Filters Hey Everyone! I hope ya'll are doing fine this week.  This week I'm going to talk about filters and how I use them.  I wrote a blog in 2015 and my setup has changed so I thought I would update it.  Back then I was using a full frame camera and all of the big lenses that go with it and my filters had to match the size. I was using a Lee filter system the 100mm square filters.  And they worked great I liked everything about the system.  But when I switched to mirrorless crop sensor camera's  the filter's were just too big.  I mean the filter kit almost weighed more than my camera did.  I did get adapter rings so I could use the filters but it was pretty silly with the so large filters on front of my camera and the size to carry them was just too much.  So I still have them they just take up a portion of my Pelican camera case I keep all of my stuff in at home. LOL  So there were certain filters I had to have right away and as you may know I think that the polarizer filter is the most important filter in your bag.  So I started getting screw on type filters for my different lenses for this purpose.  They ended up being a mixed match of filters.  I had some B&W to HOYA to all sorts of brands.  So these were Okay for my everyday walk around and polarize something.  But I wanted something more consistent for when I was shooting on a tripod.  Serious work!  For some reason I think its serious when I pull out my tripod.  Anyway, I wanted something that was lightweight,  something that wouldn't break the bank and something that I could have all of the ND filters I needed.  Now do I get screw on or ones like I used to have but smaller? I decided to go with the screw on type for a couple of reasons.  Size is one reason.  With the square ones you need a holder for them and thus this took up more space.  With one holder  you needed adapter rings to fit the holder then to fit your lens filter size for each lens that you had different.  That was more cost for special adapter rings to fit your holder and the lenses you have. So cost and size came into play and one more item came into play. Durability.  The square filters are great but if you get really good ones they are made out of glass and can break.  I had gone through a couple of filters with my Lee set because I dropped them.  Now no filter needs to be dropped but if your around a water fall everything gets a little wet and wet glass is slippery.  I think I have gone through a couple of polarizers in the past because of dropping.  The screw on filters are a little more sturdy.  By no means am I suggesting that you should drop them but they are more shock resistant than that of the square ones.  So Screw ones were the winner.  Now which brand?

Now there are many great filters out there and I don't have the means to buy one of each and try them out.  I had tried a few brands of Lee Filter Holder polarizers but that was about the extent of it.  So I did what I always do and went to Youtube to try to find the answer.  I went to all of the big names trying to come up with an answer and the most popular filters among my Youtube hero's were Breakthrough Photography.  So I got a polarizer from them in the largest lens thread size that I had at the time witch was 72mm. I decided that I could get that size and buy inexpensive step down rings (you can get a whole set for 20-30 bucks) and just step down to my smaller lenses.  I slowly accumulated a 3 stop ND filter then I got a 6 stop one and finally a 10 stop ND.  So now I have a set of 4 breakthrough photography filters.  I bought a small case that will hold all 4 of them and the adapter rings I may have.  I keep these in the side pouch of my Shimado Action X camera bag and they are lightweight and out of the way until I need them.

I think filters are a very important part of photography.  It helps spur on the creative juices especially when it comes to long shutter drag photo's. Polarizers can do what nothing can do post processing .  Taking the sheen or reflection off of objects or water so you can see to the bottom of the lake or turn the sky blue.  So what filters do you use?  Until next week get outside and keep shooting.