Before reading some tips from other videographers, I was finding myself with several challenges regarding video. One of them was filming to bright footage at winter time. Then the risk that the 25 mm lens or telezoom may fall on water or get dirt. Lastly wanting better picture and video quality. So I started to do some research, finding that most of the lenses we can buy in Norway are rather very cheap or very expensive. Some reviews warn to stay away from cheap filters due it might ruin your content. Other review recommended to expensive filter, and other reviews recommended not to use filter though today I dont agree on that. Then I came across the reviews from the Gobe filters for a middle class prize. You could get a variety of filters on their website, and beeing able to choose from a begynner entry level, a mid level and a more experience level. Though I hadent had any experience with this before, I choosed the mid level and the sign of two mountains ▲▲.
So what is really filters? First, you shouldnt really get into filters if you are new to camera or DSLR. Filters might be a thing you may consider but filters is not a must have. Many say that its like sun glasses for your lenses. I will say not only that, but filters kinda protects from the elements specially if you are a outdoors camera person like me. Using a lens that can provide such open aperture of f 1,4, slips in a lot of light, and thats a good this for getting as much detail as possible at norwegian nature. Specially on winter is a tricky to master good pictures and footage, because the bright snow gives reflecting to your lens, and where you loose the shadows and sharp details. And where messing to much with the Shutter speed and ISO, may lag your footage during difficult angles.
The ND or Neutral Density filters give a cinematic look to your footage. I found the sweet spots for the Variable ND filter during daylight and golden hours like sunsets and sunrises. The ND 1000 filters is more powerfull, so its mostly use for that misty like effect on skyes or water.
When to use a Circurlar Polarizing Filter (CPL)? This filter take out reflections of the sky and water also it can give better contrast to your stills.
So I took the lenses out for testing. And where you can clearly see a difference on using them. They give better still pictures, better motion blur, shallow field of view and more cinematic look. They can also be used to pump up the colors in the sky and give cool long shutter motion pictures.
This is what an unboxing look like. You get a recycled box, metal container, a register tree code, and a cleaning cloth for your lens. Though the metal box didnt come on the Variable lens filter for the ø 46 25 mm, but dosent really matter anyway cause I got three out of four boxes anyway.
So I went mostly from left a ø 46 mm UV Filter ▲▲ for the Leica 25 mm lens, then a Variable ND Filter ▲▲ filter. Then I step up to 67mm CPL Polarizing Filter ▲▲ and lastly ND1000 Filter ▲▲. I use both step up rings and step down metal rings as well so I can use the lenses on both the 25mm Leica Lumix and 100-300 mm Telezoom.
The step down and step up rings you can buy them, really cheap on ebay around two dollars. This way you dont need to buy single filters for single lens, and you should by metal rings on ebay instead of plastic, due to use over time and it cost the same. But I did buy ø 46 and ø 67, due the variable filter was sold out for the ø 67, and I kinda need a ø46 UV protection filter for the 25 mm lens that I can also use with the sun protector cap. You cannot use the Variable lens and Sun cap togheter, but you can use the UV filter and Sun cap togheter.
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