Filters for lenses: how to choose and why to use?

Light filters for lenses, although not an obligatory part of the photographer's arsenal, can significantly diversify creativity and solve a number of pressing problems. Their main task is the optimization of the light flux, in other words, the delay of the "unnecessary" light, which should not be displayed in the frame. And besides, they perfectly protect the main lens of the lens, literally substituting themselves under attack. The variety of light filters is quite large, so consider the main types of filters to better understand what it is.

Polarizing filters

Such filters for lenses are perfect for shooting landscapes. They delay and transform polarized light.

ND filters

Neutral gray filters are needed for those moments when it is simply impossible to raise the aperture values even higher. These devices reduce the amount of light entering the matrix. An example is the need to shoot a waterfall in bright light. Without a filter, most likely, it will simply be frozen immobilized water.

Gradient ND filters

The main difference from a conventional ND filter is the ability to darken a gradient, from dark to almost transparent. Such light filters for lenses are good when you need to make the sky more expressive. Most gradient devices are rectangular in shape and are attached to lenses using special holders.

Gradient filters

Color filters for lenses are not used so often. Often they are used for black and white shooting in order to manipulate the contrast of the picture. For example, a red filter that allows you to increase the contrast between clouds and sky.

Macro Filters

It can not be said that macro filters are common - they are more like an additional lens. Many of them can be completed, winding each other. They expand the possibilities of close-up photography. Of course, they do not compete with macro-objectives, but they are great for various creative experiments. But their price is much lower than that of the lenses, and they can become a real godsend for a young photographer.

Ultraviolet filters

Ultraviolet is invisible to the human eye. UV filters are often used to reduce nebulae and haze, for example, in the mountains. On digital cameras, they are not as relevant as for the 35 mm film, because the matrix is much less sensitive to UV light. However, UV filters are widely used to protect the main lens of the lens from mechanical damage, dust, moisture.

How to choose a lens filter?

In the variety of filters on the market today, it's easy to get lost. The determining factor should be the personal preferences of the photographer, as well as the goals that the device must solve. To help choose filters for lenses can consulters and specialized stores. The ideal option - to make a purchase in those stores that give the possibility of pre-sale testing. When choosing it is necessary to take into account the model of the lens, that is, the size of its front lens. This, and not the camera manufacturer is the main one. For example, filters for Nikon 52mm lenses fit both Canon and Pentax with the same lens diameter, but at 49 they will not "sit down".