filters and other equipment ???

Well as I had posted in a different thread last weekend I made the purchase of a Nikon D50, a Sigma 18-50mm lens, and a Tamron 70 - 300mm lens w/ macro.

This friday starts my trip to the badlands of South Dakota. I am hoping to capture some great shots out there. My question to the people here that are experienced in that kind of shot taking is what do I need to get "the good shot" ? What filters are recommended ? I am looking at shots all times of the day. Some night shots. Sunrise / sunset . Hopefully some wildlife, obviously mt. rushmoore, crazy horse, and other sights around the area.

Any input on this subject would be great. I will be visiting my local shop again for the "needed" accessories.

Also if anyone has been there and there is something out of the norm that is great to see please let me know. we are out there for a week.

Thanks
Ben

Quote:

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Originally Posted by WsW-WYATT-EARP

Well as I had posted in a different thread last weekend I made the purchase of a Nikon D50, a Sigma 18-50mm lens, and a Tamron 70 - 300mm lens w/ macro.

This friday starts my trip to the badlands of South Dakota. I am hoping to capture some great shots out there. My question to the people here that are experienced in that kind of shot taking is what do I need to get "the good shot" ? What filters are recommended ? I am looking at shots all times of the day. Some night shots. Sunrise / sunset . Hopefully some wildlife, obviously mt. rushmoore, crazy horse, and other sights around the area.

Any input on this subject would be great. I will be visiting my local shop again for the "needed" accessories.

Also if anyone has been there and there is something out of the norm that is great to see please let me know. we are out there for a week.

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The only filter you really need is a high-quality circular polarizer: Hoya, Heliopan, or B+W multicoated. This filter can not be duplicated in software. Buy a decent lens hood, it will make your images better by dramatically reducing scattered light.

After you get lots of experience, you might look at ND and grad ND filters but these are not necessities. Skip nonsense such as UV or skylight filters as well as color correction filters. Fancy effect filters are an option if you do the special effects stuff.

I'm with Michael. A good circular polarizer is all you really need.

Thanks for the input guys ! Really appreciate it. Will pick these up before I leave. Just don't want to get out there and get shots I am not happy with. This is a trip I have wanted to take for a long time!

Ben

I've done that trip twice myself, and would love to do it again. We're looking forward to seeing some pics from your trip. Enjoy!!!

I ended up in South Dakota and the badlands as a result of my father taking a wrong turn.
It was great for photography though. I was surprised to run into wild donkeys, and elk and the prairie dogs were cute to shoot as well. As to Mount Rushmore, you have to hit it in the morning, rather than later when shadows can become a challenge to deal with. Telephoto is definitely necessary. I used a 400mm for the elk on the other side of a river.

A polarizer is definitely useful to cut down on light, improve the sky, and reduce contrast.
A graduated neutral density filter (square kind) would be good for sunsets. A UV filter protects your lens, particularly when you step into a trench at dusk, while watching the sky instead of where you are going.:D

Have fun!

Ronnoco

I don't know what I am more excited about. The trip itself or the photo opportunities that area is going to offer. I think with the new camera at the hip I just want to take a ton of pics. So far the bit I have been able to use it I have been having a ton of fun with it.

I will get these filters (polarizer). I do have uv filters on both my lenses. I think the graduated neutral density filter will have to wait for another trip. Because I have no clue what it is and what it does so I don't want to be overwhelmed with stuff I don't know quite how to use yet. I am hoping to get the shots of the wildlife out there.

Will post shots when I return. Hope I get a few good ones too...

Thanks again for the input ... very much appreciated !!

Ben

The graduated ND filter is clear on one side, and slowly fades to a darker shade of gray. It's used to even out the light in high contrast situations. For example: If you're shooting a sunset, the sky is going to be bright, while your FG is going to be much darker. This is too much contrast for your image sensor to capture. The darker part of the grad. ND filter will help to even out the contrast so your sensor can capture more of the scene without blowing out the highlights or blocking up the shadows. This same thing can be done in photoshop if you bracket your shots, or shoot RAW and post process the file twice, once for the highlights and once for the shadows.

Do both of your lenses use the same size filter? If so, I would get 1 good quality polarizer. Even if your lenses are not the same size, I would still only spend the money on one good filter, instead of 2 cheaper ones. Get one to fit the largest lens you have, or think you will have in the future, and then get an adapter ring to mount in on your smaller sized lenses.

Oops, this posted twice.

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Originally Posted by mjs1973

The graduated ND filter is clear on one side, and slowly fades to a darker shade of gray. It's used to even out the light in high contrast situations. For example: If you're shooting a sunset, the sky is going to be bright, while your FG is going to be much darker. This is too much contrast for your image sensor to capture. The darker part of the grad. ND filter will help to even out the contrast so your sensor can capture more of the scene without blowing out the highlights or blocking up the shadows. This same thing can be done in photoshop if you bracket your shots, or shoot RAW and post process the file twice, once for the highlights and once for the shadows.

Do both of your lenses use the same size filter? If so, I would get 1 good quality polarizer. Even if your lenses are not the same size, I would still only spend the money on one good filter, instead of 2 cheaper ones. Get one to fit the largest lens you have, or think you will have in the future, and then get an adapter ring to mount in on your smaller sized lenses.

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Really appreciate this !! At this point in time 1 lens is 58mm and the other is 62mm, I have no idea what the future holds for me as far as new lenses goes. I will have to see if I can find an adapter ring and a 62mm polarizer. I did some looking around on the net last night for comparison and all i can say is WOW.

As far as the graduated ND filter . I did a few quick searches this morning and it is amazing what a filter can do for pics with the sun. At this point I would be looking for a 62mm kit then ? Would the adapter ring work on this filter also ? Also I seen that they come in different colors also, just a grey one would be fine ? I am thinking that the different colors are for specific desired results of certain photos.

I am planning on doing all my shooting in RAW while out there. I need to learn more of the post processing part also. But that will come in time

Thanks again !
Ben

Quote:

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Originally Posted by WsW-WYATT-EARP

As far as the graduated ND filter . I did a few quick searches this morning and it is amazing what a filter can do for pics with the sun. At this point I would be looking for a 62mm kit then ? Would the adapter ring work on this filter also ? Also I seen that they come in different colors also, just a grey one would be fine ? I am thinking that the different colors are for specific desired results of certain photos.

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The reason I listed ND grads as optional is that you can do the same thing, better, in Photoshop. In a nutshell, you take several photographs with different exposure values (usually one for highlights, one for shadows) and then combine them in PS. You get to do it in various ways and see the results, experiment real time. With a filter, it's all or nothing but (sometimes) less work. This is especially true if you are shooting in RAW.

well my issue is this is a "family" vacation. I am bringing the tripod and all with to capture some nice shots I hope. I won't have "unlimited" time with 2 kids wanting to be on the go. From my understanding of what I have read the nd grad filter will do what i need it to for the sunrise/ sunset shots or maybe even other cases ... I will have some time to "play" but not as much as I would if i was alone or just with the wife. I am still green in the gills when it comes to post processing in PS . But as I did say I do most of my shooting in RAW so I can mess with it and learn it eventually.

Ben

just a hint, if your planning on getting a split nd filter, DO NOT get a screw on one. make sure you can move the graduated part around so that your not stuck with the horizon cutting across the middle. i personally hand hold my square one in front of my lense while shooting.