UV & Haze filters
 

Has one used a UV or Haze filter - do they work to the point that you can see a big difference.

I'm filming a lot of long lens kite surfing action on beaches that are .5 -1 mile long. the image is a bit washed out in the distant haze across the beach. I was wondering if a UV or Haze filter would increase the contrast and give more colour dept.

Not keen on the over processed image in post to restore the image, as digital artifacts begin to show.

Any advice would be help. Anyone else shoot kitesurfing or action sports on beaches?

Warm Thanks
Mark

Mark,

I put a UV filter on every lens I buy, mostly to protect the front of the lens from potential mishaps.

There may be some instances where they actually prevent UV streaking (especially with film) or other artifacts. You will see almost no difference and definitely not a big difference.

Depending on your equipment and the conditions on the day of your shoot you may want to use a poalarizer (which stops down the lens like a neutral density filter) which will add some clarity to distant objects, i.e. clouds, sky, mountains, etc.

I agree with trying a polarizer. Once you learn to dial in a polarizer, it can make a big difference at the beach. It loses and f-stop of light, but there is so much light at the beach that it is no problem. It won't do much on a cloudy day but make your scene darker, but on a bright day it can significantly enhance the blue of the sky and the water.

Thanks for the advice - think I will invest in a UV filter for general lens protection. And look in to getting a filter kit. polarizer, ND gradations as well, something I'v e always wanted to get into - being more creative with filters.

Thanks for the advice guys.

I agree, some sort of front element protection is a wise investment on the beach. But I've struggled to see any difference to the image that using a UV brings, so don't expect wonders.

I'd also strongly suggest that you don't stack filters, so if you use the polarisor, remove the UV first. You don't say what camera you're using Mark, but if it has tiny 1"/3 chips then the dof at wide can be enougfh to include both surfaces of the filter. If they're not spotless or beautifully hooded, you'll end up with all those nasties disfiguring your image.

tom.