Need help choosing a Polarized Filter for my D5200.

I'm new to DSLR's and need some help choosing a Polarized filter for the 18-55 and also a good brand on lens protector,can the filter and lens protector be used together at the same time.

I seen the price of the Nikon Polarized filter and I can not afford that much right now,are there any brands on ebay that do a good job and are better priced,also what MM am I looking to buy.

Are there any books being sold to download that tech you everything about DSLR's and such as aperture's shutter speed and so on.

Thanks in advance.

Steer clear of the cheap ebay stuff.

Stick with brand names like Hoya, Tiffen, Signh-Ray, etc. And make sure you get a circular polarizer. The old, film-era non CPL ones will mess with your cameras' auto-focus.

As for 'protecting' the lens, I used UV and skylight filters back in my film days and never once replaced a filter. When I went digital, I never used anything except the lens hood.

As for books, "D5200 Guide".

I bought some Tiffen brand ones for about $20 each and they seem to work well! That is pretty cheap and I doubt you'll find better at prices that low!

Yes a UV will be fine with it! I don't have a 18-55 anymore so I can't say what size filter it takes, though it should be a 50 something. My filters I bought were 52mm and I think that is the size you need too! You can Google it to be sure!

You might want to consider either the Hoya HD polarizing filter or the Hoya HD Protector; either would be an excellent choice. I rarely if ever shoot outdoors without a CPL but I also have some of the Protectors.

A good book on your camera would be The D5200 Digital Field Guide. While not as comprehensive as some other books, this will get you up to speed quickly on the basics of using your camera and hopefully without overwhelming you with information right from the start. This book is what your camera's manual SHOULD have been.
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Polarizing - I have a Kenko Digital and it works for me. Have no problem recommending that brand. Have some Hoya as well, again no problems. One thing to remember is that Kenko and Hoya (and I suspect the others as well) have several lines from less expensive (not cheap) up to very expensive.

I tend to believe in a 3% rule - that it costs several times more to get that last 3% of perfection (I'm sure I'm misquoting that rule -someone clue me in to the right way to say that). Here is my twist on that rule applied to CPL filters - basically what it says is that you can cheap-0's that are poor quality for a few dollars. I steer clear of these. In CPL filters these are the ones on evilBay for less than $10. Then there is the really really inexpensive ones ($20ish) that give you so-so quality. Check out the reviews of Fotga Filters on YouTube for example - their $10-20 filter holds its own - certainly not as good as the much more expensive ones but 'good enough" for some purposes. Then you have the bread-and-butter quality. The ones most sold in the camera stores. This is the Kenko and Hoya entry level line up. 90% of perfection for $60-$100 - ISH. Go up to their Better than that line and for 50% more money you get 95% perfection. Not good enough, try top of the line, double or triple the entry level prices but 98% perfection. Is that extra 3% worth the extra cost. The 'rule' says most of the time, not at all. Even the entry level is often giving you results that you could not distinguish from the top-of-the-line with the naked eye. Think of the images that you get with a D5200 vs D610 Vs D4 camera. Yes there is a different. But depending on the photo, put it before many people and they could never arrange the images based on the price of the camera taking the shot. With CPL the one thing that the less expensive ones may introduce is a little colour cast and depending on your scene may or may not be noticeable (or even unpleasant) and this is very easily corrected pp in most photographic software programs.

And then there is the great UV Filter debate - I'm of the belief that the only reason (and a dang good one) is to protect the lens from scratches. I drop a grand on a lens - I want a little protection. A good quality UV or Clear filter all have the same effect - and the desired effect is NO effect on the image. All they do is put a cheapER bit of glass in front of your expensive lens. I don't buy the need for UV protection but ironically the UV filter's can be cheaper than the clear filter. (volume of sales?).

Hoya MCR is always my first choice. They fall in the medium price range and I too keep a polarizer on my lenses whenever I shot outside. They help increase color saturation and cut down on glare. Do not use uv filters at all.

I think I'm going to get this one as I like how it has a UV Filter and a Polarizer plus the plus the skin warming one as well.

Tiffen 52mm Photo Essentials Filter Kit UV Circular Polarizer 812 Warmin 52TPK1 0049383156737 | eBay

I'm also going to pick up this Lens can't beat the price and this is where I picked up my Camera.

Nikkor AF-S DX 55-300mm f4.5-5.6G ED VRII** Sale ** | Aden Camera Toronto Digital Camera Store

wade7575 said:

I think I'm going to get this one as I like how it has a UV Filter and a Polarizer plus the plus the skin warming one as well.

Tiffen 52mm Photo Essentials Filter Kit UV Circular Polarizer 812 Warmin 52TPK1 0049383156737 | eBay

I'm also going to pick up this Lens can't beat the price and this is where I picked up my Camera.

Nikkor AF-S DX 55-300mm f4.5-5.6G ED VRII** Sale ** | Aden Camera Toronto Digital Camera Store

Click to expand...

That's the one I have (CP) living on my 18-55mm. I had it for a long time and have no complaints. It does what it supposed to, if you know how to use a CP.

I was wondering one last thing guys,I'm going to get the 55-300MM Nikon Lens I linked above and don't want to have to buy a ton orf Filter's right now.

I was wondering if these Step up Ring's would allow me to use the 58MM Filters I would need for my 55-300MM and then also allow me to use the 58MM Filter's on the 18-55MM Lens that needs 52MM filters.

49 52 55 58 62 67 72 77 mm 7pcs Metal Step Up Rings Lens Adapter Filter Set O2 | eBay


These are the filters I think I have settled on.

Hoya 58mm Digital Filter Kit UV C CPL Circular Polarizer NDx8 ND8 Pouch | eBay

wade7575 said:

I was wondering one last thing guys,I'm going to get the 55-300MM Nikon Lens I linked above and don't want to have to buy a ton orf Filter's right now.

I was wondering if these Step up Ring's would allow me to use the 58MM Filters I would need for my 55-300MM and then also allow me to use the 58MM Filter's on the 18-55MM Lens that needs 52MM filters.

49 52 55 58 62 67 72 77 mm 7pcs Metal Step Up Rings Lens Adapter Filter Set O2 | eBay


These are the filters I think I have settled on.

Hoya 58mm Digital Filter Kit UV C CPL Circular Polarizer NDx8 ND8 Pouch | eBay

Click to expand...

To use the step-up rings you posted, you'd have to use all of them together--starting with the one that fits your lens and ending with the one that fits your filter. Instead, you can buy one ring that fits the lens and steps up to the filter size rather than stacking several rings together. Like this one: Sensei 52-58mm Step-Up Ring SUR-5258 B&H Photo Video

If you buy that set of rings, you'd need to check all of them each time before using to make sure none are loose. And either take them all apart for easier storage, or leave them together which takes up more room in your bag.

Since you are planning on using a filter for a wide angle lens (18mm), you may want to consider a slim profile filter. Otherwise you may very well run into some vignetting.

From what it looks like I'll only need to use 2 ring's to fit the 58MM filter on the 52MM Lens,I think I'll use a bit of Blue Loctite to hold them together plus I have a friend who can use the other ring's so that should be fine.

hark said:

To use the step-up rings you posted, you'd have to use all of them together--starting with the one that fits your lens and ending with the one that fits your filter. Instead, you can buy one ring that fits the lens and steps up to the filter size rather than stacking several rings together. Like this one: Sensei 52-58mm Step-Up Ring SUR-5258 B&H Photo Video

If you buy that set of rings, you'd need to check all of them each time before using to make sure none are loose. And either take them all apart for easier storage, or leave them together which takes up more room in your bag.

Since you are planning on using a filter for a wide angle lens (18mm), you may want to consider a slim profile filter. Otherwise you may very well run into some vignetting.

Click to expand...

Marumi DGH or whatever a grade better is the best overall bet.