Preview of Scott Kelby's Digital Photography book, Chapter 3, The Truth About Lenses (9)
There are literally hundreds of different filters available for your lens. Filters can solve problems—for example, when your camera cannot render something properly—or create more imaginative images. I own only three filters, and I do not really use one of them as a filter at all (more on that in a moment). I have:
(1) A graduated neutral-density filter. Landscape photographers in particular use this filter. It solves a familiar problem that arises when you expose for the foreground in a landscape: a completely washed-out sky. Placing this filter in front of the lens darkens only the sky. The sky now looks right, and so does the foreground. (You can read more about this filter in Chapter 11, 'Shooting Outdoors.')
(2) A circular polarizing filter. This is another filter that really belongs in a landscape photographer's kit. It was designed to reduce reflections in places such as lakes and rivers, and it does that perfectly. Most people, however, use it to darken the sky. It is like putting sunglasses on your lens: the world looks a little less glaringly bright.
(3) A UV filter. Its actual purpose is to filter unwanted UV radiation before it enters the lens. But we all use it to protect the lens from scratches. This filter places a thin piece of glass between the lens and anything that could scratch it or, worse, break it. These filters are fairly inexpensive. If one breaks or gets scratched, you simply buy another. No problem. But if you discover a scratch on your lens, people ten houses away will hear you cry. I give every lens its own UV filter.
Read more in Scott Kelby's Digital Photography book.
