If your digital camera has threads on the front of the lens mount, you can use photographic filters to enhance your photos. Filters can warm an image, cool it down, tint an image, and so on. The diameter of the threads on the front of your lens determines the size of the filters you purchase for your camera. A polarizing filter is a handy accessory, which cuts down glare from reflective surfaces like a pool of water. A polarizing filter will also make the sky look bluer. The image on the left shows a scene without a polarizing filter, and the image on the right shows the same scene with a polarizing filter. Notice how the clouds stand out and the sky is bluer in the scene photographed with the polarizing filter.
A scene photographed without a polarizing filter (a). The same scene photographed with a polarizing filter (b).
| FILTER TYPE | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
Color compensating |
Warms or cools an image. Warming filters are designated by the numbers 81 and 85, while cooling filters are designated by the numbers 80 and 82. Warming filters add an orange tint to an image, and cooling filters add a blue tint to an image. |
Neutral density |
Reduces the amount of light reaching the image sensor. Use a neutral density filter when you want to photograph a scene using a wider aperture (low f-stop number) or a slower shutter speed. Popular neutral density filters are ND2X (which reduces exposure by one f-stop) and ND4X (which reduces exposure by two f-stops). |
Polarizing |
Reduces glare from reflective surfaces. Polarizing filters also increase the saturation of the sky, which makes it look bluer and provides good contrast with clouds in the scene. |
Skylight |
Used to reduce the bluish cast that appears in images photographed in daylight. This filter adds warmth to an image. Skylight filters are a wise investment as they protect expensive camera lenses from dust and scratches. |
Use Filters to Enhance Images
- Select the desired filter.
Gently screw it into the threads on the front of your lens.
Do not over-tighten or cross-thread a filter when screwing it on a lens.
Compose and shoot the picture.
You can purchase a filter wrench for most popular filter sizes at a well-stocked camera shop. You use a filter wrench to remove a filter you've inadvertently overtightened.
