Digital!!

Digital. Means “new”. “hi-tech”. And “need new stuff”, “short lifecycle”.

I have seen “digital” filters in stores. And I have seen digital lens cleaners, digital everything else.

Well, to this I have two notes.

First: “digital” is often used just to get you to buy things. Digital sounds new, and new, in Don Draper’s words, is an itch you desire to scratch. A way to get you to buy. The reality: if you use a protective filter on your camera, an “analog” filter will do just as well. There’s no difference. A filter is a filter.

The same goes for many other “digital” items: digital lens cloths? Really?? Caveat emptor: buyer beware; Careful what you pay for; or rather, careful that you really need it.

Second note… I do not use filters. As regular readers will have seen here, few pros put filters on their lenses in normal use. Yes, I do own the filters: when it is raining, snowing, I am in a sandstorm, at the beach: that is when I will put on a filter to protect my glass. Otherwise, it just adds flare and unsharpness (see my post in June).

 

One thought on “Digital!!

  1. “Digital” and “green” are over used in advertising. If it does not need a power source, it is definitely not digital.

    Research and testing indicate a digital camera does not “see” UV, so adding a UV filter does not do anything to aid the image. Adding a UV filter is only about mechanical protection — and perhaps extra distortion, particularly if you add a cheap one.

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