All About Filters

If you are into photography and been using DSLR cameras for a while now, you will know exactly what a filter is. A filter is usually a square or round piece of glass which is attached to the front of a lens.

- Mrinmoy Choudhury

Filters are usually used to modify the output of the image from the camera but not always. In this article we will discuss filters and how using each one of them produces a different result.

As mentioned earlier, filters can be either square or circular depending upon its use and manufacturer. But the shape of the filter has nothing to do with its final output. Although there are both advantages and disadvantages of square and circular filters and they need to be picked according to their usage. Let us see different types of filters.

UV Filter

The most common type of filter. It is a clear filter which most buyers add to protect the lens from dust and any kind of damage. The UV filter is suggested to remove the haze and UV light. The image quality output is not affected by the UV filter. However, if you are using a cheap quality filter, there will be some amount of affect on the image in terms of sharpness.

Polarizing Filters

Polarizers are filters which help to cut out reflections and also improve the colour and saturation of the scene. Polarizers can be used in any situation where there is the probability of reflections ( Ex. A picture of someone wearing spectacles). The polarizer helps to cut down these unnecessary reflections which otherwise clutter the details of a picture. Landscape photographers will appreciate the polarizer a lot as they come across such situations more often. Polarizers help in reducing haze and improve the overall contrast giving more vivid colours and clear scene.

Neutral Density Filter