by Dr Raph Azrin

Created on: March 31, 2008

The Avid photographer MUST have or use an Ultra Violet Lens Filter. That is a real fact since it's a novice way to ensure photographs are captured with the full radiant and vibrant colors of how we see it through the naked eye. Skies are naturally blue on color to our eyes but without a UV filter, it will look either too orange ot tanned or dark and under exposed.

UV Lens cost about USD20. It's an add on to the main lens body BEFORE adding any additional feature lens like a Wide Angle or Telephoto or Panoramic Landscape lens to the kit. It basically weeds out the unwanted or excessive 'purple glare' to the CCD. Think of it as you wearing shades to the beach, and comparing that without one. Surely, the eye will squint without shades or some sort of diffraction or refraction of the wavelength and the same concept goes to the digital camera, but without the squinting. The effect will be that the auto expose shutter will be far smaller than it should be,and thus affecting the effective wavelength taken to the picture. Some may be too over exposed and the outcome will be too bright or too dull of Grey.

I am just a novice, but capturing the spur of moments photographs of Nature at it's best is especially hard if the Artificial Intelligence Servo kept on pondering on the exposure and the focal length because of the UV magnitude affecting it's judgment. A lens protector shade is also recommended for use with a UV Filter and the best thing is that a UV Lens Filter can be used day or night. It actually enhances the bright colors of the crystal centerpiece lighting as it will capture the colors of the rainbow. It's especially useful with Portrait Photographs as at 50mm focal length, the skin tones can be noticed and if you manipulate it properly, a woman's photo can be enhanced at lens end with soft shading and hiding away any blemishes or pigmentation or even minor wrinkles and spores.

When choosing one , make sure it fits your camera lens base, normally at 62mm for Tamron or 58mm for Canon to as wide as 85mm for Sigma. Choose Wisely as it's a costly mistake.I had that mistake when I have both Tamron and Canon's Kit Lens and eventually,since most of my photos are using the base kit of 18-55mm, I stick with that as it's nicer to take panoramic photos using Wide Angle Lens alongside with a Macro Lens (normally comes WITH the WIDE ANGLE)

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