Question:
What filters should I buy with £40 for my Canon 550d?
Tomek
2011-07-25 06:13:32 UTC
I'm planning to spend £40 on filters but I don't know which filter/s I should buy. I'm planning to use ebay for the purchases as the prices on there are the lowest.
Six answers:
AWBoater
2011-07-25 08:12:22 UTC
The fact you are asking this question suggests you are not sure what purpose filters serve. What are you trying to accomplish?



Filters are not as important as they were with film cameras. About the only filters needed these days are circular polarizers and ND filters - if you do some wacky things. UV filters are fine for protecting your lens, but they do little to prevent haze.



A circular polarizer is good for cutting down on glare, mostly reflected sunlight; if you are shooting through a glass pane, or want to see down into the water, cut down on reflections off waves, or don't want a hot-spot reflection from a car window. They circular polarizers are great for that. They can also deepen a blue sky, but that is not their primary purpose.



Be careful though. There are circular polarizers and linear polarizers. Linear polarizers are only good for film cameras as they mess with a digital camera's exposure system, so for digital, you need a circular polarizer. As you might imagine, circular polarizers are more expensive.



So you need to do a little self-education on filters or you will be buying something you don't need or cannot use.



ND filters lower your camera's sensitivity. A good use for them is to get that milky bridal vial look in a waterfall, but only if your camera cannot expose a slow shutter speed correctly. Sometimes, especially in bright daylight, you cannot use a shutter speed low enough to get the effect, so that is when you would use a ND filter.



There are graduated ND filters too - which just lower the light in one half of the photo. They are useful for getting pseudo HDR photos without having to take multiple photos under certain conditions, such as landscapes when there are bright skies.



There are close up filters, star filters, and the like, but some of these effects can be done in-camera. Same thing for color filters, most of the time the color balance in your camera can accomplish what a filter will.



But don't put cheap filters on an expensive lens - you need to buy at least as good quality of a filter as the lens itself. B + W and perhaps Hoya are decent, but they are expensive, and you will only likely be able to buy one filter for what you have budgeted.



Stay away from the discount brands, they are a waste of money. If you buy on eBay, only buy B + H, Hoya, or sometimes Tiffen are OK. Any brand cheaper than those are junk.



Fact is, filters are an over-priced cash-cow for photo shops, so don't buy any more filters than you need.



Also if you have or are considering additional lenses, there is no one standard filter size. You might end up buying dozens of filters of the same kind but in different sizes, just to fit all of your lenses. If that sounds like you, find the largest filter on the lenses you own or expect to own, then buy that size filter. Then you can buy step-up rings very cheaply $5~$10 US, to allow you to use that filter on your smaller lenses.



The standard pro lens uses 77mm filters, and while the larger the filter, the more expensive, even buying one 77mm filter is less expensive than buying several of the same filter in different sizes to fit all of your lenses.
anonymous
2011-07-25 06:34:21 UTC
The most important filter to buy would be a UV filter or a Skylight 1B (very slight pinkish colour which cuts down the excessive bluish tinge found in a lot of photos). You would be well advised to buy 1 of those for each lens you have and leave it on the lens. This will help to protect the front element from dirt, fingerprints or sea spray, and costs a whole lot less than replacing your lens(es).

You will find the correct thread size on the front of your lens or on the inside of the lens cap (probably around 50 to 55 mm).

Another filter to consider is a circular polariser (better than linear polariser) to accentuate things like blue skies and to remove reflections from water or glass. Polarisers can be a tad expensive, so expect to shell out a good price for a good make (doesn't have to be Canon's own brand).
anonymous
2016-03-03 10:12:13 UTC
the filter protects your lens from breaking/scratches. You can buy a Hoya UV filter for around $30 from whereever you purchase your camera. Each lens takes a particular size filter, so you'll just have to check on the lens when you buy it. the size is written on the lens.
?
2011-07-26 08:12:26 UTC
Hi,



Perhaps an UV filter, but which lens do you have? Your camera doesn't matter here because some lenses have bigger thread size.



Here's a Lens Filter Guide - http://www.the-dslr-photographer.com/2010/03/buying-a-lens-filter/
Portia Wilson
2011-07-25 06:28:33 UTC
Don't use ebay, you will most likely get a broken filter or something crappy.



This is a good one, but find the right mm size this one's 39, you can look at the different ones.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/635584-REG/B_W_65099964_39mm_491_Enhancing.html
Sordenhiemer
2011-07-25 07:23:58 UTC
If you don't know which filters to buy, then who are you going to buy any at all?


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