Filters question - glass and digital
 

I am about to start shooting a short and I need to simulate different environments. I also want to make my production look as good as possible. I am shooting on a VX2000 with a 35mm lens adapter. Most of my questions have been answered in other threads, but filters seem to be discussed very little around here.

Here are my specific questions:

Has anyone used the Tiffen Double-Fog filter? Their example pictures look nice to me and I want to make overcast scenes look foggy. I have a fog machine, but I'm guessing that most of it will blow away. Can this foggy effect be simulated in post with digital filters?

Should I bite the bullet and get a Black Pro Mist since it seems to be the universal filter for DV, or can this also be done in post?

I plan to get a Polarizer, since that can't be filtered later.

Does anyone use UltraContrast filters? I want to get the best possible exposure latitude and figure that I might be able to underexpose a half stop to keep out the overblown highlights - assuming I am using a filter to bring the darks up a bit. Does this make sense or do low/ultra contrast filters just make things milky?

I have determined that I have no need for an infrared blocking filter. I shot a forge and the colors looked fine. I read somewhere that UV is not such a problem for CCDs, so that a strong UV filter won't do much good. Is this true for the VX2000?

Are there any other filters that I should be considering?

Is there an affordable software package that will make things look better than the afore-mentioned glass filters?

Mahalo (thanks in Hawaiian),

Marcus

I don't have an answer, but I would like to pose another question too:
I know many DP's use their own filters, are they so much better then doing it digital? I know with digital, you loose some quality when fooling with the image, which I don't find to be bad, but I just want to know if there are other advantages. Is there much difference between a postproduction filter and a real one while shooting?

I think a filter in front of the lens can be better in SOME circumstances. If your scene is well lit, and you want to add a promist for some shots, go ahead. Likewise polarizers, and grads for big exteriors. But it's a case by case basis.

In terms of digital tools, no one does it better than DigitalFilmtools.com