The new Ciao layout is S**T.... why do they mess around with things that are working just fine??
The new Ciao layout is S**T.... why do they mess around with things that are working just fine??
Member since:14.03.2007
Reviews:120
Members who trust:194
The professional photographers like myself or the high end amateur photographers will probably all have used or tried using some sort of lens filter or another.
Lens filters are designed to screw on to the end of lenses (mainly DSLR) to create different effects, you get many types of filters from the simple UV like this one through to polarizer's and star filters.
This Hama UV filter is mainly used for cutting out the harmful effects that can be had both on your lens and on your images by UV light but they are handy also for the simple task of protecting your lens glass and that is why I for one have one on all my lenses at all times.
If you catch the glass of your lens and scratch it or god forbid break it you are looking at a huge outlay for a new one where as if you have a simple UV filter, it takes the knocks and can be replaced for around £15.
Each lens maker will almost certainly produce their own filters but when it comes to Sony and Canon for instance you can expect to pay around about £40 for this simple UV filter and that is why tons of photographers choose Hama, their products are very good and they are a lot less expensive.
This particular Hama UV filter has the figures 55mm after its name, this simply identifies which size threaded lens this particular filter will fit, and they come in all sizes so you just need to check your thread size on your particular lens to make sure you are buying the correct filter. The 55mm is most popularly associated with Sony Alpha lenses but there are other 55mm lenses out there.
Other uses and benefits for the UV filter are that it adds great contrast to your pictures and can cut through a hazy sky to give crisp clear blues, it also allows you to shoot images which become completely colour neutral and therefore are not only more accurate to what you see with the naked eye but they are also much easier to work with on Photo Shop.
The Hama filters are great quality and I have several of them in various sizes and they have all served me very well but you have to make sure when you purchase one that it is a multi coated one and not the cheaper end single coated or non coated as they do not give nearly as good results and will also scratch up and mark much easier than the multi coated filters.
Hama make their filters in black and silver mounted, I always like my filter to match my lens so as all my lenses are black I always buy black mounts but I do know some photographers that deliberately mount silver filters to black lenses so they can easily identify the lens as having a filter on it.
With filters designed for certain purposes like polarizer's and the likes, you always have to remember to remove after using or they will continue to give you certain effects when you do not want them but with the UV filter it can be left on the lens if you choose, which is why we always use them as protective filters.
The reason they can be left on is that although designed for outdoor use to get rid of unwanted UV rays, they will have no other effect so if you have it on when shooting in the studio under studio lighting you will never know by looking at the images as it does nothing to them.
Some photographers swear that they get a sharper colour when shooting indoors with these filters (that's a good thing by the way) but for me it is all in their minds, I have carefully and painstakingly done many shoots in exact conditions removing and replacing UV filters and can spot less than 1% difference in my images when used indoors but the outdoor effect is fantastic when the UV filter is needed.
If you are a serious photographer then once the camera and the lenses and all the other essentials are purchased, the very next thing on your list should be a Hama UV filter for every lens you own, this will not only allow you to get the best possible outdoor images when shooting in hazy or bright sunshine conditions but it will also let you relax a bit about the chance of damaging those very costly lenses!
**Please note the quick rating guide below does not apply to this product so I have just given full marks for everything**
The Hama UV Haze Filter absorbs the ultra violet (UV) rays which can often make outdoor ... more
photographs appear hazy and indistinct. This filter will help eliminate the lack of sharpness caused by UV radiation and can be permanently left on the lens to prot...
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