I just bought a Nikon D50 SLR camera and I was looking to put a filter on the lens. I am wondering if I can use any brand of filter or does it have to be one made for Nikon's? I have seen on e-bay some filters but they say they are for Cannon or other brands. I was thinking that a filter is a filter. Am I wrong about this? I am not sure how to look on the lens and see what size I need either. The lens that I have is a Quantaray 28-90mm 1:3.5-5.6 Macro AF lens. On it also shows a number 055. Is that the size of filter I need? Thank you for your input.
You don't need to get a filter specific to your Nikon. Having said that, i would also add that a filter is surely not a filter! What i mean is that there are many brands of filters and the quality does differ from one to the other. You can get good filters and you can get great filters. I would recommend Cokin and also Hoya. Yes the number seems to suggest that you need a 55mm filter. You could also look on the side of the lens rather than the top. Sometimes the filter size is given on the side in (mm) millimeters. Good luck.
Here is the specs for your lens. Yes, you do need a 55mm filter. Quantaray 28-90mm f/3.5-5.6 AF Zoom Lens Specifications * Focal Length: 28-90mm * Focus Type: AutoFocus * Aperture Type: Variable/Automatic * Aperture Range: F3.5 - 22 (at 28mm) F5.6-22 (at 90mm) * Optical Construction: 8 Elements in 7 Groups * Minimum Focus: 0.7 meters * Angle of View: 75:4 - 27.0 degrees * Magnification: 1:4.4 * Filter Size: 55mm * Dimensions: 2.74 x 2.95 inches (69.5x75mm) * Weight: 9. Oz. (260 grams)
Thank you behrad and Digidave for the information. It has helped me. One more question. Can you use filters that are for film cameras with digital cameras as long as it is the correct size? Thank you.
absolutely. You appear to be a novice(No Offense), much like myself. So I thought I would include a couple of links to some photography forums. I have been checking them out the past couple of weeks & they have been very helpful to me just reading through them. Sometimes it gets a little to technical for me but helpful non-the-less. On the Photo-Net site, just hover your mouse over the Forums tab to get a full list of all the different forums. Good Luck & have fun!!! http://photographytips.webonthefly.com/forums/index.cfm? http://www.photo.net/community/
Good call getting a filter for your lenses. They may save you a lot of grief (and cash) down the road.
