Warming Filters?

Curtis Cunningham · #1 01-21-2008, 09:14 PM

Would you recommend an 81A Warming filter for every day use (that can also offer your lens some protection)? I'm going to be getting a Canon 24-105 f/4 L IS lens soon.

I want protection for my lens, but don't want to be continually changing filters for different scenes. I figure if I want, I can do any effects editing in Photoshop.

michaelnotar · #2 01-21-2008, 10:09 PM

just a good ol UV filter does it for me...theres even clear filters from major manufactures that do absolutely nothing but protect lenses. weither its a sky, uv, or clear filter, its all a nill point. i wouldnt use the 81a just b/c of the annoyance of 1/3 stop loss.

Curtis Cunningham · #3 01-21-2008, 11:33 PM

Do you have any recommendations? Hoya? Rodenstock? B+W?

michaelnotar · #4 01-21-2008, 11:38 PM

im b+w all the way now, but a multicoated hoya or tiffen is most likely just as good.

Noel_Carboni · #5 01-22-2008, 12:31 PM

I've had optical problems with a Tiffen that were solved by a Hoya. I didn't know what was wrong with the bokeh in the background of my Canon 100-400 shots, but the fuzzy blobs didn't look as nice as I would have liked - they had kind of a diagonal smear to them. Luck had me accidentally break the Tiffen UV-Haze filter and replace it with a Hoya UV(0). Now the bokeh are beautiful, round, soft blobs instead of smeared things. And yes, the Tiffen sacrifice saved the lens from any damage.

Are all Hoya filters better than Tiffen? Probably not; I'm just sharing my personal experience with one of them.

-Noel

Dennis_Vied · #6 01-22-2008, 01:13 PM

I went from UV to NC, (no color), and then back to UV when I noticed some UV effects in some high altitude shots. (I used to think UV only affected film, but now I don't think that). I now have a mix of B+W and Nikon filters left over from my Nikon days. (Yes, I use Nikon filters on Canon glass). I have used the Hoya filters, and I like them, too, but I don't have any right now.

I wouldn't use the 81A filter as a general purpose filter. I think it will introduce more problems than it would solve. If you want a warmer filter effect, Moose Peterson had a filter he was marketing which provided a warmer UV and protection function, but, if you want warming, I think you're better off doing it with processing, as you can get a much finer control over it.

You are correct that you can do most filtering effects in Photoshop, now, so optical filters are fast becoming akin to film in their obsolescence.

Incidentally, I have the 24-105 IS, and I think you'll really like it. I seldom take it off my 5D.