What filter is the best one to buy? and most important to have?

Question

I bought a Canon Digital Rebel XT and its got a 58mm lens. I am looking at a bunch of filters and not sure what to get. There is the polarizer andt then a circular polarizer. Also, there are many uv filters. what ones should i get? i take all kinds of pictures: indoors, outdoors, sunny days, gloomy days, and of landscapes. Please suggest a filter for each type of setting. thanks a lot.

Answer 1

For color photography with modern lenses, you really don't need a lot of filters - particularly for a digital camera. The circular polarizer would be the only thing I would suggest. This filter will darken blue skies and take reflections off of water, so it can be really handy for landscape pictures or anything outside where you want more contrast between the sky and the subject.

A lot of people put a UV or a NC (no color) filter on the front of their lens for protection. I do this as well, but there's no real need for it unless you think the front of your lens might get bumped, scratched, or dirty. It's certainly better to clean or replace the filter instead of the lens. That being said, there is some concern that keeping such a filter on your lens can degrade the image quality, if perhaps only slightly. The two reasons for this are 1) that the quality of the filter is not going to be as good as the quality of your lens (optically) unless you get B&W or Heliopan German filters. These aren't very expensive for the UV and other basic types. But for things like circular polarizers, they are very expensive!

2) Filters introduce some reflections between the front element of the lens and the back of the filter. The best filters with multi-coatings cut down on this.

For indoor shots, it used to be common to use color compensating filters to have electric lights render as normal color on daylight balanced film. Now, all you have to do is set your white balance appropriately. It may still be helpful to use a polarizer indoors if you need to remove reflections. Colors will be more saturated, etc. But don't forget that such a filter will cut your light by 2 to 3 stops, which is not insignificant.

Answer 2

At the very least, you should get a UV filter and keep it on the lens to protect it from dust and fingerprints, plus protect your sensor form harmful UV rays. It doesn`t impact your indoor shots.
Get a polarizer filter if you take a lot of shots on sunny days at the waterfront; it will take the glare off the photos. In my opinion, a linear polarizer that you can rotate is better than a circular polarizer.
For landscapes, haze filters are great. Their effect is subtle, but they do sharpen the picture slightly, especially if there`s smoke or pollution in the scene.
I don`t have any recommendation for indoor shots... I prefer not to use filters.

Answer 3

Karl W has great answer, and I agree.
Most filter effects are done in post processing now anyway,
A circular polarizer is essential, though. Maybe a Neutral density filter for high contrast landscapes. (Of course, you can just take two exposures and combine them in post) If you shoot portraits or weddings, maybe a soft filter. (Again, that can be done in the computer, but I find the effect seems more pleasing when done in the original capture.)

Answer 4

Avoid the non-circular polarizer. Linear polarizer filters can interfere with the AF system on most modern cameras.