UV & CP filters

I am reading and seeing a lot of pictures on the internet made with different types of filters.
Are this filters that good? Should I buy one (I am looking at Hoya)? Are they a must in my bag if I enjoy outdoor photography?

Digital cameras do not benefit from using a UV filter as film cameras did/do so, in my personal opinion, these can be dismissed with. Some people use them to protect the front lens element but that's a whole 'nuther conversation.

I love a good polarizing filter, however, have them for most all my lenses and use them regularly. The difference they make in your outdoor photography can be subtle but in my opinion a good polarizing filter does nothing but improve things. Skies take on a deeper, bluer hue and reflected light you weren't even aware of is taken out of your shot adding a certain clarity. My personal choice for polarizing filters are the Hoya HD circular polarizing filters. They're made of some seriously tough glass (Hoya states it's four times stronger than conventional glass, and I believe them), operate smoothly and transmit significantly more light than traditional CPL's.

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UV filters,dont go there, please dont go there as Horoscope said its a personnel decision but not needed for the actual picture,only if you feel better with it in front of the element,some will argue it degrades the image some say it makes no difference.

mikew said:

UV filters,dont go there, please dont go there as Horoscope said its a personnel decision but not needed for the actual picture,only if you feel better with it in front of the element,some will argue it degrades the image some say it makes no difference.

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Hey, everybody needs a reliable excuse sometimes, and if you always have one on every lens, you always have an excuse when you need one.


On the question at hand, there will be a time when you will want a CP filter. Some people use them all the time for making the sky a little bluer, and some just use them for controlling/eliminating reflections. Something you will decide for yourself how much you will use, but a good thing to have.

Got it, no uv filters )
Should I only go for cp filter?
Hoya HD, Hoya pro 1 and B+W have the same price.


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This video (minus the crappy music) might help you decide if a CPL filter is going to meet your needs:

Your choice of filters is pretty limited in digital unless you are going to go with some of the Cokin (or similar) special effects filters. I have a graduated ND filter I use for sunrises and sunsets. I AM one of the ones who uses high quality Hoya UV filters in front of all lenses because of the environments I often shoot and see no degradation. It has been asked if you can use black and white filters (25A, K2, G0) with a digital camera in the monochrome mode and the answer is you can use them but you will not get the same effects as you would with black and white film. Of course polarizers and ND filters will work just fine on a digital camera.

Eyelight said:

Hey, everybody needs a reliable excuse sometimes, and if you always have one on every lens, you always have an excuse when you need one.

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Sweet! I have my built in excuse for badly composed pictures!

I have a UV filter for each of my lenses, only because it's what I had with 35mm film cameras and I didn't know any better. I don't have dedicated CP's for each lens, but I do have one to fit each of the lenses I have.

You would need to do some research,why is it sold from hongkong when the copies are made in that area,just one example of the info out there

How to tell the difference between real and fake B+W filters! | Camera Obscura

I never go out without my CPL (1 for every lens I own except my macro lens)....the only time they come off is for cleaning and nightime/low light shots

Vixen, you are right. We should never go out without a CPL.
I did some tests today, with and without my polarized sunglasses.







I think will worth the 100$ investment.

I got a Hoya HD CPL, but now I have to look for the way it works. Can anyone help me with some links in how to set up a cir-pl filter? Or I just have to do it by trial and error?

Look at the sky or reflection while rotating the filter, you should see the change.

TankCla said:

I got a Hoya HD CPL, but now I have to look for the way it works. Can anyone help me with some links in how to set up a cir-pl filter? Or I just have to do it by trial and error?

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You don't really set anything up, you just look through the viewfinder and rotate the CPL. As the filter rotates you'll see the changes in the viewfinder going from minimum polarization to maximum. Rotate the CPL until you like what you see and take the shot.

Like Vixen, I'm rarely without a CPL. In fact, there has to a be a reason for me to NOT have a CPL on my lens. I always suggest the Hoya HD CPL's because the glass is something akin to Gorilla Glass; extreeemely tough stuff. Hoya says the glass is four-times stronger than standard glass. They also clean up with the wipe of a microfiber cloth. Other filters are cold-rolled biatch to get clean.

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I saw an arrow, a pointer, on the filter, and I thought it might have to do with setting it up, to align it up with the dot on the lens. Or that is the rotation starting point...

TankCla said:

I saw an arrow, a pointer, on the filter, and I thought it might have to do with setting it up, to align it up with the dot on the lens. Or that is the rotation starting point...

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Just mount the filter and rotate it until you like what you see. That's really all there is to it.

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Horoscope Fish said:

Just mount the filter and rotate it until you like what you see. That's really all there is to it.

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Thank you! Will do it today after the game