i will be using the lens for mostly just lens protection, however, if the skylight/UV haze (by the way, what exactly is the difference between these) enhances the image compared to just a clear filter, then thats what i want.
PLEASE provide specific BRANDS (whats the best between tiffen, hoya, heliopan, formatt, or B+W, or the Nikon brand….i need a filter (either skylight or UV haze thats 67mm….on bhphotovideo.com, there are NO nikon skylight filters, can anyone help me???)
Personally, I'd say the first place to start for effects is a polarizing filter. You want a "circular" polarizer. some people use a skylight or UV filter to protect the front glass of the lens, but you can also buy high quality plano glass filters for that purpose. Whatever you do, at least buy a decent quality filter instead of trying to get off cheap.
As far as all the rest, you can do this in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. okay, I don't want to argue with anyone about how it's better to use the real filter, but ATX can try a few in Photoshop (etc) "for free" and see which ones will be the most useful.
Or, go here thkphoto.com/products/hoya/in… and see what you can learn.
Or here tiffen.com/tiffen_filters.htm… Tiffen makes a kit to get you started on filters, if you think you want more than one. They include a polarizer, a UV filter and a warming filter. B&H Photo and many other places sell this kit.
Many people use a UV filter simply to protect the front element of their lens from damage. "UV filters absorb ultraviolet rays which often make outdoor photos hazy or indistinct." (from: thkphoto.com/products/hoya/gf… )
We get this question often enough that I decided to upload a sample to Flickr showing the same subject taken with and without a UV filter. Download the image, cut a small section out of the top half and drag it to the same section in the bottom half and see what you think. the photos were taken about 15 seconds apart in subdued sunlight, so I think the lighting was virtually identical for each. There was no post-processing at all so you can make a fair comparison. I will not comment any further and let you decide for yourself if there is any color shift.
flickr.com/photos/7189769@N04…
The picture was taken with a Nikon D200 at ISO 100 with the Nikon 18-200 VR lens @ 112 mm at f/5.3.
Buy a name brand like Hoya or Tiffen. Don't get cheap junk to put on the front of your fine lens.
I also have the same camera and the same lens. To protect the lens, I bought the UV filter at a camera store. I bought the Quantaray filter – mainly because that's they one they had at the store – and, though it may not be that great of a brand, it's doing what I wanted it to do: protect my lens.
I know Hoya is a good brand because I've used it before, but I don't know how good the filters of the other brands are.
UV & haze is the same thing–it blocks UV light. This is a carryover from film days as film is much more sensitive to Ultraviolet light than a digicam sensor. There is some disagreement as to whether you need a UV filter or a clear filter on a digicam because of this. There's not much price differece so go with the UV–it doesn't affect exposure it you get a good one.
There's also a skylight filter -usually marked 81a or 81 b. these were used to adjust white balance in the film days and give the picture a warmer look. You don't need that with the WB adjustment on a digicam.
Get the best filter you don't mind ruining–because that's their function–to protect the lens. No matter how careful you are you will eventually scratch the filter and have to replace it. get a good one but don't spend $100 on it. You might consider having a good one for everyday shooting and then a cheaper one for harsh environments (i.e. beach or situations where it is very likely to get damaged).
I bought a Pro 1 Digital Hoya UV Filter from Robin Kanta Photographic. love it and it's highly rated. Best prices on the net too. photofilter.com. very thin ring so vingetting is not an issue.
Polarizing is the other filter you will want to get. get a circular polarizing one. They work best when you are 90 degress to the light source. Nikon's CP filter is expensive but very highly rated. I'm saving up for this one.
Any of the major brands will do an excellent job. If you've noticed, the 'Skylight', 'UV', and 'Haze' filters each have a slight 'pink'-ish cast to them. That's to remove some of the UV/blue rays and/or sky haze without significantly altering the color recorded. My personal preference is the Olympus line of filters, especially the newer 'thin-line' models. Stick to the major brands and you'll do fine. Check your local camera shops and see if they have a 'used filter' section – mine does, and it usually saves me at least 50% off retail. You'll be able to put it on your camera and test it in-shop before you pay if your shop is like the one I deal with here in Memphis. good luck.