Polarizer (Cokin also makes one).
http://www.singh-ray.com/goldnblue.html

Singh-Ray is expensive but Cokin is not.

Got one, rarely use it.

lightyear · August 18, 2011

Circular polarizer
I strongly suspect the filter you obsrved in the videos is a circular polarizer. You can find many discussions and explanations on the Internet as well as in most textbooks and many references on Photography. As Scott wrote, quality varies somewhat, and there are variations on the basic circular polarizer ( anti-reflective coatings, thinner models for very wide angle lenses, etc.) but a good basic CPol is a good place to begin, and may be adequate for a long time. The Blue and yellow unit(mentioned above) is an excellent unique product, but I think the basic CPOl is a good starting point.You can experiment with it to learn how to use it.
Stan

paddler4 · August 18, 2011

I agree, probably a CPL. Make sure it is a circular polarizer, not a linear (which won't work with some AF systems). And I would suggest making sure that it is both a reputable brand and multi-coated, the latter to avoid flare. My own are Hoyas and a Marumi.

ImageX Photography · August 18, 2011

I also agree. It is a circular polarizer that you are looking for. As mentioned, the low priced ones are crappy and the good ones are expensive. I use a Hoya Pro1 and love it.

CIRCULAR PL
Color and contrast enhancement
Light rays which are reflected by any surface can become polarised so polarising filters are used to select which light rays enter your camera lens. CIRCULAR PL filters allow you to remove unwanted reflections from non-metallic surfaces such as water, glass etc. They also enable colors to become more saturated and appear clearer with better contrast. This effect is often used to increase the contrast and saturation in blue skies and white clouds. HOYA's polarising filters do not affect the overall color balance of a shot.

LRussoPhoto · August 18, 2011

So then whats the difference between the circular polerizerd, neutral density and graduated neutral density?

ImageX Photography · August 18, 2011

QuadRacer041 wrote: »

So then whats the difference between the circular polerizerd, neutral density and graduated neutral density?

Neutral density cuts light to allow larger apertures or longer shutter speeds to be used. Graduated means it's darker on top and lighter on bottom.... or vice versa.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutral_density_filter

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graduated_neutral_density_filter

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FCircular_polarizer%23Circular_Polarizers

JimKarczewski · August 18, 2011

This used a graduated ND filter, I forget how many stops I used. If I had not used one, the sky would be blown own OR the river would be way too dark. I could had on top of that used a normal ND filter to slow my exposure time down to 1-2 seconds to get smoother flow of the water..

LRussoPhoto · August 19, 2011

From the photos I'm seeing here it looks like the graduated nd filter does what the circular polarized filter does too, even when the light is too strong, is that correct? In Jim's photo you can really see the blue in the sky yet still see the great color in the river.
Do the Grad ND filters rotate as well?

ziggy53 · August 19, 2011

QuadRacer041 wrote: »

From the photos I'm seeing here it looks like the graduated nd filter does what the circular polarized filter does too, even when the light is too strong, is that correct? In Jim's photo you can really see the blue in the sky yet still see the great color in the river.
Do the Grad ND filters rotate as well?

While a circular-polarizing (CPL) filter and a graduated-neutral-density (GND) filter can both darken skies, they work completely differently and the CPL will also:

Cut reflections from glass and water
Reduce glare
Make some foliage more saturated

A CPL will also affect exposure, around 1 stop typical, and you can get a CPL which also has a warming filter embedded (Moose Peterson Warm-CPL).

A GND will only adjust the light ratio between the transparent and darkened region of the filter, which is sometimes important, and IMO the most versatile implementation is a 4" x 6" GND in a frame, allowing both positioning of the GND transition and rotation of the transition angle. On the other hand, if you go to all the trouble of:

Setting up a tripod,
Mounting the filter frame
Adding and adjusting the GND filter

(Yes, you can also do this hand-held, but it's difficult to control the transition region accurately.)

... you could also just set up a tripod and take 2 exposures, combining the different exposures in post-processing, giving you much improved control over the results. (Plus you really need more than 1 GND. Ideally you need both a sharp transition GND plus a more gradual transition GND, to add some flexibility. If you have a horizon that's not straight, a GND may not even work for you.)

The polarizing filter effect can only be approximated in post, but it cannot be duplicated.

My recommendation is to start with a CPL filter now and then add a GND later if you really want one (but I don't recommend it for the reasons I stated above)

My strategy is to purchase a CPL to match the largest filter diameter of my largest lens, and then use adapter rings to step that filter down to my smaller lenses.

JimKarczewski · August 19, 2011

What Ziggy said.

I do NOT use any screw on filters anymore. I'm done with buying one for every size lens I use in my arsenal. Which means I'd have to buy a 58, 77 and 82 to fit all my lenses. Instead, I've purchased a Cokin Z system. I had some P size filters before that, but with ultra wides, like the 16-35, it caused problems. So now I use the Z. I do have a 105mm circular polarizer, for going on my Z holder, but that's the only one I currently plan on owning.

The problem also with fixed graduated ND filters that are round and mount directly to the lens is, if you have a set composition you like, you can't move the filter to where you need it to be, unlike a plate filter like the P or Z system. A typical screw on Graduated ND (GND):

While you can turn it to adjust level, to adjust the point where it takes effect means moving your camera and screwing up your composition. I like a filter I can move to where I need it, not where it wants to be, like the Cokin System:

Those you can move up and down and rotate, the best of both worlds.....

What filter

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