Attached Link: http://www.ritzcamera.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/HelpView?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&langId=-

do any of ya'all use a skylight filter? i was thinking about buying one and trying it...see what difference in made in my shots. someone here in RR said he uses it and i love his shots!! here's a really cool link he gave me too! when you click on the filter, it shows you the difference the filter will make. since it's not too expensive, i thought it might be fun to experiment.

hmmm... i can't get the link to work :(

I avoid skylights. There's always a risk of Spiderman or Batman dropping through them at inopportune moments, or some baddy getting pushed off a roof through them. My life is so full of excitement already I'm not sure I can take any more..... (",)

me neither...no link working.

A skylight filter is similar to a UV and is clear and great to help protect the lens far better to scratch the filter than the lens.. They also perform several other functions. They absorb Ultra violet light, a major cause of haze and excessive bluishness, but unlike UV filters they are slightly pink and come in different densities I leave one on all my lenses or the UV

Click Here! had to do it this way. apparently when i put this in the URL line, it wouldn't hold all the information. it should work now. that's cindy! i might try the skylight filter vs. UV. we'll see. thanks, Dan!!! Spiderman seems to hang around Jersey, Mike!!! Joe recently spotted him there! :)

There good arguments for and agenised and it really depends on what I am doing whether I use one or not. They do have a tendency to bounce light all over the place, if shooting into or across direct light. I do use one or a UV as front lens element protection.

We had a discusssion about this maybe a week or two ago.... I'll find the link to it for you.... I personally have never used either one..... as Danny pointed out people tend to use them as a lens cap more than anything.... and as LP has said they bounce light and have a tendency to produce these strange light glows..... kind of like lens flares in images.....

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/messages.ez?Form.ShowMessage=2117536

Found it.... link to previous thread.

The flares I have found has more to do with quality Ithink the ones in your link seem to cheap to me or is this just me I go for Hoya or branded Canon ones it seems silly to have an expensive lens and crap glass filter

I remember the thread, but couldnt find it! Damn expensive lens cap!!! I am always torn on should I shouldnt I But find it hard to disagree with you Michelle, just stuck in my ways I guess, its not such an issue with digital anyway. And digital is more prone to lens flair than film IMO I have plenty of flairs to show for my stubbornness! The debate will continue for a while no doubt. As a point of note I use one far less since the said thread. And have less flare!

depends Simon are you comparing like for like Digital SLR v Film SLR SLR's I have found were far better than my prosumer digitals my first Fuji not as good as the Minolta dimage 7HI and the Minolta les good then the 10D or EOS 1 V film for flare I think 70 pounds is not so expensive as replacing a lens like the 100-400 at 1200 !!

Dan I am not saying that you shouldnt use one and yes I agree that it is better to smash your filter than the lens, I was just saying that I am more choosy as to when I use one or not. And yes I am comparing like for like SLR v DSLR. With same lens, it is just IMO but find that film is less prone to flair. Also the wider the lens the more prone it is with any medium. I agree that using a cheap filter is a bad idea.

ok mate Yes I think you are right film is far better grain wise so is better for sure I was wondering if you were making your comparison with SLR's I wonder also about the size of my older A1 / F1 CANONS which are far less prone to flare as these are much smaller than the whopping Digital lenses I have more glass more flare I guess

Very interesting link Michelle! Thx! I first read Sheila's link and then went to urs and changed my mind in between! ;)

Hello. I thought you might want to see my skylight. Maybe you've already seen it in my gallery. The skylight seems seems to work. Good luck w/your decision. :-) -Peace/Jeff :-)

Michelle, thanks. yes, i remember that thread about UV filters. I was wanting to know about skylight filters though. i realize UV filters and skylight filters are similar but i was wanting to know specifically about skylight filters. were skylight filters discussed in that thread? the UV filters don't change the blue do they? that's what i wanted to know about. i'm not interested in using it as a lens cap. i have one of those. :) i was curious how folks found the skylight filter worked...how you found it made a difference in your sky shots. and i'm curious about using this skylight filter at night. any of ya'all use it at night? the person who suggestd it uses it at night. and i love his photography! just wanted to know if ya'all used them). i won't buy my filters online. We buy Cokin filters at a local photography store. i don't know how much it'll cost me but i wouldn't think it would be over $50. i don't intend to use it as a lens cap. i want to see how it affects my sky captures. thanks so much gusy for your input and advice! i sure appreciate it!

jeff...now that's a cool skylight!!! No, i don't remember seeing that in your gallery. I have to look for it these days!!! i luv it!!!! thanks!!!!

Attached Link: http://www.nikonians.org/html/resources/guides/uv_haze_skylight/uv_haze_skylight_filters1.htm

Sheila maybe this will help in understanding the difference.... which is fairly minimal. UV's and skylight filters are generally lumped together because they all cut out UV light, albeit with very subtle differences. If your looking to eliminate blue and haze then a polarizer would be a better choice imho, or if you want to warm up a bright scene a warming filter.... I just wanted to share this passage from one of my favorite photo books "John Shaw's Nature Photography Field Guide", because I thought it followed along with this discussion in a certain way.... I'm not trying to change anyone's mind about using them, indeed my only concern is my own photography, but it does follow along my own thoughts on this, and maybe gives a better explanation into my own opinions on the matter as well. John Shaw says: "I see many photographers who always leave a filter--usually a skylight or UV-- mounted on their lenses as "protection". I've never understood this concept. From what are they protecting the lens? Dirt and fingerprints? If so, then you must remove that dirty filter before every shot. Better always to use a lens capt to keep the front element clean. Salt spray? Great, use a filter in this situation. But if you're not working in blowing salt spray, then your reason for the filter has disappeared. Use all filters only when appropriate. If you can't articulate exactly why you're using a filter, if it's not a fully conscious decision on your part, then I believe the filter shouldn't be on your lens. If you still want to use a UV filter as protection then at least be aware that the added thickness that comes along with adding another filter to the lens, such as a poloarizer, might create vignetting problems. And mounting any filter on a zoom lens is an invitation to flare and ghost images unless you consistenly use a lens hood also. Zooms are optically complex, with 10 or more elements inside to bounce light around. Stick a flat filter on the end of the lens, directly in the sunlight, and you just create more potential problems. That's not to say I use no filters at all. Indeed there are two filters that I urge you to purchase. These are an 81A warming filter and a polarizer......" He then goes on to recommend that the they be glass and not acrylic resin versions.

I didn't know they came in acrylic resin... Actually, these may be better than glass at cutting UV. Seems this subject goes on and on. Guess it's sometimes prudent to use protection, and sometimes not. As mentioned, I like the 81A for its warming effect.

an interesting read... i just have a polarizer for my digi to cut some of the burn out of the really bright TX sky when shooting during mid day... now my father had given me his Nikons which came with quite a variety of filters i have yet to experiment with :]

Michelle, thanks so much for all your help!!! the information you've given helps me a lot! I already use a polarizer, and from what you've said, perhaps i don't need a skylight filter. i'll experiment with my night shots using the polarizer this summer...do them without and without...to see the difference. we have a lot of haze here. and i was so disappointed last summer with my sky shots. perhaps that 81A is a good choice. i found a website where i could see the differences in images with and without the 81A. it really seemed to help. with my old cam, i didn't have a lens hood. with my new one, i use it all the time. curious to see if that hood will help with the flaring. vignetting...i noticed that happening a few months ago when i had a filter on. I was using the cam indoors and couldn't get the damn filter off. it was right after i broke my elbow, and i couldn't manage it with one hand. oh, btw, that link doesn't work. i'll look for the acrylic resin filters. i've only noticed glass ones. thanks again, Michelle. and Misha & Cindy! appreciate your input! Cindy, have fun experimenting!

Attached Link: http://www.nikonians.org/html/resources/guides/uv_haze_skylight/uv_haze_skylight_filters1.html

Looks like the l got cut off at the end of the link...... sorry about that Sheila. Try it again? :~) http://www.nikonians.org/html/resources/guides/uv_haze_skylight/uv_haze_skylight_filters1.html

ah... great article 'chelle... ty! :]

I just realized that no one ever answered the question about using these at night...! For the life of me, I can't figure out what benefit they would serve to using them at night. And this includes polarizers too. I may very well be wrong about this, but if the purpose of them is to filter out UV.... and there's no sun..... what are they filtering? I may be very wrong, but is there uv light at night? Now I'm curious. Maybe you are thinking about the flourescent or phosphourous lights that often turn images green.....? They do make filters for that too which will basically filter out the light and give the correct balance..... but that's what the built in white balance in your camera is for.

But surely even at night, if there's any light in the sky at all it's from the sun (eg. reflected off a full moon?) and will therefore hold UV....? Ergo filter still not a bad idea? he he he (",)

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/gallery.ez?ByArtist=Yes&Artist=ebsmooth

thanks so much for that link Michelle! it's almost 5:30 am here, and i can't see straight to read that much. i've saving the link and will read later. anyway, the reason i wanted to trying using it on my nightshots is because this totally awesome photographer uses a skylight filter on all his nightshots. i put the link to his gallery. i am totally in love with his night shots and want soooooo bad to be able to take a shot like this. he's written me and given me advice. he added a little postscript saying that he uses a skylight filter all the time. dunno how much difference it makes. all i know is i've never seen better night shots...ever!!!!! i just want to do everything exactly the way he does it so i can take pictures at night like him!!!! Whatcha think 'Chelle?????

he does? those are some of the best nightshots!!
get him in here & have him tell us about how he goes about it!! :]

opps... i should say please! :] if he will, that'd be nice

Message edited on: 03/11/2005 14:24

Ah yes ebsmooth!! I know him!! His nightshots are fabulous indeed!

He has a very beautiful gallery..... I've not been in the gallery at all for more that a few seconds in the last 2-3 weeks so I've not seen them before. I'll not pretend that I'm an expert on low light shots, because I've done so few of them myself..... but I'm not at all convinced that his using a skylight filter is the reason why his night shots are so good, and as already said do not see a purpose of using one when any UV waves that may be present are neglible to the point of being almost non-existent. But people do what works for them. If he thinks it works than that's wonderful. :~) shrug I did notice ghosting in a few of them, which has already been discussed to death, and that, I AM sure is because of the filter being on there....... but again if he's happy with his images than that is all that matters.

Gonna put myself up to be shot down, oh well whats new. I have done a fair bit of night photography with and without a UV/skylight, only once with I may add. Most of my night photography is done with a 50mm prime, which IMO is very good at handling all the reflections from streetlights etc. Put a skylight on it and Heeeello its a Pink Floyd concert. (That can be cool but I dont want it in my shots) The thing with street scenes is that the light is coming from many directions, which IMO is what causes allot of the problem. That said the images that do not flair look no different than images without a filter colour wise, both with film and digital, so I would tend to agree with Michelle that the amount of UV at night is at most negligible. I use a skylight less and less these days, if I get time over the w/e a may go out and do some with and without shots to post here. I am more inclined these days to use Michelles thinking of just using a lens cap. My main filters that I do use are a polarizer, NG grad and a ND (for water scenes to prevent blown highlights with a long exposure) I do find that a skylight can cut out some haze in some situations. (so can PS) ..Ready Aim Fire.. LOL

RAT-A-TAT-A-TAT-A-TAT-A-TAT-A-TAT!!! WHISTLE............. KER-BOOM!! (",)

hello all, sorry to cause a debate, was just trying to be helpful is all, but then i'm no one to be helping anyone as i'm cluless! so i'll be keeping my mouth shut from now on that's for sure!!! the reason i got the filter was to protect my lens, also to see if it would improve the quality of my day shots. i go into the woods alot and get myself into very odd and unstable postitions and being broke it's cheaper to buy a filter then to buy a lens. as for the flaring, well i can't say one way or the other if it's due to the filter or not as i've had flares happen without it and i always use the hood so again i can't say if that helps or not. ghosting..what's that(see what i mean)??? being lazy i did screw on an orange filter right on top of the skylight and i did get a lot of flare but with either one or the other not both, i don't get much flare if at all! i'll try shooting without it and see what happens! another artist here suggested that the flaring is due to stopping down..now that i'd agree with as lately i've been playing with the aperture in an attempt to learn how to better use my camera but then i don't know any better one way or the other to say for sure. i'm not a professional nor do i claim to be, i just go out and do my thing, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. everything i've done so far is the result of trial and error. don't listen to me whatever i say more then likely it'll be wrong!!! my apologies Sheila!!! regards, Eric

Attached Link: http://www.vanwalree.com/optics/flare.html

Ghosting is pretty much the same thing as flare.... here's a good read on lens flare if you're interested in learning a little more about it's causes.... And also wide angle lenses and zoom lenses are notorious for lens flare as well... it's just how it is......

Attached Link: http://www.vanwalree.com/optics/filterflare.html

And another from the same author on filter flare...

ebsmooth I think you are right to offer advice where you can, this debate has been ongoing and it is very subjective. Your photography speaks for itself, and if it works for you then that is most important. With regard to the skylight filters there is not really a right or wrong, it is all down to preference. As Michelle has said wide angle and IMO especially wide-angle zoom lenses are particularly prone to flair. This forum is to offer your opinion, and to learn, and I dont think you should be discouraged from offering advice because opinions vary. I certainly dont think you need to offer an apology.

thank you both for the useful info!!! that just sucks, i'm using a wideangle zoom lens...it figures!!! so in my case it makes little difference weather i use one or not... though i'll admit i was wrong, i got more flare with the filter on then i did without. matter of fact i have two shots (mounted on a tripod) exactly the same, the one with the filter has a major flare in it where as the one without the filter had none at all!!!

thanks again!!!

eric

Message edited on: 03/11/2005 23:29

& thank you eric :] helps us who've not experimented with a skylight filter... you'll always be welcome here in the forum

Sheila! you shouldn't be, i don't read it that way... we've all learned a little something about these filters & we agree Eric is a great example of night photography & know it's not cuz of the filter (although i for one was curious since i didn't know) but that he has a natural eye for it... good exposures, excellent clarity & a real gift for composing the shot! (psssst, you can pay me later Eric :)

now, now!!! you're making me blush, it aint "all that"!!! eb

since we don't get more than 10 stinkin' minutes to edit our comments, i deleted my previous one. Eric...please don't apologize. You did NOTHING wrong!!! All you did was tell me how you take your shots at MY request. as i said earlier in this thread, you just mentioned at the end of an IM to me that you had this filter. i'm so freakin' impressed with your photography, i just want to do everything like you...that's why i wanted to know more about this filter to see if others found them to be successful, especially for night shots. anyway, if anyone should apologize it should be me. i never meant to imply that it was your filters that made these shots, and if i did imply that, i'm sorry. You're an incredible artist and like Cindy said, you got the eye, and your photos just blow me away!!!!! A real gift for composing the shot as Cindy said...Jeesh...you take a picture of a dirty city at night and make it look like a fairy tale dream!!!! i mean, your night city scapes are like looking at incredible mountain scenes!!!!!! i appreciate you telling me how you do your work, 'cause i sooooooooo much want to take at least ONE shot in my life that comes out looking like yours!!!!!! :)