Jim_Hardin Posted August 9, 2008 Report Share Posted August 9, 2008 Is a UV Filter ever needed for Digital Camera? I have gotten some 'haze' is pictures but there was always visible haze. My thinking is that the 'haze' in photographs was from the UV reaction with the film… Anyone know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sknis Posted August 9, 2008 Report Share Posted August 9, 2008 Is a UV Filter ever needed for Digital Camera? I have gotten some 'haze' is pictures but there was always visible haze. My thinking is that the 'haze' in photographs was from the UV reaction with the film… Anyone know? I use a cheap one just to protect my lens so I can't answer your question with personal experience. I have not used a high end filter either This is a web site that seems to have knoweable information (on everything to do with cameras and lenses). Applicable page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ggrussell Posted August 9, 2008 Report Share Posted August 9, 2008 They do make filters for digital cameras. I read somewhere that the polarizing filters are different from the filters for film cameras. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vid2man97 Posted August 9, 2008 Report Share Posted August 9, 2008 UV filters are simply carry-overs from the days of film. Film would be slightly more sensitive to blue (read ultra-violet) than the rest of the spectrum. People still using film these days though, myself included sometimes, don't find it to be as much a problem though. Modern films are better and if you're using good quality lenses with quality coating on them, uv isn't much of a problem. Digital is a different animal and uv filters are a non-issue. That said, I still use a high quality uv filter on most of my lenses for film and digital. Why...for protection. I'd rather replace a bumped or scratched $150 filter than a $1500 lens. Cleaning a filter is not as big a deal as opposed to cleaning a lens. Again, messing up the coating on a filter wouldn't be as big a tragedy as ruining the one on a good lens. If you want to go the 'protection' route and use one, just make sure that you buy the highest quality one you can get. Digital cameras are prone to ghosting and the uv filter is just another glass element you've added to your lens. High quality ones will, like high quality lenses, have coatings to reduce flares and ghosts. Finally, I hear a lot of people complain about hazy or flat images. These days it may have less to do with atmospheric haze (unless you're shooting a subject twenty miles away with a zoom lens) than simple contrast settings in the camera or in post processing. And Gary's right in that should you also want to get a polarizer, you'll need one specifically for digital. You need a circular polarizer as opposed to a linear one. The liner polarizer will interfere with the autofocus and\or metering of the camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim_Hardin Posted August 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2008 Thanks for the info! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patty Posted August 11, 2008 Report Share Posted August 11, 2008 Thanks from me too, I found it very interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmaconthe1 Posted August 19, 2008 Report Share Posted August 19, 2008 Is a UV Filter ever needed for Digital Camera? I have gotten some 'haze' is pictures but there was always visible haze. My thinking is that the 'haze' in photographs was from the UV reaction with the film… Anyone know? Hi, UV filters filter ultra violet light that can cause fog in film and digital media. I use them mainly as lens protection, as they have little coloration versus a skylight that tends to warm an image. I would prefer to crack a $30 filter versus a $1200 piece of glass. I hope this is useful. dmaconthe1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vid2man97 Posted August 19, 2008 Report Share Posted August 19, 2008 Hi, UV filters filter ultra violet light that can cause fog in film and digital media. I use them mainly as lens protection, as they have little coloration versus a skylight that tends to warm an image. I would prefer to crack a $30 filter versus a $1200 piece of glass. I hope this is useful. dmaconthe1 I've yet to see a digital image full of fog or haze caused by uv light. Digital sensors, one might suppose, are more sensitive to green rather than blue light due to the bayer filter used in most cameras in order to mimic the human eye. In spite of that, you don't get fog from 'green' light either. Uv fog is an animal that attacks film. Any fog you may get in a digital image is due to atmospheric pollution, or humidity or just plain lots of distance between you and your subject. Or, try increasing the contrast settings to reduce the foggy (read 'flat') image output. Or try using a lens that is highly coated to prevent ghosting and flaring which can be confused for fog when shooting pics on sunny flat days at noon time on a mountain top (which all in itself can cause a flat uninteresting pic). Finally, you could try messing around manually with all those colour balance settings virtually any digcam has if you look for them. They won't get rid of fog, cause there isn't any, but you can warm up a noon day pic to get rid of any blue tint that makes your friend's magenta skin a little more life-like. Everyone has budgets, but please spend as much as you can afford on the filter. In my experience, this really is a case of cost=quality. A cheap filter will make your problem worse with hellacious ghosting under many instances. Even a top quality one can cause problems in certain circumstances. And though I've got them on a few lenses, many are filter free as the lenses surpass the quality of the filters so much, it's detrimental to the pic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaopa Posted August 19, 2008 Report Share Posted August 19, 2008 Jim, I use the best quality UV filter I can.... my pick is B+W German filters. I have expensive Nikkor lenses and see the UV not only for UV protection, but for protection of the front element of the lens. I would never put a cheap filter on a fine lens. Cheers, Bill P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karri Posted August 19, 2008 Report Share Posted August 19, 2008 I have Tiffen filters on my cameras. I thought they would be good enough for what I do, and they were inexpensive on Amazon. I'm not a pro though, or even close Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.