Chapter 4: Fabulous Filters

In This Chapter

arrow.png Finding out about filters

arrow.png Deciding on a filter system

arrow.png Browsing filter types

In digital photography, everything seems to revolve around advanced computer technology. I’m not necessarily complaining. It’s just that this reality can lull you into thinking that there was never any other way to take a picture. There were, and there are, and it has nothing to do with the Stone Age. Filters, although decidedly analog, are real. You can hold them in your hand. They clink musically and take up space in your camera bag. When light passes through them, something physical — not modeled, simulated, or programmed — happens to the light. I don’t know about you, but that fascinates me. I want to know more.

The trouble is, standing in front of a large filter display in a camera shop, or going online and browsing, can be highly intimidating. Questions course through your gray matter. What are these gizmos? How do they work? Should I bother? Which ones are best for me? I hope to answer these questions in this chapter about fabulous filters and help you explore your options.

Weeding Through Filter Information

In many ways, filters are decidedly simple. ...

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