Photography Notebook -- Camera Filters

Photography Notebook: Filters

Filter Summary

Lens	filters
Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM SLR	77 mm UV filter CIR-PL filter IR filter ND filters Adapter Ring
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS SLR	58 mm UV filter Adapter Ring
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II	52 mm UV filter CIR-PL filter
Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS	58 mm UV filter Adapter Ring

Filter Step-Up Adapter Ring

When you buy specialized filters (filters other than the UV filters such as IR (infrared) or ND (neutral density) or CIR-PL (circular polarizer)), you should consider buying just one set for your largest filter thread size, and then buying an adapter ring which will allow you to put the filters on lenses with smaller filter sizes. This is what I did--my largest filter thread size is 77 mm for the Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM SLR lens. I purchased a Adorama Step-Up Adapter Ring 58mm Lens to 77mm Filter Size which allows me to place those 77 mm filters on the lenses with the 58 mm filter size--and it turns out both the kit lens, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS SLR, and the telephoto lens, Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS, take the 58 mm filter size. This is a big savings in money spent and equipment that I have to carry.

UV Filters

I bought UV filters for my lenses to protect the lens surface. I can subject the filter's surface to some dirt or other matter, and clean it off without touching the factory-made surface of the lens unit. When necessary, I can replace a UV filter for a fraction of the cost of replacing the lens. For example, in this tomato fight, a good deal of the red stuff glopped on my lens filter (which I was able to clean off without a problem), but nothing got on the glass of the lens under the filter. Without this UV filter, I don't think I would have even tried to photograph this fun out of fear of damaging my lens surface:

Circular Polarizer Filter

I use a 77MM Circular Polarizer Filter on the wide-angle lens to lessen the harshness of intense sunlight.

This CIR-PL filter mutes the intensity of the light. For example, here is a scene taken with no lens filter on the camera (left) and the same scene with the 77MM Circular Polarizer Filter (CIR-PL) on the right.

I find that the CIR-PL filter deepens the colors and reduces the washed-out feel of bright sunlight.

My tips for the CIR-PL filter are:

Put only the CIR-PL filter on the lense--don't put it on top of a UV filter (even though you can attach them together), as you will get small dark corners when the wide-angle lense is zoomed to its lowest setting.
The CIR-PL filter has an outermost ring that you rotate to get the darkest setting. I find that pointing the camera at the blue sky and rotating it until the sky seems deepest blue gets the best setting.

Neutral Density Filter

I got a Dolica CF-NDK77 77mm 0.3, 0.6, 0.9ND Neutral Density Filter Kit. This gives me a way to take longer exposures of scenes in full sunlight and achieve a variety of effects.

Here are some sample images taken with combinations of these filters, some stacked on top of each other to achieve greater exposure times.

I also put a circular polarizer (CIR-PL) filter on top of the ND filters to achieve a 8 second exposure in daylight:

Infrared Filter

You can take photos of infrared light instead of visible light using a special infrared (IR) filter and time exposure.

While it is possible to convert a camera to take infrared photos by removing a protective covering over the sensor, I've not done that with my camera. As a result, I need to use more time eposure to get infrared to show up.

The scene at the left is shown in visible light and then shown at the right using an Opteka HD² 77mm R72 720nm Infrared X-Ray IR Filter with the Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM SLR Lens for EOS Digital SLRs wide-angle lens with 32 seconds time exposure. This Opteka IR filter is not the top-of-the-line filter for IR (see this Hoya IR filter), but I wanted to get an entry-level IR filter to see if I would like to continue in IR photography.

My tips for making an IR photo are:

Use a tripod because you will need to take time exposures.
Be sure to use a lens that is known to work for IR photography; some lenses have "hotspots" in IR images; I have found the Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM SLR Lens for EOS Digital SLRs wide-angle lens to be free of any IR hotspots.
Align the camera with the IR filter off first, because once you put the IR filter on, you will not be able to see anything through the viewfinder or through live view.
Practice first outside in full sunshine so that you can see results in 30 seconds.
Practice first in calm conditions (low wind) so as to avoid camera/tripod shaking, as you will be taking a time exposure.
Use the Canon Wireless Remote Control RC1 for Digital Rebel to snap the shutter so as to avoid touching the camera and shaking the tripod, even slightly.
Note that you can use the manual setting and the "bulb" setting for the time value so you can take as long of an exposure as you want.
Don't expect inside results. I've tried again and again to get IR exposures inside buildings, but I have not gotten any results. The light is not hot enough.

Vegetation and intense sunlight registers very well with this IR filter. On the left is a photo with the CIR-PL filter on; on the right is the same scene with the IR filter and with just 15 seconds exposure: