Filters for VX2000

[Miles Loretta]

Can anyone suggest some low cost filters for the VX2000. Polarized and UV for example. Is there any particular kind to get? Anything I need to look out for? There are a ton on ebay and I don't want to get total junk. Thanks in advance.

[Bryan Beasleigh]

You've bought a very goodcamera with a nice, sharp lens, don't go pinching pennies putting crap in front of it.

Hoya make a nice filter, they have some single and multi coated UV's. For a few extra bucks you can get a thin filter ring, it's less likely to vignette when zooming wide.

Hoya filters are mostly made from white glass. Tiffen on the other hand is made from green glass and does not come coated. Heliopan, B+W and Formatt are also made from white schott glass and come in coated configurations. they are considered the best and are priced accordingly. Hoya is Japanese and all but their Phillapino green cheapo line is considered good stuff.

At the very least, buy a reputable brand.

Here's a link to a really good collection of articles, that'll tell you everything you wanted to know about filters.

http://www.2filter.com/faq/faq.html

[Ken Tanaka]

Hello Miles,
eBay sellers will often be pushing low-quality filters so you're a smart cookie to ask.

Some top brands to look for are B+W, Heliopan, Schneider and Tiffen. These companies' filters have pristine glass with no distortions and good anti-reflective coatings where applicable.

Wherever you buy your filters be sure to get the correct diameter for your camera.

[EDIT]
Nice link, Bryan!

[Miles Loretta]

I see some Hoya filters. Are these worth considering?

The S-HMC or HMC versions seem to be widely accepted. I was looking at the UV and circular polarized versions. I assume the circular polarized filter is ok with the vx2000 on auto-focus. Correct?

[Bryan Beasleigh]

All you really need is a linear. Do a search on all the arguments. The auto focus on a video camera is not affected by linear polarizors. I have 3 linear on two video cameras and they work.

I use a 58mm Tiffen and a 4x4 Formatt polarizor on my vx2k., with no problem. I use an 82mm multicoated UV to protect my Optex wide angle for the VX2K.

Filter connection, the link i provided has some really good pricing. i've dealt with them and they give fairly good sertvice.

[Miles Loretta]

Is there a discussion in here or anywhere that gives guidance as to what filters to use and when? I am very new to the miniDV game and I want to have as much ammo as I can when choosing what filter to use. Should I be using a UV filter all the time? As a filter and as a lens protector? It seems to me that the UV is a standard filter. thanks.

[Ken Tanaka]

Miles,
Filter usage in videography is more a matter of taste and nature of project.

Some use a UV filter all the time as a protective measure. Personally, I do not. Any filter can be a source of flares under a variety of lighting conditions. I only use one if I think there may be a real hazard to the lens (such as rain or dust).

Next you'll probably want a polarizer if you plan to shoot outdoors. You might also want an additional neutral density (ND) filter.

Beyond that, it's up to you. There are, for example, dozens of effects filters to soften your image. I prefer to accomplish such effects during post-production where effects can be more closely controlled.

If you're new to DV, I'd recommend starting with just the basic two or three filters and decide what, if anything, you really need later. Effects filters can be quite expensive.

[Miles Loretta]

Very good point. I was thinking about that myself. IT would seem that the idea of effects has changed completely with the advent of computer editing. as you know the vx2000 has the ND filters built in. And while shooting outside, the camera indicated that an ND filter was needed. I plan to use some sort of filter outside, due to noticing a lot of sun glare and lighting issues on a sunny day. Ideally, I would like to boost the shutter speed as high as I can go. Ideally that would give me more flexibility in the editing process....slow motion and what not. Like I said, I am so very new to this, but I look forward to screwing up. :-)

[Bryan Beasleigh]

People use a UV or a 1a sky to protect their investment, kinda like a condom. Many purists poo poo that idea but when something pokes your lens and leaves a whacking great scratch, it does make sense.

The cover of your lens (protective filter) should equal the quality of your lens. The picture should be just as sharp with a filter as it is without.

ie: for $12 you can buy a monocoated filter and for $50 you can buy a 3mm thick filter with 12 coatings all with white glass. Is that too much to protect a $2000-$3000 camera.

The thin filters minimize the risk of vignetting. vignetting is where you see the edges of the filter ring in your picture.

In an effort to standardize their filter size and minimize the number of fi;lters required people will opt to use a larger filter that fits all of their lenses with the appropriate adapter. This has the added benifit of allowing stacking of filters without fear of vignetting. A popular size is the series 9 filter. The filter is plain edges glass that fits into a retainer and is screwed onto a lens. the series 9 has 76mm of exposed glass which is a tad bigger than an 82 mm filter. That would be good for all sizes up to a large widw angle lens adapter.

Some people (myself included) have opted fot the square filter. the most common is 3x3" and 4x4". These filters fit into a filter holder or a matte box. The 3x3 filters are the most reasonable but you are limited to a 65mm Wide Angle. The 4x4 offers the most flexability. I have a 4x4 bellows matte box made by cavision

http://www.cavision.com/Mattbox/Mattebox.htm

http://www.centuryoptics.com/products/dv/sunshades/dvshades.
htm

http://www.centuryoptics.com/products/dv/matteboxes/dvmb.htm

different filter sites
http://www.centuryoptics.com/products/filters/index.htm

http://www.formatt.co.uk/home/default.asp

http://www.tiffen.com/Header_page_tiffen_filters.htm

http://www.thkphoto.com/products/hoya/index.html

http://www.cokin.fr/

[Miles Loretta]

I was wondering about how to add more than one filter without that narrowing the field of view. I have no idea how much those matte boxes cost, but can you give me an idea of what I would have to spend to get something that would allow me to use a 3x3 or 4x4 box?

[Bryan Beasleigh]

Stacking filters with series9 filter retainers is an option, but you still need a shade.

The more moderately priced filter holders from hitech and lee are far to open and flimsy for my money. The matteboxes by TLS (the Kestrel) and the formatt are far too big and bulky

Century optics has some excellent filter holders, provided you use a lens arrangement that fit

The cavision 3x3 mattebox with metal backplate is $250 and the plastic backplate is $200. depending on your lens you will require a slip ring for a wide angle attachment under 85mm and a $35 58mm to 85 mm adapter for the VX2K standard lens.

A 4x4 cavision hard shade clamp on is $375. You will also need the above mentioned adapter rings.

The matte boxes have a fixed opening, you use scew on adapteras and split ring bushings to adapt.

If you want to go nuts the bellows with the carbon fiber support is around $475 plus adapter rings.

It's still a whole lot cheaper than the competition and the quality is pretty good.

For more info run that search. I and many others have written reams.

[Mike Rehmus]

High shutter speeds will give you a decidedly strange looking video whenever motion is in the frame. Maybe you will want that but I'd bet not.

Ken and I disagree about the use of a protective filter. I've already had a lens saved at the sacrifice of an eight-five dollar B&W filter. Best eight-five dollars I ever spent. Went right out and bought another one.

The other thing a more or less permanent filter saves you from is the constant need to clean the lens surface. I much prefer to clean the filter and save the lens from the slight degredation that occurs each time a lens surface is cleaned.

It makes no sense to economize on filters at the expense of quality. Unfortunately, nobody publishes a set of curves that show money vs quality. Reputable manufacturers at the higher end of the food chain probably charge a bit too much compared to the quality improvement they add. But as a one-time charge over the life of the camera, I'm not too worried. I just try and pick the best.

[Bryan Beasleigh]

My 82mm Hoya multicoated UV never comes off of my optex wide angle adapter. I bought the 3mm deep slimline to be sure of no vignetting. The coating makes the filter look as though there is no glass in the frame.

My clamp on lens shade and my matte box fit over it no problem at all.

My wide angle also never comes off my camera, although I do carry a 58mm UV just in case.

[Frank Granovski]

Off topic, but lens protection related. :)

I know someone who finally managed to buy this older model cam. What puzzled him was why the lens cap was underneath the "protective" filter. He unscrewed the filter and then couldn't understand why the lens cap was stuck. The darn thing seemed impossible to be removed! Finally he put a screwdriver to it, and with great perseverance, managed to remove it. Unfortunately, the inside of the lens housing also came out (in little broken pieces). When he showed me the cam, and explained about the lens cap problem, I said, "but this iris-type lens cap is a fixed part of the cam. When you turn on the cam, this cap automatically opens up---and so did his eyes. (He didn't have a battery for the cam yet.)

:)

[Miles Loretta]

I won't have any edge issues with a hoya HMC UV or Polarizer on my vx2k will I? You know, seeing the filter on the screen.