Filters for digital cameras
 

Can someone please advise me whether film filters like NDs and circular polarizers are necessary with digital cameras?

Dorothy, excitedly about to take the plunge into digital photography with a Canon Powershot A80.

Not so much as with film cams. But you will still find a "protective" UV or skylight and a circular polarizer useful. A rubber hood is a good idea as well, depending if your digicam has one or not, and if it will fit.

"But you will still find a "protective" UV or skylight and a circular polarizer useful."

Thanks, Frank, for your prompt reply! But I'm curious why an ND filter or the specialty warming and softening and color filters aren't useful for digital cameras?

Dorothy

More light means higher shutter speed (or smaller aperture). A higher shutter will not effect the still, as with video. Regarding warming filters, all you need is MS WIN 3.11 and a shareware paint program to do all sorts of things with your digital still.

Filters are just as useful with still as with digital, but as Frank said the same can also be don digitally, especially if you have Photoshop CS as if has a 'Filter effects' utility included.

With your A80 you're somwhat limited with filters as it's such a small front element that fitting filters would require a bunch of adapters as well as the filters themselves.

An ND or grey grad would be just as effective with digital as they would be with film due to limited dynamic ranges of CCD/CMOS sensors.

Thanks, Frank and Adrian. I really appreciate your input!

I want to learn how to shoot as photographically as possible without having to resort to adding effects in post. Canon has a 52mm lens adaptor so I'm going to order that along with a UV, circular polarizing and ND filter.

Dorothy

I'm not too sure what a plain ND will do on a digital camera; just increase the shutter speed if you want to cut down on light.

I'd just go with the polarizer and forget the ND. The polarizer acts like an ND and cuts 1 & 1/2 to 2 stops as well as controlling glare and saturating colours. Unless you plan to shoot in extremely bright situations then the polarizer should do the job for you.

ND filter are useful because many for the small digicams are limited to F8. The lenses are so small that higher apertures (F11, 16 etc.) cause noticeable diffraction. You may want to consider this adapter and filters from Cokin. Adapters can also be purchased to use the same filters with many 35mm cameras and DV cameras. B & H sells the adapter and filters.

Thanks Jeff! Yes, the A80 is limited to F8.

Which value neutral density filter would you recommend, ND.3 or ND.6?

Canon makes a lens adaptor I was planning to get along with some 52mm filters:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=300531&is=REG

The Cokin digi-cam adaptor and filters sound interesting but I can't locate 'em on B & H's site.

Dorothy