Novice lens/filter question?

[J-see]

This is why i say its up to the user,i got something sticky on my zoom the first day out with my D70 and it never completely cleaned off.

Look on ebay and see how much the value drops with a scratched front element,yes cheap filters are a no but some cost twice what each element in the lens costs,but we always get the emotive shout from some one about putting cheap glass in front of an expensive lens,i had a mate that boasted he never used condoms,he ended up at the clinic,its a lottery.

I'll never know how I got the scratch on my 35mm but it made me realize that it's plain silly to pay 2k for some lenses and then cheapen out on a 100$ filter protecting them. I'm also carefully stuffing my D810 in a bag and not throwing it in the trunk like it is.

 

[Rick M]

thank you for an interesting discussion. Let me clarify my original question though.

I am asking for advice or even opinion of what filters I should include as starter items for my camera bag. I currently have a cheap ($20 carbonized/plastic) polarized that I plan to replace but also looking for advice or opinions for what other filters are good to have for wildlife and landscape photography. Is ND something useful or is it more specialty or advanced photography? Any others I need to consider?

ND's are great for slowing down shutter speed without using an extreme aperture, gives waterfalls (clouds) that nice smooth look. CPL's reduce most reflections in bright light. This can be helpful in reducing glare/blown out highlights from feathers/fur in wildlife (also planes, cars, ect.) Don't feel you need to be experienced, easy to master these tools!

 

[hark]

thank you for an interesting discussion. Let me clarify my original question though.

I am asking for advice or even opinion of what filters I should include as starter items for my camera bag. I currently have a cheap ($20 carbonized/plastic) polarized that I plan to replace but also looking for advice or opinions for what other filters are good to have for wildlife and landscape photography. Is ND something useful or is it more specialty or advanced photography? Any others I need to consider?

A Neutral Density filter will allow you to shoot with longer shutter speeds. If you've seen photos where waves crashing against the shore look as smooth as glass, or where clouds appear to make smooth streaks in the sky, they are examples that can be accomplished with the use of an ND filter.

There are different strengths of ND filters. Common ones are 3-stop (ND-8), 6-stop (ND-64), 9-stop (ND-500), and 10-stop (ND-1000). The higher ones such as 9 or 10-stop work very well. 3-stop ND filters don't always allow a slow enough shutter speed although the higher stop filters tend to be more expensive.

 

[RocketCowboy]

I am asking for advice or even opinion of what filters I should include as starter items for my camera bag. I currently have a cheap ($20 carbonized/plastic) polarized that I plan to replace but also looking for advice or opinions for what other filters are good to have for wildlife and landscape photography. Is ND something useful or is it more specialty or advanced photography? Any others I need to consider?

I typically carry a circular polarizer and a couple ND filters. I use primarily Hoya filters, but also have a couple B&W and even a couple Nikon CPLs. I've been tempted to pick up a graduated ND filter for landscape use, but haven't gone out and done that just yet.

 

[hark]

I typically carry a circular polarizer and a couple ND filters. I use primarily Hoya filters, but also have a couple B&W and even a couple Nikon CPLs. I've been tempted to pick up a graduated ND filter for landscape use, but haven't gone out and done that just yet.

Some say the Lee or Cokin filter systems are better when using graduated ND filters because you can adjust up or down where the line falls. You can't do that with a screw-on filter.

 

[RocketCowboy]

Some say the Lee or Cokin filter systems are better when using graduated ND filters because you can adjust up or down where the line falls. You can't do that with a screw-on filter.

Agreed!

And, with the Lee or Cokin filters, you get the right adapter ring(s) to use with your lenses rather than re-buying the same filters over and over again for each different filter size. I haven't taken that jump yet, and most of my lenses are set with the 77mm filter size, but it's interesting to me.