filters

[deepdiver1]

Are filters really that important for a lens?

 

[arkstorm]

Are filters really that important for a lens?

It depends on what filter you are talking about and whether you're talking about shooting stills or shooting video.

Most discussions of filters for underwater use revolve around red filters for tropical water. When: (a) shooting video; (b) in natural light (i.e. no video lights); (c) from about 20'-60' +/- then a red filter may be useful.

Any shallower and it will make the picture look red since the water hasn't filtered enough of the red wavelengths out yet.

Any deeper and it just darkens the picture too much.

Red filters aren't often used for shooting stills because stills usually require some kind of light such as a strobe, hence violating part (b), above.

Red filters do not take the place of white balancing the camera (and vice-versa). Although, if you're shooting stills in RAW mode you should not need to worry about white balance until post-production anyway.

Hope this helps.

 

[scubamarketing]

I've personally used filters only with video. For still shots I use strobes.

While many things can be fixed in post-production, I find it much easier to get the right shot (photo or video) when actually capturing the image.