The Humble Filter

I came into photography only a couple of years ago and apart from the usual UV filter that seems to come on any used lens I buy from Ebay (which get dumped straight in the bin) I have never used one. I did quite fancy one of those -10 stop ND things for water but have got so fed up with looking at other peoples pictures showing the same thing over and over that I have given up on that idea.

I do have some 52mm UV and Skylight filters that arrived on lenses that I've bought on Ebay in the past, which I never use. I did actually buy a 67mm UV filter in the hope that it might reduce the amount of purple/blue fringing generated by a XR Rikenon 300mm f4.5 APO lens at wider apertures - didn't work.

I've also bought Cokin P holder, a hood for it, a ND8, a couple of ND grads and a polariser that I really really intended to use - but oddly never actually have.

Often have the polariser on - and twist it into play or out depending, and rely on pushing ISO up to regain the light loss (if that makes sense!). On the occasions I take it off, I usually put a prtoctive glass filter on instead.

Have several Grad NDs (to fit Cokin P holder) which most of the time I can't be bothered to put on!

Andy

All of my lenses are covered with protection filters for regular daily use. In addition, I have a couple of polarisers and an ND8 with step-up rings (or is it step-down? I never know which is which... Bigger filter on smaller lens), to get that creamy water in bright day and a portrait with shallow DOF.