Anyone use filter's on their lenses?

Z

zm15

Well-known member
I have a 14-140 and a 20mm panasonic lens. I'm thinking about getting $10 tiffen UV filters for them. I'll be shooting 80% video.

Do the filters matter? Should I get a different kind?
 
Filters absolutely do matter - and you can see the effects of them easily. Just start recording video with them off and then put them on while it's still rolling and then you can compare the results easily. I think Kubrick put it best (I'm paraphrasing here) - Why on earth would I want to put a $10 piece of glass in front of a $5000 lens?

Now, most of us aren't using $5000 lenses all the time, but the point still holds in my opinion. Unless you get the very best filters (and even then) your image quality is going to suffer - whether or not its noticeable in video is something else, but cheap filters (even moderately expensive filters) can add reflections, change the flare characteristics and can add chromatic abrasion. I don't see any reason to use UV filters - lots of folks say they are there for protection, but I don't think many folks realize how hard you have to hit a piece of lens glass to cause it to break/scratch - if you hit the front element of the lens that hard, you're going to do all kinds of damage to the lens itself, and if you do that with the filter on, you're going to bend the filter and screw up the filter threads too...and if you are further successful in actually breaking the filter...well guess where all that broken glass is going?

It's going to be driven right into the the front element of the lens itself. Ouch.

I say only use filters when you need them, then take them off - if you're shooting video you need neutral density filters (good ones) and probably a polarizer on hand - buy good ones in a large size (77mm) and then get step up rings for all your lenses so you can have one good set of filters that will work on every lens you have.
 
Fader adjustable ND filter to control shutter speed. Tiffen black diffusion fx #3 to mitigate aliasing issue.

But filters amplify flare issue. Gotta use a hood.
 
How about polarizing filters? I know they make things look richer, how do they work with video stuff?
 
I've not had much trouble with cheap ND filters. Most of them I've tried seem to perform just as well as my expensive ones. A few folks have bought ones that seem to tint the picture slightly but I've not run into this.

I'm going to take a more neutral tone when talking about filters.

I have a bunch of mixed/matched lenses from various decades, styles and manufacturers. I don't pretend that they are beautiful cine glass nor do I worry about them being matched to each other for sharpness/aperture/contrast/bokeh/etc. I just WB each one, expose properly via the meter and histogram and make sure focus is as good as it can get. I have yet to meet anyone who could pick a lens change out in a video.

Same goes for the filters. I just work through them, I don't worry what they are doing and I don't let them dictate how I work. I just make sure I get what I want with what I have.
 
zm15 said:
Thanks for the resource. So it looks like they could be very helpful for videography, if you know how to use them.
Click to expand...

Polarizers are great. A simple trick is to use them to cut the bright reflections from outdoor scenes. those blown highlights make everything look like video.
 
I have owned and operated over 25 different video and still cameras used in my studio over the past 29 years, from Broadcast to Consumer. Every single one of them has had a UV filter for protection. You absolutely do want to protect your lens. Accidental damage to the lens surface is nearly impossible to undue.
 
John Frey said:
I have owned and operated over 25 different video and still cameras used in my studio over the past 29 years, from Broadcast to Consumer. Every single one of them has had a UV filter for protection. You absolutely do want to protect your lens. Accidental damage to the lens surface is nearly impossible to undue.
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Can you stack a UV filter and polarizer with good results?
 
I've been enjoying polarizers they can do some crazy cool stuff. Mainly I've been using them lately to block reflections through car windows (filming out and in.)
 
Here's my thoughts on glass filters as it might relate to the GH (that doesnt have built in ND's).

ND's are an absolute must have. Stopping down the lens to get the image properly exposed is ok some of the time, but rarely suits.

Graduated ND's are very useful for dropping bright skies and retaining your lower exposures - they dont work in all situations.

Polarisers are an excellent tool for killing reflections and shooting specific styles of shot with a lot of sky in shot etc.

For me thats as far as it goes however these days - unless a producer asks me for specific look to be shot in camera.
 
thisisapocalypse said:
Now, most of us aren't using $5000 lenses all the time, but the point still holds in my opinion. Unless you get the very best filters (and even then) your image quality is going to suffer - whether or not its noticeable in video is something else, but cheap filters (even moderately expensive filters) can add reflections, change the flare characteristics and can add chromatic abrasion. I don't see any reason to use UV filters - lots of folks say they are there for protection, but I don't think many folks realize how hard you have to hit a piece of lens glass to cause it to break/scratch - if you hit the front element of the lens that hard, you're going to do all kinds of damage to the lens itself, and if you do that with the filter on, you're going to bend the filter and screw up the filter threads too...and if you are further successful in actually breaking the filter...well guess where all that broken glass is going?

It's going to be driven right into the the front element of the lens itself. Ouch.

I say only use filters when you need them, then take them off - if you're shooting video you need neutral density filters (good ones) and probably a polarizer on hand - buy good ones in a large size (77mm) and then get step up rings for all your lenses so you can have one good set of filters that will work on every lens you have.
Click to expand...
Interestingly, the glass filter I had on the 14-140 kit lens (MC Sigma) got scratched. The most likely culprit is the cap somehow loosening up in the bag and touching/scratching the surface. This does not seem like the problem that will affect lenses with a relatively small front element, like the pancake(s). In any event, I would rather replace the $30 filter than a $700 lens.

I willl second the step-up rings approach for expensive filters, like polarizers and ND filters. For example, I got the 62-67 step up ring for the 14-140 kit, so I can use the same 67mm B+W polarizer on it and the upcoming 100-300 telephoto.
 
I am a fan of rigid lens hoods over uv filters. It takes some work to scratch the lens with a solid hood on you have to really be trying. Unless its a wide then it maybe easier but i still prefer hoods over another piece of glass
 
I respectfully disagree with the previous comment that UV/protector filters are useless. I have one permanently attached to each of my lenses. My brother dropped his camera this sumer when someone ran into him. His UV filter shattered, but the lens ($2000) and body ($2500) were fine. If he hadn't had the filter, the lens's front element would have cracked or shattered instead. I have also had a filter or two scratched when shooting in uncontrollable situations. They're an inexpensive insurance policy. If you think about it, although you have to hit glass pretty hard to scratch or shatter it, having the filter adds more force absorption BEFORE the force hits the inner workings of the lens.
 
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