14 Lens Filters To Keep
Lens filters once allowed all sorts of special effects. Star filters made twinkly stars wherever a highlight appeared in frame. Gradient filters turned boring skies into dark stormy skies or brilliant sunsets. Even defusion filters to get that Vaseline smeared-on-the-lens dreamy look from your video camera. Of course for this effect a pair of nylons stretched tightly over your lens will do the trick too.
Alas, now we have computers and this can all be done in post. The main reason to use an effect filter now is to retain the first generation quality. You see, after adding a filter style effect to your video in your non linear editing computer (NLE) you have to render the effect which means re-compressing the video. Video which has already had the hell compressed out of it.
But feel free, if you want to shoot with some effect filters, the links in this post will show you some great options. Also Tiffen makes some great filters. I have a few effect filters myself. Although I haven’t used them for quite awhile, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t if I thought I should.
This show however I’m going to talk about a few filters I consider “must haves” for any professional videographer.
