 Calvin |
what filters do i need i have a minolta maxxum 50 with 28-80mm+100-300mm lens and I take a lot of snow pictures and was wondering what filters would make my photos better and where to find them
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BetterPhoto Member |
In shooting snow, you want the snow to turn out a brilliant white. My first thought is that it's looking kinda grey for ya, right? The grey is due to the camera's light meter being geared to an 18% grey tone, which is about what you would get if you mixed every possible color you can see. If I recall correctly, your camera is a film camera. If it is, you will have no white balance setting on it. I would suggest that you first purchase a 18% grey card. This card is close to the color your camers is used to. Aim your camera at the card and lock the exposure setting. This will give you a true white. As for filters, you may want to think about some neutral density filters. These will have no effect on your photographs other than reducing the amount of light entering the camera. To make the sky a richer blue, try a polarizer filter. This filter will give you a varying degree of color saturation depending on how you set it. I'm sure you will get more ideas as your thread develops Have fun and keep shooting,
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John P. Sandstedt |
In my view, filters are a crutch, a last resort not the first one. Whether you're shooting snow scenes or anything else, your choice of film will make the most difference. Some films are more saturated [like FUJI Velvia chromes,] some have a bluish cast [almost all Kodak print films, historically.] You need to select one film and one film speed and use it exclusively til you understand it thoroughly. Under or over-exposure will significantly impact your results. With slide film you'll need to be more careful as its "latitude" small [ - 1.0 stop, + 0.5 stop ]. With most films you have much more "to play with [ - 2 stops, + up to 5 stops ]. Remember for each filter you add, you also add two glass surfaces that will help diminish a picture. Many people recommend a Skylight 1A filter as a lens protection device. I say use your lens hood [for protection.] And, since I've never been able to discern any picture quality impact with a 1A filter [these and UV (haze)filters are supposed to get rid of some blue and some haze,]look for something that imparts a noticeable effect. If you're on a limited budget, the one must have filter is a polarizer. In addition to improving skies [deep blue and puffy white clouds] you can use the polarizer to cut down too much light [in place of a Neutral Density Filter.] It will also eliminate unwanted reflections in glass or water [but not metal.] Generally, when you shoot snow scenes, open up you exposure two stops [to start.] You've gotta get past that 18% gray card setting that all cameras have [that Mark described.]
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Calvin |
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