Camcorder Lens Filters

After investing in a good camcorder, a sales person may suggest a lens filter for your new purchase. You wonder, are they just trying to make another sale or is there a justifiable reason for considering adding on a filter? Most of us aren't professional videographers and have no intention of producing a feature film with our camcorder, but lens filters do have a purpose even for those of us who use a camcorder only for recreational purposes.

There are many types of filters for camcorder lenses, each with their own purpose but some of the most common may be of interest to the average consumer as a way of assuring better films and protecting their investment.

Protective filters

A UV filter in photography is transparent to visible light, and so can be left on the lens for nearly all shots. UV filters are among the least expensive filters, so many people use them as protection for their lenses, although this may not be effective.[1] For this purpose they are preferred over other kinds of filters which are more intrusive, such as neutral density filters. visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UV_filter for more information

A clear filter can be used over the lens of the camcorder to protect it from dirt, fingerprints, and other debris which may scratch or otherwise damage the lens. Replacing a damaged filter is far less expensive than replacing the lens. Using a UV lens filters can also protect against damage from ultraviolet light. Protective lenses are often attached and remain on the camcorder throughout its lifetime.

Polarizing filters

A polarizing filter, used both in color and black and white photography, filters out light polarized perpendicularly to the axis of the filter. This has two applications in photography: it reduces reflections from some surfaces, and it can darken the sky. visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polarizing_filter for more information

A polarizing filter can act to reduce glare caused by reflected light that bounces off of surfaces such as glass, snow, and water. These camcorder lens filters are particularly useful when filming outdoors where it can be particularly difficult to control reflective light or when shooting a film through a window.

Neutral density filters

In photography and optics, a neutral density filter or ND filter can be colorless (clear) or grey filter. An ideal neutral density filter reduces and/or modifies intensity of all wavelengths or colors of light equally, giving no changes in hue of color rendition. The purpose of standard photographic neutral density filters is to allow the photographer greater flexibility to change the aperture, exposure time and/or blur of subject in different situations and conditions of Atmosphere of Earth. vist http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutral_density_filter for more information

Attaching a neutral density filter on your camcorder can help to reduce over exposure in shots as they decrease the amount of light entering the lens. The darker grey the lens filter the more light they filter out and thus the darker the resulting images in the film.

Color correction filters

A major use is to compensate for the effects of lighting not balanced for the film stock's rated color temperature (usually 3200 K for professional tungsten lights and 5500 K for daylight): e.g., the 80A blue filter used with daylight film corrects the orange/reddish cast of household tungsten lighting, while the 85B used with tungsten film will correct the bluish cast of daylight. Color correction filters are identified by numbers which sometimes vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. The use of these filters has been greatly reduced by the widespread adoption of digital photography, since color balance problems are now often addressed with software after the image is captured, or with camera settings as the image is captured. vist http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photographic_filter#Color_correction for more information

There are a variety of color correction or color compensating filters that can be used to create different effects. For instance, to make a sunset more red or an ocean more blue. As these tend to be used for more creative or artistic purposes these lens filters are used less frequently by the average consumer.

Diffusion filters

A diffusion filter is a translucent photographic filter used for a special effect. When used in front of the camera lens, a diffusion filter softens subjects and generates a dreamy haze. This can also be improvised by smearing petroleum jelly on a UV filter or shooting through a nylon stocking. Diffusion filters may be uniform or may have a clear center area to create a vignette of diffused area around the clear center subject. vist http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffusion_filter for more information

Both diffusion and fog filters on a camcorder can soften images. Diffusion filters in particular are used when filming up close shots of people to flatter their faces by softening any lines or imperfections on the skin.

Although many consumers do not opt to purchase additional accessories for their camcorder, lens filters can be very useful. While some provide a very affordable alternative for protecting expensive camcorder equipment, others allow users to produce better films with less overexposure and more creative effects.

Article has been modified by Paul Edwards