Can I use lens filters on a Canon PowerShot SX520 HS, and do I need one for background blur?
Asked 7/12/2016
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I have a Canon PowerShot SX520 HS and want to know if I can use lens filters such as a UV/protection filter. I’m also wondering whether there is a filter that will blur the background, or if that effect should be done another way on this camera.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
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I wanted to know whether I can use lens filters like a UV protector
Yes. A $20 adapter is available that lets you attach 67mm filters to this camera.
or the one that blurs the background?
You can blur the background without a filter. Your camera has a max aperture of f/3.4 at the wide end, and that should be wide enough to get some bokeh especially if you can put some distance between the subject and the background. Practice shooting in aperture priority (Av) mode so that you can set the aperture yourself, and go for the largest aperture (i.e. smallest f-number) you can at the focal length you're using.
Originally by user4262. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4262
10y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—on the SX520 HS you can use filters if you add the appropriate adapter; one community answer notes an adapter that accepts 67mm filters.
For a UV/protection filter: it can be used mainly as physical protection for the front of the lens. On digital cameras, UV filtration itself usually isn’t needed because UV is already handled by the camera/sensor system.
For background blur: there isn’t a normal filter that creates true optical background blur the way a wide aperture does. To get more blur on your camera, use Aperture Priority (Av) mode, choose the widest available aperture (smallest f-number), and increase the distance between your subject and the background. Shooting toward the wider-aperture end of the zoom range can help as well.
So: yes to filters with an adapter, but for blurred backgrounds, use camera settings and subject/background distance rather than a filter.
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