Reason for getting a "real" camera #1

[mbarrick]

Filters!

I picked up a polarizing filter today. Most any photographer worth his salt will tell you the same thing: if you have only one filter (and at this point, for this lens on this camera, I do only have one filter) it should be a polarizing filter. Why? Because they eat reflections and make blue skies bluer. There were a couple shots from the E3 show where I would have been better off with one of these (and a better flash, but that is another purchase for later).

Without filter	With filter

I am pleased.

Comments

[sciencequeen.livejournal.com]

Very cool! That does make a huge difference!

Oh and thanks for the comparison, cause otherwise I wouldn't have understood the significance. And that's not sarcasm, I'm serious! I know little about cameras and their science. :)

[mbarrick.livejournal.com]

Speaking of science... wait until you see some of the fractal neatness I have been secretly playing around with...

[sciencequeen.livejournal.com]

We will have to converge and have a geekout whence I return! ;)

[mediavictim.livejournal.com]

....Is this is still photograph thing?

I knew about the reflection thing - but blue-er skies andreduced glare... be still my heart.

How much do those filters cost?

[mbarrick.livejournal.com]

~$60.

Here is an example of what happens to the sky:



Light is light, so the effect is not exclusive to still photography but polarizing filters work by rotating the filter to the correct angle to block the polarized light you don't want. If you twist off the level you've set the filter to, the effect will lessen.

[mediavictim.livejournal.com]

Here's my problem with my DV camera -

I lose the sky when I shoot
Unless I am directly shooting it - the sky goes to white and I loose the blue. I also loose colour saturation of the image

[mbarrick.livejournal.com]

This would help and long as you are keeping the camera level (meaning not-twisting - panning up/down or left/right is OK).

What size filters does you camera take?

[mediavictim.livejournal.com]

30.5

[mbarrick.livejournal.com]

Shoot. I was hoping it might be in the neighbourhood of the one I have for my film camera so you could try it out, but it is much smaller. You'd end up spending more money on step-up rings than what it would cost to just get the lens.