On Sun, 14 Oct 2007 13:06:35 -0400, Bob S wrote:

colly wrote:
I've just bought a Canon 400D with a Sigma 17-70mm lens and a Canon
50mm lens. I have read a little about how useful lens filters can be,
and would appreciate some advice.

What are the essential filers? Polariser, UV, Fluorescent? I saw a
gallery of beautiful landscape shots the other day and the
photographer used an "ND Grad" filter on all his shots. I think there
are many different types.

What filters are essential, and which ones are a nice extra?

I've found some on ebay that are very cheap, are cheap filters a false
economy?

Advice appreciated.
Thanks


Here are my $0.02

None are really essential but here are my choices......

A UV filter. A Circular Polarizer. An 81, 81B. or 81C Warming filter.

UV reduces haze in the air that the human eye can't always see and
protects the front of the lens.

Polarizers reduce reflection and help bring out detail and color on many
subjects.

Warming filters do just that, warm the image getting rid of blue tones.
You don't want to go too warm for most shots so an 81A or 81B at
the most are most useful.

My Dad always said there is a difference between cheap and inexpensive.
Cheap, to him and me, means inferior quality while inexpensive means
equal quality at a lower cost.

Stick with filters by Tiffen, Hoya, and if you can afford B+W or
Heliopan to name a few good filter brands. The last two are expensive......

One last point, since you have a lens that starts at 17mm I would
suggest getting "wide angel" filters which are thinner than standard
filters. With the thin filters you avoid vignetting.

Bob S

Interesting that you should mention Tiffen, as their $80+ polarizer filters are
the ones that were worse than $12 generics when I tested various brands.

You get what you pay for! Right? Think again.