From my earliest days with SLR cameras, I made it a point of principle to purchase a “skylight”, “daylight” or UV filter to screw to the front of any lenses I acquired. The reasoning was sound: if I accidentally clout the lens, the filter takes the strain and — hopefully — the expensive bit of optical glass remains undamaged.
As I moved to DSLR, I continued with that reasoning. Modern lens optics often have a special coating which replicates the job of a “skylight” filter, but the filter glass is optically clear anyway, and shouldn’t give any disbenefits. However, there has been increasing doubt in my mind about whether it’s worth all the extra expense at all.
Some pundits will argue that, for a relatively small amount of money, you’re buying peace of mind. It’s cheaper to replace a broken filter than to have a lens repaired, after all. Others argue that, even with quite expensive optically-corrected filters (and the filter on my Sigma 10-22mm wide angle cost nearly £50!), there may well be a one or two stop penalty in exposure. Another point is that professionals often prefer to use a lens hood as a form of protection against knocks. If you’re going to drop a camera from head height, something may well break whether you have protective filters or not, and a good robust lens hood will do the job just as easily as well as preventing some lens flare. Don’t forget, also, that when you’re not actively taking shots it’s sensible to put the lens cap on!
So, while most of my current lenses do have a UV filter, and I have tested the “one or two stop” argument — inconclusively, it has to be said — I think that in future I shall not go out of my way to purchase a “skylight” filter. I think it’s probably more prudent to spend out on some form of insurance against accidental damage! My shopping list includes some rather nice Canon lenses that come out around the four-figure mark, and I don’t think a thin bit of glass on the front will make me feel any happier if I break one of those!
This may be my last entry here for 2008. I’d like to wish my reader compliments of the season, and let’s see if I get a chance to go out and about with the camera over the next couple of weeks. See you in 2009!
A good tripod is one of those essentials that every photographer has to have in their arsenal. Even those posh lenses (or cameras) with image stabilisation occasionally require additional support. The requirement for good depth of field, especially when photographing scale models, usually means that with long exposure times at large ƒ-stops, a good sturdy tripod is all but essential.
I have two tripods. They’re both different, and have different strengths and weaknesses. There are plenty of good quality tripods out there by other well-known manufacturers, so please read the following as my own personal experience with the products I mention. The usual disclaimers ought to go here about there being many other reputable tripod manufacturers whose products are readily available through the usual channels, etc, etc.
The largest tripod I own is a Uni-Loc 1700. (I apologise for the link to an online photographic supplies store, which may break if the unit is no longer stocked, but after extensive searching I could not turn up the Uni-Loc web site — save for an engineering company which appears to make pool cue joints. Equally, I couldn’t find a home page for Benbo, from which the Uni-Loc system was developed.)
…the smallest of the System range of heavy duty tripods designed to cater for both professional and amateur user. The 3 leg sections mean it has a smaller closed size and is lighter in weight. Constructed from rigid aluminium alloy tubing and high impact nylon moulding, the tripods incorporate fully sealed lower leg sections with tough spiked feet, making them equally at home in the studio environment as well as outdoors even when immersed in mud and water. The single curved bolt and locking lever allows independent movement of each tripod leg and centre column, allowing the tripod to be locked into almost any position. The result is an extremely rigid tripod, versatile enough to be used on the most uneven terrain.
It’s a beast, to be sure. Coupled with the ball-joint camera mount, there’s virtually no position in which you cannot hold a camera. In fact, it’s really easy to locate the camera in positions where you are simply unable to look through the viewfinder, let alone operate without remote release or tethered to a computer! Despite being made from aluminium, this tripod is heavy, which is great for studio work where a rock steady platform is essential. The single locking/unlocking system is excellent, save it really does unlock the whole system, legs and central column at once — think wrestling bagpipes, then consider wrestling bagpipes when you have some expensive camera gear attached at one end, and you’ll have a pretty good idea! The system is awkward to set up in confined spaces, although being able to swing a leg up to a wall for stability is not to be sneezed at. If only I was still that flexible!
So, on the positive side, the Uni-Loc or Benbo systems are sturdy, versatile and rugged. On the negative side, they're quite pricy, hard to set up without practice, and hefty to lug about. I used the Uni-Loc on some landscape work last year, and that alone set my mind on purchasing something a whole lot more portable for when I’m lugging the camera bag and a tripod more than a few metres from my car!
After some research into a lighter tripod system (essentially posting a budget limit and asking for recommendations on a forum), I came down on the Giottos MT 9242 tripod. While you’re rummaging, check out the MH 5001 three-way head, because I added one of those after a while. (In this case, I’ve not linked directly to the Giottos web site, because it’s framed, which means I can’t link directly to the product page. How 20th century!)
MT professional classic tripod series made from classic aluminum by a precision manufacturing process, elaborately assembled by hand to assure the maximum stability and for maximum security. They are feature black and silver fleck hammered paint finish. The center column can be reversed to position the camera upside down. With Non-slip foam rubber sleeves, Non-slip shoulder strap, carrying bag and bubble level and compass. All the MT series have quick releases for individual leg spread at different angles.
I know this will sound like a completely Appleista thing to say, but from the moment I opened the box, I was struck by the thought that the design and manufacture of this tripod would not have been out of place if it had come from my preferred fruit-flavoured computer manufacturer. Please don’t bite my head off for saying that. If you haven’t experienced unpacking any Apple hardware, you won’t have a clue what I mean, and I’ll sound like a complete loon! Suffice it to say there’s a lot of thought gone into the Giottos range, from the packaging to the product, and I am still amazed at the value for money and the build quality. I bought it over a year ago, paid less than £90 (three-way head extra), and got a shoulder strap, weatherproof carry bag and a little toolkit as well as the tripod. I can’t recommend Giottos kit highly enough for anyone wanting a light, sturdy and well-made tripod that doesn’t cost the earth.
On the positive, then, the MT 9242 is a tripod I’m happy to sling over my shoulder in its carry bag or not, and trek across fields or set up in an exhibition hall. I carry it around in the back of my car, something I never did with the Uni-Loc. If there is a negative to the Giottos, it is that it’s not possible to get the camera over a layout — something very easy with the bagpipes Uni-Loc. Oh, and you can’t tilt the camera up and down when the head is set in portrait mode. (I did find I could fit the Uni-Loc ball head to the Giottos base unit, though.)
That’s it for this post. Next time, I’ll consider the efficacy of UV filters for DSLR lenses. Thanks for reading.
After a bit of research — it’s an amazing thing, this internet webby thing — I’ve found a way to edit Snaptophobia which may be easier on my head than the standard Blogger interface.
ScribeFire is the thing. It’s a free plug-in for Firefox, so I’ll have to get used to using that browser instead of Safari, which is my usual default. Still, if it lets me edit and handle the blog posts with less pain and hair-pulling, then I may well stay with Blogger for the duration.
Another time, I’ll tackle adding images, but for now let’s leave it there.
