Appreciation post: The Orion Nebula photo that changed my mind about filters

I used to think light pollution filters were just a gimmick. But last month at a star party near Mount Pinos, someone let me look at their stacked image of M42 through a narrowband filter. The detail in the dust lanes and the red hydrogen clouds just popped out, way better than my unfiltered shots. I spent the next week reading up and bought a dual-band filter for my DSLR. Now I can shoot from my backyard in suburban Denver and get decent pictures. Has anyone else had a similar moment where a filter really sold you on something you doubted before?

3 comments

3 Comments

smith.ray23d agoProlific Poster

Appreciation post" huh? I feel like I need a filter for my HOUSE before I even think about astrophotography, because my neighbors keep leaving their porch lights on all night. I picked up a cheap clip-in UV filter once thinking it would magically fix everything, and all I got was a blurry blob of nothing. Glad the nebula shot actually convinced you, I might finally have to break down and try one of those fancy dual-band things.

evan_jenkins22d ago

That UV filter was never going to help with light pollution, and I bet the box didn't actually say it would. Those things are mostly for protecting the front glass element from scratches or dust, not for blocking out porch lights. You really need a narrowband filter that only lets through very specific wavelengths, like the hydrogen-alpha emission lines that nebulae give off. A dual-band approach like the one you mentioned would be the right direction, since it cuts through all that artificial sky glow and just shows the gas clouds. Just make sure you get one that matches your camera sensor size, a clip-in for a DSLR or one that screws into your filter drawer if you have one.

amyh211d ago

People are way too serious about this stuff sometimes. A UV filter is just a lens cap that takes pictures, not magic. @smith.ray you basically fell for the packaging hype, happens to everyone. Those dual band filters are overkill for just wanting your neighbors to turn off a light. Half the time you could just ask them nicely or get some blackout curtains for your setup spot. Its a cool hobby but you don't need a science experiment to take a decent photo of the moon.