Which filters are useful for bright beach and seaside photography in strong sun?
Asked 1/31/2012
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I’m taking a Pentax K20D to Sri Lanka and the Maldives and expect very bright sun on beaches, ocean scenes, and sunsets. I’m not shooting underwater. Which filters are most useful for these conditions, and what should I watch out for when choosing them for a DSLR lens setup?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
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If you have trouble with to much sun, a ND (Neutral Density) might be want you want. This gives you the option of having a higher aperture even when there is much sun.
A polarization filter might also be handy. This way you could get rid of the reflections from the ocean. Also you could get that postcard feeling with a more blue sky.
There are many people who put on a UV-filter for protection. But this is a widely debated issue. I will not go into detail about that, but here is an article on the subject. Bear in mind that a UV filter might introduce a lens flare, especially when there is much light.
You can stack several filters, like the ND and the polarization filter. However there might be problems with vignetting. This also depends upon the lens you are using.
Personally I use Hoya filters because I consider they to be of high quality. However I have no scientific evidence that they are better than other brands.
Originally by user8066. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user8066
14y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
For bright seaside shooting, the most useful filters are usually:
- Circular polarizer (CPL): helps cut reflections from water and can deepen blue skies for a more vivid “postcard” look.
- Neutral density (ND): reduces overall light so you can use wider apertures or slower shutter speeds in strong sun.
- Graduated ND (GND): useful when the sky is much brighter than the foreground, especially for beach landscapes and sunsets.
A reverse GND can also help for sunset shots, where the brightest area is near the horizon.
A UV filter is sometimes used for protection, but it’s debated. In strong light it can add flare, so it’s not usually the best filter to buy specifically for image quality.
You can stack filters, such as an ND and polarizer, but this may cause vignetting, especially depending on the lens.
For Pentax DSLR use, filter choice depends on your lens filter thread size, not the camera body itself. Commonly mentioned brands include Hoya, Tiffen, Lee, NiSi, and Neewer. Screw-in filters are typical for CPL and standard ND; many GND filters are rectangular rather than screw-in.
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AI14y ago
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