You must have heard or read about camera filters and if you are a new photographer, you must be wondering what specific filters actually do. Since there are different types of these accessories, a simple knowledge of what they do is essential especially if you love good quality images. However, it is also important that you also know a few basic things about lens filters.
Filter mounting: The most common of all filters are basically made to be screwed to the end of the lens barrel. They are made in different diameters so that they can easily fit into different lens sizes. There are also filter holders that you need to know about; these ones are made with an adapter that can be screwed to the end of the barrel with a mount that has several slots that are arranged vertically. These are normally used for holding rectangular filters which you just slide in when you want to use them and they can be adjusted up and down. In most cases, this type is used by professional photographers and they provide better quality images as compared to the screw on types.
UV Filters: These filters are made so as to allow all wavelengths apart from those that come in the range of ultra violet spectrum. They improve the image quality by reducing the haziness that comes in when there is too much light. There are other people who use them primarily for the purpose of protecting the lenses. They are normally clear to the eye since they don't colorize the shot at all; care should be taken when shooting into light sources because they can easily cause lens flare.
Polarizing filters: These filters normally produce a grayish look in them and they are used to remove reflections that come from non metallic such as water or glass. They produce a deeper color than what occurs naturally. This can be such as good quality especially when they polarize deep blue skies to create beautiful landscape photos. When using this you should be aware that it may not polarize evenly across the entire shot; circular polarizing filters are always better than linear ones which can mess up your metering systems.
Neutral density filters: These filters are so designed that they won't affect the color of your shot in any visible way. They are effective in filtering all light effectively and equally only stopping the shot down to a predetermined amount of light. They are normally available in 3 stop varieties that are normally referred to as ND8, ND4 and ND2. As a photographer, using this type of filter allows you to use a slower shutter speed without the risk of overexposing your shot.
ND Grad filters: These are like the ND filters even though they have some subtle difference which is that they don't filter light evenly. The level of filtering for this type is normally graduated from its top to the bottom which is what the term 'grad' is all about. Landscape photographers find these filters extremely useful to reduce effects of a bright sky.
The author of this article is professional photographer and likes using the GoPro Hero 3. Polar Pro Filter's has the best pricing on GoPro Accessories for Hero 3 Cameras.
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