Camera Filters – Adapting To Various Filters To Get That Professional Print
If you practice photography on a professional level, you will probably have a filter set for your camera equipment. You probably own a couple of filters even if you are just an amateur. So what exactly are filters and why are they used?
Camera filters are basically transparent optical elements responsible for changing the light properties that enter the camera thereby improving the recorded images. Filters affect properties like contrast, sharpness, highlight flare, light intensity, and color. They can even alter these properties to create various effects.
These filters are usually connected at the front of the lens. In addition to changing light properties, it is also responsible for protecting the lens from salt air. There are a few cameras that require lens adapters in order to use filters.
Whether you are using a digital camera or a film, filters function in the same manner for both. There are only a few differences. Digital cameras tend to blow out certain highlights, and a filter in these cameras can help in reduction of excess contrast. For instance, a polarizer. Ordinary UV filters are not required for digital cameras as they are not very sensitive to UV light. In addition to these, even infrared filters can be used.
Certain Filter types
Depending on its purpose, there are different filters.
- Ultraviolet filters. These types of filters absorb UV light. Cameras that use films are highly sensitive to invisible light such as ultraviolet light. These are usually used for outdoor shots, especially when the elevation is very high, as the atmosphere is too thin to absorb all the UV light.
It is very difficult to view objects at a distance without the help of a UV filter. This is because UV is known to cause haze that can diminish details with distance. There are a number of absorption levels at which UV filters are sold and they are measured by percentage of transmission.
- Infrared Filters. Infrared filters reduce visible light. These filters are useful for recording in situations where aerial haze penetrates and there is too much heat.
- Natural density filters. These filters are used when the intensity of light is too high, when more exposure is needed, or when there is a requirement for a particular lens opening for sharpness purposes. These filters absorb light without generating the need to shift colors or change the lens openings.
- Polarizing filters. These filters enhance contrast, reflection and color control. They follow different optical principles when compared to the other filter types. These filters allow the passage of light in only one vibratory direction. By changing the alignment, you can create different effects in the image. Aligning the filter perpendicular to the reflected glare results in the creation of stronger colors as the true colored reflection passes through.
These filters are being used to improve color saturation and contrast of outdoor shots. A polarizing filter can darken a blue sky, but it needs to be blue to start with.
If you want to practice photography as a profession, optical filters can prove to be extremely useful. It helps create different shots with different effects. It also provides various effects and features to make the image look lively.
Even if you are just practicing photography as a hobby, filters can lend a lot of clarity to the pictures. A shot with a filter and a shot without one have a lot of differences.
Before buying a filter, there are a few things you should think about. Different filters suite different purposes. You need to determine the purpose of your shots, the effects you desire in your pictures and the kind of shots you want before deciding on the filter that will suite your needs.
About the Author
Abhishek is a Digital Photography enthusiast and he has got some great Digital Photography Secrets up his sleeves! Download his FREE 59 Pages Ebook, “Digital Photography Inside Out!” from his website http://www.Fun-Galore.com/634/index.htm . Only limited Free Copies available.
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