There's some photography gear that you can get away with buying on the cheap.
A camera remote, for example, basically does one thing - trigger the shutter - so buying an $8 remote on Amazon isn't going to negatively impact the quality of your photos.
But other camera gear - like lens filters - is not the kind that you can buy on the cheap and expect good results.
To illustrate this point (and to demonstrate what common types of filters can do for an image), I've put together the following before and after photos.
If you've ever wondered why you need lens filters, look no further than these images for the answer to your question!
Editor's Note: The images used throughout this article were taken using NiSi filters and are used with permission.
The Impact of a Polarizing Filter
A polarizing filter does many things for your photos.
Not only does it cut down on glare from non-metallic surfaces (like water), but it also reduces atmospheric haze so that the background of your landscape photos looks cleaner and crisper.
On top of that, a polarizing filter enhances the contrast of the sky, making the clouds whiter and pop more on a sky that's a deeper shade of blue.
In the "before" image shown above, you can see that glare off the water, in particular, is a problem.
But with the addition of a NiSi polarizing filter, you can see a drastic difference in how much glare is in the shot.
In fact, virtually all of the glare is gone, revealing a deeper color of the water.
Additionally, note that in the foreground of the shot that you can actually see into the water and pick up on the textures of the rocks below.
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How a Graduated Neutral Density Filter Can Totally Change Your Photos
Image Credit: 阿戈
Tell me if this has ever happened to you...
You come upon a gorgeous scene in the morning or evening and take a shot.
Much to your dismay, though, the sky is extremely bright and the landscape is dark. In other words, you have a useless photo unless you spend a good chunk of time trying to fix the exposure problems in post-processing.
In looking at the photo above, this problem is played out - the sky is far too bright and detail has been lost in the clouds.
What's more, the brightness of the sky is too much for the foreground of the shot, which is on the dark side.
Image Credit: 阿戈
But by using a NiSi Medium Nano IR Graduated ND Filter, you can see how the image because far more impressive.
The photographer was able to use the filter to rescue some of the lost details in the sky using the darkened part of the filter to tamp down the brightness above the horizon.
And since the bottom of a graduated neutral density filter has no tinting, it leaves the foreground as-is. The result is a much more pleasing shot with a more manageable dynamic range.
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A Reverse Graduated Neutral Density Filter Can Help Your Sunrise and Sunset Shots
Reverse ND grads are made especially for use at sunrise and sunset when the brightest area of the sky is just above the horizon.
That being the case, these filters have the darkest tinting in the middle, that way you can bring down that brightness for a more even exposure throughout the shot.
So, in the image above, you can see the problem area - the sky has virtually no detail whatsoever.
But once a NiSi Reverse Nano IR Graduated Neutral Density Filter is used, the sky comes to life.
The brightness along the horizon line is reduced, thus allowing for a more consistent exposure throughout the image.
What's more, there's tons of color and texture in the sky now, helping this "after" shot to be much more pleasing to the eye than the "before" shot.
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Solid Neutral Density Filters Allow You to Create Dreamy Scenes
Where a graduated neutral density filter or a reverse graduated neutral density filter have varying levels of tinting, a solid ND is the same darkness throughout the entire filter.
By blocking out light in a consistent fashion, that allows you to slow down the shutter speed during daytime shooting to blur the movement of features like clouds, water, or passing cars.
If you tried to slow the shutter during a daytime shoot without an ND filter in place, the image would be completely overexposed.
And even when it's cloudy out, as was the case in the image above, you still can't slow the shutter enough to blur movement all that much.
Image Credit: Karol Nienartowicz
However, by using a 10-Stop NiSi Neutral Density Filter, you can see how the photographer created an image that has a much more ethereal vibe to it.
Not only does the water on the lake become much smoother with a glasslike appearance, but the clouds also get a nice level of blur to add to the dreaminess of this photograph.
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Wrapping It Up
"What filters do I need?" is a common question that photographers ask. And the answer isn't all that simple...
For many photographers, a polarizing filter is the primary need. For others, a reverse ND grad is a necessity.
Not all photographers need solid ND filters because they don't work in long exposures all that often.
So, the answer lies in the kind of photography you want to do.
But whatever filters you buy, be sure they are high-quality like NiSi filters. Cheap filters produce images that aren't as sharp, have diminished contrast, color casts, and other aberrations.
And since the goal with using camera lens filters is to improve your photos, cheap filters won't do you any good!