I know this is going to be a silly question, but which is the best
filter and size for the 70-200 and 400 and will they be necessary?
Thanks again in advance!
Lisa
Posted by David Bostedo on October 17, 2007 at 8:20 PM
That kind of depends on what you're shooting Lisa. If it's mostly wildlife, which I'd guess from your lenses (and the fact that it's a safari), I'd suggest not using any filters. If you're doing landscapes, I'd suggest a polarizer. (And landscape opportunities on safari can be pretty great too - but a wider lens would normally be preferred.)
If you get a polarizer, I'd go with the best one you can afford...Hoya, B+W, Heliopan, and Singh-Ray are all highly regarded. More coatings are usually better. You can either get the exact size that your lens needs, or a larger one and some step rings for use on different sized lenses. If you want more info, a search on these forums for polarizers should give you some things to read.
We brought our polarizing filter for the 100-400 mm lens (which also fit our 24-105 mm L) with a 77 mm thread. However, in three weeks on safari we never put it on. Not to say that we couldn't have, but most of our shooting was of wildlife, and the scenic shots were mostly in very early morning light or late evening light, and we were often more concerned about having good shutter speed and aperture for depth of field when shooting wildlife, so wouldn't have wanted to give up the 2 stops associated with the polarizer. That said, it doesn't weigh anything, so if you have one, throw it in the bag. We use Hoya Pro1 multi-coated polarizers.
Posted by Alex Lofquist on October 18, 2007 at 1:56 AM
When I was in Amboseli N.P. in Kenya, I photographed Mt Kilimanjaro in the distance with indigenous wildlife in the foreground using a 200mm.. Though the mountain was clear, proper forground exposure washed out the mountain. I realized that had I had a polarizer, the vista would have been great. I now have polarizers for all my lenses from 20mm to 500mm. You never can tell when it will make or break a photo.
Discussion
3 repliesfilter and size for the 70-200 and 400 and will they be necessary?
Thanks again in advance!
Lisa
If you get a polarizer, I'd go with the best one you can afford...Hoya, B+W, Heliopan, and Singh-Ray are all highly regarded. More coatings are usually better. You can either get the exact size that your lens needs, or a larger one and some step rings for use on different sized lenses. If you want more info, a search on these forums for polarizers should give you some things to read.
We brought our polarizing filter for the 100-400 mm lens (which also fit our 24-105 mm L) with a 77 mm thread. However, in three weeks on safari we never put it on. Not to say that we couldn't have, but most of our shooting was of wildlife, and the scenic shots were mostly in very early morning light or late evening light, and we were often more concerned about having good shutter speed and aperture for depth of field when shooting wildlife, so wouldn't have wanted to give up the 2 stops associated with the polarizer. That said, it doesn't weigh anything, so if you have one, throw it in the bag. We use Hoya Pro1 multi-coated polarizers.