Filters for Nikon D60? (Alaska trip)

[lawahoo2001]

I will be traveling to Alaska this July (first time there). We will be doing an independent land tour for 9 days and then boarding the ship for a weeklong cruise to College Fjord, Glacier Bay, and the Inside Passage. I'm relatively new to the digital DSLR world. I bought a Nikon D-60, which came with a standard 18-55 mm and 55-200 mm lens kit (both are f 3.5-5.6). I recently bought a 70-300 mm lens for wildlife shooting (f 4-5.6). I'm not going to bring the 200 mm lens on the trip, since the 300 mm will cover that range. All lenses are made by Nikon. We plan on visiting Denali, Kenai Fjord, and Prince William Sound during our independent tour, so I will be taking a lot of outdoor photos of wildlife and glaciers, some of which will be on boat tours. I already have lens hoods for the 200 and 300 mm lenses.

 

So, my questions to the board:

 

1. Do I need to buy any type of filters for these lenses? I guess I'm wondering whether I need protection for the lenses from sea spray and any other elements. Also, I'm wondering what a polarizing filter would do for my outdoor photos (if it's too cloudy or rainy in Alaska, then I wonder whether a polarizing filter is needed).

 

2. If I should buy a filter(s), then why? Please ou post any examples of photos showing the difference between using and not using a filter.

 

3. What kind of filter would you recommend? Brand name recommendations would be appreciated. Also, I would like to know how much I should spend.

 

4. When should I use the filter? All the time?

 

5. Do I need to buy a filter for each lens? Can I just switch between lenses?

 

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

[pierces]

I will be traveling to Alaska this July (first time there). We will be doing an independent land tour for 9 days and then boarding the ship for a weeklong cruise to College Fjord, Glacier Bay, and the Inside Passage. I'm relatively new to the digital DSLR world. I bought a Nikon D-60, which came with a standard 18-55 mm and 55-200 mm lens kit (both are f 3.5-5.6). I recently bought a 70-300 mm lens for wildlife shooting (f 4-5.6). I'm not going to bring the 200 mm lens on the trip, since the 300 mm will cover that range. All lenses are made by Nikon. We plan on visiting Denali, Kenai Fjord, and Prince William Sound during our independent tour, so I will be taking a lot of outdoor photos of wildlife and glaciers, some of which will be on boat tours. I already have lens hoods for the 200 and 300 mm lenses.

 

So, my questions to the board:

 

1. Do I need to buy any type of filters for these lenses? I guess I'm wondering whether I need protection for the lenses from sea spray and any other elements. Also, I'm wondering what a polarizing filter would do for my outdoor photos (if it's too cloudy or rainy in Alaska, then I wonder whether a polarizing filter is needed).

 

A UV filter for protection is your choice. I usually shoot without one, but will add one if conditions are really dusty, or as you mentioned salty.

 

As for the polarizer, it's effect is minimized on a cloudy/rainy day but I have found that a warming polarizer such as the Hoya "Moose" warm circular polarizer adds more depth to foliage and earth tones by damping down reflections on wet, shiny leaves.

 

2. If I should buy a filter(s), then why? Please ou post any examples of photos showing the difference between using and not using a filter.

 

St Maarten beach - no polarizer:

 

With:

 

3. What kind of filter would you recommend? Brand name recommendations would be appreciated. Also, I would like to know how much I should spend.

 

The Hoya Moose I mentioned above is a good compromise between price and quality. It is a good filter that won't break the bank.

 

4. When should I use the filter? All the time?

 

A polarizer can be helpful anytime you're outside. I cuts down the amount of light by about 2 stops, so people tend not to use it on a cloudy day. On a bright day it can cut glare of the water, darken the blue skies and put color back in scenery in a way that an editing program can't.

 

5. Do I need to buy a filter for each lens? Can I just switch between lenses?

 

Your 18-55 probably takes a 52mm filter and the 75-300 a 62mm or 67mm filter. UV protection filters should be one each, but you can buy one polarizer for the larger lens and use a step-up ring to mount it on the smaller lens.

 

I wrote an article on using filters for one of the forum classes. It's here if you want to take a look: http://www.pptphoto.com/ArticlePages/Filters.htm

 

Enjoy your trip!

 

Dave

[lawahoo2001]

Excellent! Your website is fabulous.

 

FYI, I checked the lenses (per your article instructions), and my 18-55 (and 200mm) would take a 52mm filter, while the 300mm would take a 67mm filter.

 

Follow-up questions:

 

1. For the Hoya Moose polarizers, is this what you recommend?

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/195608-REG/Hoya_B52CIRPLW_52mm_Moose_Peterson_Warm.html

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/195612-REG/Hoya_B67CIRPLW_67mm_Moose_Warm_Circular.html

 

2. If I only buy the 67 mm filter and get the step-up ring, how does that work? Do you have any recommendations on a particular product I should buy?

 

3. What's a step-down ring? I saw that on B&H, so I'm curious whether I can the cheaper 52mm filter and then buy a step-up ring? ;)

 

Thanks - I know I'm an amateur, but I love photography as a hobby. Very excited to test this out!

[pierces]

Excellent! Your website is fabulous.

 

FYI, I checked the lenses (per your article instructions), and my 18-55 (and 200mm) would take a 52mm filter, while the 300mm would take a 67mm filter.

 

Follow-up questions:

 

1. For the Hoya Moose polarizers, is this what you recommend?

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/195608-REG/Hoya_B52CIRPLW_52mm_Moose_Peterson_Warm.html

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/195612-REG/Hoya_B67CIRPLW_67mm_Moose_Warm_Circular.html

 

Get the 67mm and the ring mentioned below. If you end up getting UV protective filters, remember to remove them before using the polarizer. Stacking more than one filter can cause vignetting (darkened or black corners), especially on wide angle lenses. Besides, the fewer layers of glass between the sensor and the subject, the better.

 

2. If I only buy the 67 mm filter and get the step-up ring, how does that work? Do you have any recommendations on a particular product I should buy?

 

You would screw the step-up ring into the 52mm lens threads and then screw the filter into the ring. Pretty common with polarizers since they are expensive and aren't used everyday.

 

Link: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/98848-REG/General_Brand_52_67_52mm_67mm_Step_Up_Ring_Lens.html

 

3. What's a step-down ring? I saw that on B&H, so I'm curious whether I can the cheaper 52mm filter and then buy a step-up ring? ;)

 

You can if you want your telephoto shots to look like this:

:D

Before everything was digital, this was a cheap, easy way to get a vignette effect on a portrait shot by using a small soft-focus filter on the step-down ring.

 

Thanks - I know I'm an amateur, but I love photography as a hobby. Very excited to test this out!

 

Hey, me too...but I've been an amateur for a looooong time! ;)

 

Happy shooting!

 

Dave

[lawahoo2001]

I hope to test it out on a sunny day. It's late evening here and cloudy. Unfortunately, we're expecting rain these next few days (including the weekend). Maybe I will find an opportunity to get to a lake or something this weekend and have some sun. Would love to see what this filter can do with blue skies and the water reflection!

[lawahoo2001]

Should I use this filter when photographing glaciers? If it's blue skies and I'm photographing a tidewater/coastal glacier (on the water), then I most certainly will. But, what about if it's cloudy and the glacier is near the water? I read that glacier photos tend to be overexposed b/c of the bright white snow, so I assume this filter is a good tool to mitigate that effect. Any advice in this area (or anything relating to properly photographing glaciers) is greatly appreciated, as I'll be traveling to Alaska in a few months.

[pierces]

Should I use this filter when photographing glaciers? If it's blue skies and I'm photographing a tidewater/coastal glacier (on the water), then I most certainly will. But, what about if it's cloudy and the glacier is near the water? I read that glacier photos tend to be overexposed b/c of the bright white snow, so I assume this filter is a good tool to mitigate that effect. Any advice in this area (or anything relating to properly photographing glaciers) is greatly appreciated, as I'll be traveling to Alaska in a few months.

 

If it's sunny, A polarizer for sure. If it's cloudy, the soft light won't glare as much and the color comes through.

 

These were taken on an overcast day with no polarizer:

 

 

 

Dave

[lawahoo2001]

Awesome photos!

 

Can a polarizer ever be used indoors, e.g., to cut glare when taking photos of fish in an acquarium? We're headed to the GA Acquarium in Atlanta in a few weeks, so I'm wondering whether it's worth while to use the filter for this purpose. Maybe it wouldn't work, as it would slow the shutter speed down too much indoors. (I don't think the acquarium allows tripods either.)

[Jade13]

If you end up getting UV protective filters, remember to remove them before using the polarizer. Stacking more than one filter can cause vignetting (darkened or black corners), especially on wide angle lenses. Besides, the fewer layers of glass between the sensor and the subject, the better.

 

 

Dave

 

I never knew that. My polarizer has always gone over the UV. Wow, now I know where the black corners came from on some photos.

[pierces]

Awesome photos!

 

Can a polarizer ever be used indoors, e.g., to cut glare when taking photos of fish in an acquarium? We're headed to the GA Acquarium in Atlanta in a few weeks, so I'm wondering whether it's worth while to use the filter for this purpose. Maybe it wouldn't work, as it would slow the shutter speed down too much indoors. (I don't think the acquarium allows tripods either.)

 

You got it. It will work fine but nothing is for free. You'll lose a couple of precious stops in the dim aquarium.

 

Dave