To photo shop or not to photo shop

[xavier]

Friends I'm not sure if this is the right place for this but I wonder about the use of filters over photo shop. on the one hand the photo shop is handy for composits & touch ups, But if you just want to add coulor or atouch of soft focus and don't want the bother of useing photoshop. its just that I have been looking at my "CoKin Filter " system and wondering are there any others who use this or am I the only one?

[chris-p]

Hi Xavier

Sort of depends really. There are only certain things you can replicate in Photoshop. The classic example is circular polarisers. You can mimic a polarising effect to an extent but it's never really the same and if you're using a polariser to remove or add reflections then it's nigh on impossible to replicate it...

[GeoffWessex]

I use Cokin filters as well but, for digital photography, the only ones of any use are the Neutral Density filters, including Graduated filters, and the Polarising Filter.... in short, the ones that can affect the exposure. I'd also add a UV filter, but a screw-in type which doubles as a haze reducer and lens protector.

Sure, you could use various colour effects or those odd shapes or stars etc but none of them are essential.... in fact I think many are useless or can be replicated easily.

I'm a bit surprised that Cokin don't shake up their product line a lot more - only around 15% of their filters are of real use..... and they're not really all that good, generally being very thin and fragile with unwanted colour casts. There again, it's not going to break the bank to buy a set. I'm told, but cannot vouch for it, that Lee Filters are better but cost a little more.

Film photography is, of course, a different matter entirely, and the whole range of Cokin (or Lee) filters could be of use at some point.

[northumbrian1]

I'm very new to "Digital Camera" magazine. I previously bought two issues (May & June) of "Digital Camera" before I subscribed to the magazine, so I know how it looked before the makeover that came in the magazine that came through my door two days ago. I have to say to Geoff Harris, the Editor, that this issue is well thought-out and the logistics in making the changes he has, is worthy of his title as Editor! In short the magazine is absolutely superb now... Now to Photoshop, the innovative idea to put a 10-part photoshop course on the CD/DVD was inspired! First and foremost Photoshop (I have CS4 Extended Version) is a Graphic Artists dream come true since it covers everything you could wish for in illustrative design elements within the program. For photrographers who are coming to terms with Digital Photography (like I am) rather than the 'old' Nikon F3 camera stance, using 35mm film, needs a fairly steep learning curve, when one has been used to using smelly, old darkrooms, dunking one's fingers in Bromide, Hypo fixer and several copper baths to make changes to photos - as well as 'burning and dodging' highlights and shadows (or over-exposed film) in one's enlarger, whether it be a Gnome one or something more substantial in a Hospital Darkroom! Doing it all with CS4 Extended can be a minefield, if you don't know the right way to go about it. Using filters with Photoshop is about as cool as using Levels and Layers to get a desired affect. The end result surely, is to get as much of a natural-looking photographic result in one's photos without it looking like a faux photograph that has been altered entirely on a computer?

The end justifies the means. I think great photographers like David Bailey, Patrick Litchfield and Ansel Adams used whatever means was at their disposal to achieve the best most natural-looking photograph they could either by enlargement technique or by Photoshop technique. If it works, use it! And may the devil take the hindermost (for not using any technique) that enhances any photo to a status that would look great in a Salon in Buckingham Palace or elsewhere! northumbrian1

[xavier]

I agree that you most things in Photo Shop that can be done with filters outside the proper polarising efect its just that I was looking to see who else used them. By the way I herd "a story" that Cokin went bust thats just a story now I don't Know if thatis true or not

[northumbrian1]

I have Cokin Filters too - both Series 'A' and series 'P' from the 'old days' when I used to use film. Then seven years ago I moved to digital photography using a Kodak Compact (DX6440), until this year, when I moved to a Nikon D3000. Since I don't do pro work anymore, I have no use for a Mamiya film-based medium format SLR Camera or a Hassel'blad' film-based Medium Format SLR. I still have my film-based Pentax ME-Super (which still works) plus, as I say a set of cokin grads and other filters. These, I have found are useful on the Nikon using a step-up ring (from 49mm to 52mm) and they work great using rainbow affects, Stars (both four-point and eight-point type) and fog filters. Obviously, the Neutral Density filters are of more use when holding back camera time to get an affect like water the colour of milk or waterfalls looking like barley-sugar etc, but any filter has a use when enhancing say, a sunset, or making a sky blue when cloud is blanketing the sky. At night, highlights are transformed into star-like affects with a star filter - so long as you don't overdo it and make a photograph more like a kaleidoscope affect! The rainbow affect can be better achieved on photoshop though, as one can place where the rainbow is to make the most impact and I guess this is where Photoshop scores most of the time over filters as most affects can be reproduced in this package. One thing I have noticed is the high price one pays for Cokin as well as ND and Polarising filters these days compared to several years ago. I guess I've saved a packet with the collection of filters i've got! I wondered about Cokin going bust - since I don't see them around much anymore. Maybe its true...Northumbrian1

[xavier]

Hi Northumbrian1

I think one can still use the filters, its a question of takeing test shots to get the best resultes. As for the story about Cokin going bust, I'm open to corection on that. I herd this story from a local retailer, so Idon't know if this retailer dose not want the hasel of carrying the stock?

[chris-p]

Originally Posted by xavier

By the way I herd "a story" that Cokin went bust thats just a story now I don't Know if thatis true or not

I'm not aware of Cokin having gone bust. There has never been a statement about it and they're still trading. Where did you hear it from?!

[xavier]

hi Chris
it was the owner of Newman Camera shop on caruses street Limerick. I'm glad that this is just a tall tail, I did have dubts about this story, thanks for putting right Chris.

[chris-p]

Can't say I'm putting it right! I've just not heard it from anywhere else.

You'd think it would have shown up on a photography news site somewhere if they had gone bust...