mountainman 0 #1 September 15, 2002 I am wondering how many if you guys use any filters with your wide-angle lenses? I hear that UV and polarizing filters are good. What do you all use? CAN you use filters with wide-angle and are they useful? Thanks. http://www.brandonandlaura.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 4 #2 September 15, 2002 It's not a bad idea to put a UV or skylight filter on any lens that will accept it. Cheap insurance against crap that will screw up the coatings and dig the lens in general. The Sony 0.6 for video will NOT accept a filter of any sort because it has no threads! Other wide angles -may- accept a filter of some sort, but you -may- need to special order it. On my still camera I have a skylight filter. For most freefall photography, a polarizing filter is going to be a LOT more trouble than it's worth. It actually would be possible to use one, but for 99 percent of the stuff you're doing, it's just going to be eating up 2 to 2.5 stops of light and not really giving you the results you wanted in the first place. The reason is that polarizing filters -must- be positioned fairly well in order to take advantage of the effect, but freefall photography usually doesn't lend itself to that sort of precision positioning. You really can get some spectaular skies without any sort of polarizing filter anyway. Check out the nice saturated blues in the attached. Nothing special and the only filter is a regular skylight used mostly just to protect the primary lens. Shot -today- in beautiful SOUTHERN California (usually known for it's crappy brown "smoggy" skies). NO color correction whatsoever. Honest!quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ltdiver 3 #3 September 15, 2002 Fantasitc pic! Using your new D60 for this one? Flying into Ontario airport last night it was amazing that the city lights were not obstructed by haze of any kind! From clear skies as SDC to clear skies in Southern CA?! ltdiver Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mountainman 0 #4 September 15, 2002 That's a great photo, Quade! I am really talking about the filter for video (since I dont have a still camera in the works yet). But, I understand what you are saying. So, to put the filter on the lens, it would have to be different since it actually screws into the end right? And on a wide-angle, the opening at the front is acutally bigger than the 37mm that the 110/120 use?http://www.brandonandlaura.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 4 #5 September 16, 2002 Yep. Ya -really want- to be able to put a UV or skylight on the exposed end of the lens, but it's all going to depend on IF your wide-angle has threads and what size it is. Like I said, the Sony 0.6 doesn't even have threads so that's a no go., but some others -may- be able to have something attached. Still, if the wide angle lens doesn't cost -that- much, you might just blow it off anyway since the price of the UV or skylight filter -may- be more than the price of the wide-angle lens. In the case of a very high priced prime camera lens, it's cheap insureance, but a $40 dollar filter for a $50 wide-angle . . . uh, maybe not.quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 4 #6 September 16, 2002 Yeah, that's the new D60. Still getting used to it. But it seems like it's going to work out SWEET! BTW, that's Mr. Scott without a helmet in the base.quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crazyskydiver 0 #7 September 16, 2002 Well not knowing what video camera you are using and not trying to butt in, I have TRV-10 which I use a UV filter between my ring adapter and the .6 Sony wide angle. Works good for me. The filter was like $10-$15. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 4 #8 September 16, 2002 Actually, that's not a bad deal if the reason you're putting the lens on the camera for actual UV filtering. Obviously it does nothing to protect the front surface of the wide-angle. However, putting the filter between the wide-angle and the main lens will have the filter acting a little like a step-up ring. This will change, slightly, the value of the wide-angle so the 0.6 might be more like a 0.65 or something. In your set-up, does this cause any vignettting? Darkening near the corners of the picture?quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
