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Hama UV Filter UV-390 (O-Haze) Ultra Wide 3 mm, 67 mm
by thebigc1690
In photography there are many, many things that can help improve the looks of your photographs and one of these is filters. Filters will most commonly be used by people that use DSLR cameras and more likely people who take their photography very seriously, as a professional photographer I fit both those brackets of course and I use many ... different filters to create many different styles of photograph.
The UV filter I am reviewing here, the Hama UV Filter UV-390 67mm is actually a very common filter and does not create too much of an effect on shots, it is actually used to cut the glare in photographs taken in bright sunlight and to reduce the haziness created by ultraviolet light but it is also used by many, myself included as just a means of protecting the lens.
If you catch the glass of your lens and scratch it or god forbid break it you are looking at a huge outlay for a new one where as if you have a simple UV filter, it takes the knocks and can be replaced for around £15.
Almost all lens makers such as Sony, Canon, Nikon and the likes will all make their own branded filters and sometimes I would suggest using them if for instance we are talking polarizers, or other filters that go a long way to actually creating an effect in the image you are taking but when it comes to the simple filters like UV ones then Hama filters are an excellent option as they are much less expensive. This particular filter cost me less than £20 whereas the more expensive ones are over twice that price.
I have many UV filters for my collection of lenses but this particular one is a 67mm one which means it will only fit lenses with a 67mm filter thread, this is mainly the more expensive lenses out there, I also have filters in 55mm and 62mm to cover my range of lenses, I only have a few polarizers and other filters which I change from lens to lens but I have a UV filter on all of my lenses for the protection they offer and there is no need to remove them because they do not affect the way my lenses react in studio conditions or in any other conditions.
My main use for UV filters other than to protect my lenses is to cut through hazy skies, using a UV filter can make blue skies look even bluer than the naked eye sees them, they also allows you to shoot images which become completely colour neutral and therefore are not only more accurate to what you see with the naked eye but they are also much easier to work with on Photo Shop.
These Hama filters are of a high quality and they are muti coated which many cheaper brands are not, they are in fact one of the cheapest multi coated filters I know of and certainly one I would recommend, the filters come in black or silver so they can match any lens but quite often professionals like myself will use a silver filter on a black lens and vice versa to remind us that it is there.
Some photographers I know will swear blind that they get a sharper colour and a more vibrant highlight when using UV filters in the studio, I do not personally agree with this statement but if you have heard mention of it then it might well be true but it is not a reason I would give to anyone for using a UV filter personally.
These filters are very easy to apply to the lens they simply screw on and off and can be put on or taken off in a very short space of time but like I say you can if you wish just put it on the lens and shoot away in all conditions, I have and continue to do and always will just because I know that my lens has that extra bit of protection, with some of my lenses costing upwards of a thousand pounds I would much rather be wrecking £20 filters than replacing the lenses, so I would suggest that If you are a serious photographer then once the camera and the lenses and all the other essentials are purchased, the very next thing on your list should be a Hama UV filter for every lens you own, this will not only allow you to get the best possible outdoor images when shooting in hazy or bright sunshine conditions but it will also let you relax a bit about the chance of damaging those very costly lenses!
**Please note the quick rating guide below does not apply to this product so I have just given full marks for everything**
Thanks for reading,
© thebigc1690
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Hama UV Filter UV-390 (O-Haze) Ultra Wide 3 mm, 52 mm
by Hurdenish
If there is one essential item for a Digital SLR user, or really any kind of camera has to be the good old UV filter.
Lenses, are very expensive things, with fragile front elements that can easily gather grit and dirt, get splashed or cracked and it's just not practical to use a lens cap every the your not shooting. Filters ... are not expensive and can often take a hit if you drop your camera protecting your valuable lens. Ideally you'd spend £30+ on a top end filter but if you have many lenses or are on a budget this is a very good comprimise.
This UV filter is intended for, and does a very good job of filtering out the high end of the spectrum to let the camera record only useful information. In reality it gives your images more natural colours and improves contrast.
Because your UV filter will be on your lens all the time its important to use a good one, and this is a very good choice. I've had filters before that have come loose quickly but this is well made and a very good fit. The glass is high quality and a variety of test shots of mine show a noticeable effect especially when shooting in bright sunlight.
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Hama UV Filter UV-390 (O-Haze), 55 mm
by thebigc1690
The professional photographers like myself or the high end amateur photographers will probably all have used or tried using some sort of lens filter or another.
Lens filters are designed to screw on to the end of lenses (mainly DSLR) to create different effects, you get many types of filters from the simple UV like this one ... through to polarizer's and star filters.
This Hama UV filter is mainly used for cutting out the harmful effects that can be had both on your lens and on your images by UV light but they are handy also for the simple task of protecting your lens glass and that is why I for one have one on all my lenses at all times.
If you catch the glass of your lens and scratch it or god forbid break it you are looking at a huge outlay for a new one where as if you have a simple UV filter, it takes the knocks and can be replaced for around £15.
Each lens maker will almost certainly produce their own filters but when it comes to Sony and Canon for instance you can expect to pay around about £40 for this simple UV filter and that is why tons of photographers choose Hama, their products are very good and they are a lot less expensive.
This particular Hama UV filter has the figures 55mm after its name, this simply identifies which size threaded lens this particular filter will fit, and they come in all sizes so you just need to check your thread size on your particular lens to make sure you are buying the correct filter. The 55mm is most popularly associated with Sony Alpha lenses but there are other 55mm lenses out there.
Other uses and benefits for the UV filter are that it adds great contrast to your pictures and can cut through a hazy sky to give crisp clear blues, it also allows you to shoot images which become completely colour neutral and therefore are not only more accurate to what you see with the naked eye but they are also much easier to work with on Photo Shop.
The Hama filters are great quality and I have several of them in various sizes and they have all served me very well but you have to make sure when you purchase one that it is a multi coated one and not the cheaper end single coated or non coated as they do not give nearly as good results and will also scratch up and mark much easier than the multi coated filters.
Hama make their filters in black and silver mounted, I always like my filter to match my lens so as all my lenses are black I always buy black mounts but I do know some photographers that deliberately mount silver filters to black lenses so they can easily identify the lens as having a filter on it.
With filters designed for certain purposes like polarizer's and the likes, you always have to remember to remove after using or they will continue to give you certain effects when you do not want them but with the UV filter it can be left on the lens if you choose, which is why we always use them as protective filters.
The reason they can be left on is that although designed for outdoor use to get rid of unwanted UV rays, they will have no other effect so if you have it on when shooting in the studio under studio lighting you will never know by looking at the images as it does nothing to them.
Some photographers swear that they get a sharper colour when shooting indoors with these filters (that's a good thing by the way) but for me it is all in their minds, I have carefully and painstakingly done many shoots in exact conditions removing and replacing UV filters and can spot less than 1% difference in my images when used indoors but the outdoor effect is fantastic when the UV filter is needed.
If you are a serious photographer then once the camera and the lenses and all the other essentials are purchased, the very next thing on your list should be a Hama UV filter for every lens you own, this will not only allow you to get the best possible outdoor images when shooting in hazy or bright sunshine conditions but it will also let you relax a bit about the chance of damaging those very costly lenses!
**Please note the quick rating guide below does not apply to this product so I have just given full marks for everything**
Thanks for reading,
© thebigc1690
Read the complete review |
