Hey guys,

ILuveketchup's Chrysler Building shot got me thinking. Why not take photographs from my office window here in midtown of all the lovely sky scrapers? The roofs of these buildings are rarely seen from people on the ground and they are IMO, the most beautiful aspect of these buildings.

I really wish we had a balcony or a roof deck here at work to take photos from, but alas we dont. Would a CPL filter work to take decent shots out of my window? If so which one? Hoya has 4 different types of CPL's ranging in price from $50 all the way to $200.

Looking to purchase a CPL and a GND, what do I look for when shopping for filters? There are no-name brands for $20, mid range hoyas (~150), and BW's at the top of the price range. is the $20 filter that much worse than the $150 filter? I'm guessing yes, but would like an honest answer from someone who's experienced both.

Thanks!

 

Oh, forgot to mention - Our windows here are pretty well tinted. Will that matter?

 

Crap, last question. I swear~!


I'll be picking up a 77mm for the 24-105, but I also know that my Sigma 10-20 also takes a 77mm. Is there anything special I need to be aware of when choosing a filter? Wouldnt want to pick up something for a standard zoom that wouldnt work on a uwa, and I see specialized 'thin' filters for uwa's.

 

Your fine w/ a 77mm CPL w/ your Sigma 10-20 & Canon 24-105.

I use B+W CPL filters. Here is how I look at filters. If we spend all this time looking at the best lens for our cameras. Checking image quality, sharpness ... etc. Why not look for the best quality in filters? It's a piece of glass thats going to be sitting in front of your lens & it's certainly going to affect IQ. But to say B+W's IQ is $50 better than Hoya's, that's a matter of buyers discretion.

Here's a shot through a dirty, thick glass. I used a B+W CPL on the 70-200.


For GND, I purchased:
Cokin Wide Angle Filter Holder
Cokin "P" Series 77mm Adapter Ring
Hitech 85mm Graduated Neutral Density (ND) 0.6 Resin Filter - Soft Edge
All for around $65. Here are some pics. Notice that the top part of the image is blue/darker than the lower half.

 

Thanks Clyde.

After a little bit of research, the sunpak looks decent at $140, but for an additional $35 - perhaps the B+W is worth the slight upcharge.

For the GND, the Hitech 85/P package from the Filter Connection for $55 (http://www.2filter.com/prices/htpackages.html) looks like a good deal. But I do have a question for you. Why did you get a 85mm with a step ring to bring it down to 77?


Still confused about the wide angle. Why is a super thin filter recommended for them?

 

vignetting

 

Ah thanks! So when purchasing filters, I should look for the thinnest possible, right? Wondering if a thin CPL or GND will work just as well on my non-uwa lenses.

 

a thinner CPL should work fine on your other lenses. The only downfall, in my opinion, is that a lens cap usually won't fit on a thin filter. B+W includes a plastic piece to cover the filter/lens but it fits poorly. I'm not sure what other brands do. I keep a B+W slim CPL on my 16-35 f/2.8L and a normal B+W CPL on my 70-200 f/2.8L IS since it's too much of a hassle to constantly switch, plus I leave my CPL on 90% of the time unless I'm indoors.

You can save some $$$ if you buy used. I'm always scouring www.fredmiranda.com for good deals. You can usually find B+W CPL filters in 77mm for about $80-100 used on fredmiranda.com so you'll save a decent amount.

 

Thanks! Will start scouring fm.