[moufflon]

Hello all! I'm a relative beginner to photography and I'm a bit flummoxed about all the accessories you can get, particularly filters. I have a Fuji Finepix S5500 and am looking to get a UV filter and a polarising filter to start improving my pics. The adapter ring which I always have on is 55mm, so does that mean I can get any 55mm filter and it will fit? Or does it have to be specifically for the S5500? I'd be grateful for any advice...

[Dabhand16]

I'm a bit confused as to why you have an adaptor ring on your camera as they are usually used to enable large filters to fit onto smaller lenses. You buy filters to fit your largest lens, then use adaptors to fit them to the smaller ones. That way you only have to buy one size of filter. Your camera does not have interchangeable lenses, so you will only need the one size which is marked on the lens, usually with a circle with a diagonal line through it and a number which is the filter size in millimetres.

Any circular filter that has the same size as your camera lens will fit. You can also get square filters that fit into an adaptor that screws into your lens just like a circular filter. These can have an advantage if you are going to use graduated filters.

I get my filters from SRB-Griturn, but there are plenty of places you can get them.

[moufflon]

Thanks for the reply Dabhand16. I feel a bit thick when it comes to all this! The adapter ring is the ARFX5A 55mm which came with the camera - I use it to protect the lens and stop glare more than anything else. There's no measurement given on the actual lens though. Presumably I can get any 55mm filter and it will fit on the adapter ring then...?

[silkstone]

Does the adapter ring fit around the lens? It's quite common for compact cameras not to have a filter thread on the lens itself, so you fit the adapter and screw the filters onto that.

Anyway, there are pros and cons to using a UV filter, and overall I'd say don't bother. It's one more piece of glass that can cause flare.

A polariser can be useful but (again in my opinion) they can be overdone - producing artificially deep blue skies. However, if you'd like to experiment, you should be able to get a standard Hoya or Hama one for not too much, to fit a 55mm thread.

Have a go!

[chrisa]

I find the UV excellent for reducing the haze effects. Much better than any skylights.

Fully recommend Hoya filters, go for the 55mm thread. If you're planning to get a few filters then have a look at the Cokin Filters that you can add in.

[moufflon]

Cheers silkstone and chrisa! I think I understand now - I shall see how I get on with some of those. I really want to try to improve my landscapes, which always tend to look a bit washed-out and hazy, unless I get really lucky with the light!

[woolcos]

Hi, I'm a beginner too and I have a Nikon so not sure if this will help but I found that the size is imprinted on the inside of the lens cap. So if you don't find it on the lens maybe try there?

[moufflon]

Originally Posted by woolcos

Hi, I'm a beginner too and I have a Nikon so not sure if this will help but I found that the size is imprinted on the inside of the lens cap. So if you don't find it on the lens maybe try there?

Hi woolcos - glad I'm not the only beginner here! I figured it out in the end as I finally realised (doh!) that the lense on the S5500 actually extends out from the camera body when in use, so I need to fit any filters that I use onto the adapter ring anyway, which does have a measurement on it.