Camera Lens Filters - Types and Use
Filters can enhance the final image in both black & white and color photography. The purpose of
lens filters is to alter the characteristics of light passing through the lens. Filters can reduce the
light quantity, can modify the light color for correcting rendition deficiencies or can create special
effects.
There are many types of filters and the majority are designed for color correction, here will be
described only the most widely used photographic filters.
Remember that when you use some filters, you may have to increase the exposure time of your
camera for light compensation.
UV Filtercan immunize your camera lens against ultraviolet rays and can avoid blue haze in
mountain areas. Furthermore, it helps preventing the camera lens from being scratched or broken.
Sigma UV Filter
Polarizer Filter will reduce reflections when shooting through the glass, water etc. but will also improve
the saturation of the colors without affecting the hues of image colors. Polarizer filters can also
reduce the haze effects, and can create deep blue skies in images.
They don't really affect the colors but only tend to darken the images creating a sensation of
more saturated colors. They can be used for both B&W and color photography. Here you can find
more information about the polarizing filter.
Tiffen Circular Polarizer
Sepia Filter will render the original image into a simple and nice duo tone image (kind of old photo).
All the light that passes through the filter will be converted to the simple sepia tone. These filters
are available with various tone intensities.
Tiffen Sepia Filter
Neutral Density Filter (ND) acts like sunglasses, these filters can reduce the intensity of light
entering the lens and will eliminate too bright areas in an image making possible the usage of
a larger aperture than usually. These filters will not change the reproduction of the colors.
A ND filter will affect both white and colored light in the same way, in the sense that will only
decrease the light intensity, thus, making these filters useful in both B&W and color photography.
Tiffen Neutral Density
ND filters are available in various densities, but most popular ones are presented in the table below:
| _Neutral Density | _ Shortened f stops |
| .10 | 1/3 |
| .20 | 2/3 |
| .30 | 1 |
| .40 | 1 1/3 |
| .50 | 1 2/3 |
| .60 | 2 |
| .70 | 2 1/3 |
| .80 | 2 2/3 |
| .90 | 3 |
| 1.00 | 3 1/3 |