[sinus007]

Hi,
In a couple of months I'm going on vacation and planning to torture my family and friends by taking pictures on a beach. Therefore I'm looking for any advise/suggestions from gurus on this forum.
How useful and/or needed are UV and CPL filters in this setting?
Any other tips and tricks will be appreciated.
Thank you very much,

[GerryL]

Hmmm..only advise from gurus.
I guess, I'm not included in that and don't consider myself a guru.
Maybe somebody here would reply and consider themselves a guru.

[sinus007]

GerryL,
You're too modest. Ok, let me rephrase: "... advise/suggestions from anyone with experience..."
Thanks again,

[RioRico]

Salt and sand and humidity are not your friends, so pack and use your good gear accordingly. But be sure to take along a waterproof cam, capable of withstanding at least a couple meters' pressure, for splashing and diving and sneaking up under swimmers.

[Marc Sabatella]

UV, schmuvee - but I agree, salt and sand are not your friends. The beach is the only place I use a protective filter.

Aside from that. expect the bright sun and reflections to fool the meter big time and that you'll need positive exposure compensation. And no matter how careful you think you are, expect at least half of your pictures to have noticeably tilted horizons that will need correction in PP.

[GerryL]

GerryL,
You're too modest. Ok, let me rephrase: "... advise/suggestions from anyone with experience..."
Thanks again,

See how immediately you got other responses once you asked everyone..
Any advice is good advice whether good or bad.
It would be up to you which of those you have to filter and as to which you can use.

[bdery]

You've got good, weather sealed lenses and a WR body. I'd suggest keeping lenses changing to a minimum when on the beach. The 16-50 is probably your best bet by far. I'd bring it, the 50-135 and the 50.

A UV filter should not be necessary with a WR body, but that's your call. A polarizer can be invaluable, but at wide angles expect gradients in the sky's colouring. It can turn out quite weird. At medium focal lengths however, it will dramatically improve your colours and saturation.

Enjoy your trip!

[brecklundin]

I would also suggest a couple ND filters and a good CPL as well...also, desiccater packets in all your bags and lenses cases, a Rocket Blower to BLOW and sand off the gear don't wipe it off. I would stick with your DA* lenses and just rinse everything off when you get back to a source of fresh water, and the sooner the better...and don't BLAST the water at the gear, use a slow gentle stream because the seals are not pressure seals just weather/water "proofing"...

I won't take my Limited's the the beach period and I live in a place that is lousy with them...beaches, not Limited lenses...

[PentaJP]

Besides the filters mentioned by others, I think an external flash (like Pentax AF540 or 360) will come in handy under strong sun light. I expect I would use fill flash to ease hard shadow casts on my subjects' face.

[openyourap]

Sounds like you'll have fun at least!

Your best beach shots can be in the middle of the day, when the water will look as clear and blue as it is going to get.

+ 1-2EV for sure, and keep the polariser on, knowing that it darkens the sky that is about 90 degrees to the sun the most.

If you're into people shots, but not inclined to use a fill flash, you can get great results under partial shade (think beach umbrella).

I agree totally with those warning about sand and salt. I slide my entire kit into a roll-top dry bag, before jumping on and off small boats, and never change lenses outdoors unless it's dead calm. Get the lens that you want onto the camera before you leave your room/car, and leave the rest of your kit safe and dry. In addition to desecants, keep your room aircon on, and a degree or 2 cooler than normal, with the fan speed low - not great for the environment, but your camera will thank you for the low humidity.

If you like low-light beachscapes, go to the ends of the beach, where there will be rocks and other "interesting" subjects. All of the usual rules apply: tripod, timer, ND filters, low, close, small aperture. Rinse your tripod with fresh water ASAP.

Have a great trip.

[sinus007]

Hi,
Thanks a lot everyone for suggestions.
In addition would like to ask: are there any pro/con to keep CPL on before and during sunset time? (for land/sea-scape and people)
Thanks again,

[bdery]

definitely remove the CPL if you don't plan on using it. It can fool the flash's metering, it will make you loose about a stop, etc.

In fact, you should NOt use a CPL by default. Use it if you plan on using it for a specific purpose, otherwise remove it.

[brecklundin]

Hi,
Thanks a lot everyone for suggestions.
In addition would like to ask: are there any pro/con to keep CPL on before and during sunset time? (for land/sea-scape and people)
Thanks again,

ND filter at sunset/sunrise...maybe, play around with it if you have time....but probably best not to use a CPL, but hey, you can alwasy try it yourself just to see...who knows you might have a shot where you want to clear up some refelections off the water and shoot a sunset/sunrise...

[openyourap]

Hi,
Thanks a lot everyone for suggestions.
In addition would like to ask: are there any pro/con to keep CPL on before and during sunset time? (for land/sea-scape and people)
Thanks again,

Virtues can be weaknesses too

Pros:

• broadens the length of time you can dwell at your ideal aperture and shutter speed;
• reduces your DoF for a given shutter speed (great for portraits if you're using a flash to balance out the low ambient light at sunset);
• You can vary the darkness (density) a little as the sunset deepens, without having to shuffle/swap your ND filters;
• You can control reflections;

Cons:

• forces you to slow down the shutter (or up the ISO), for a given aperture (not so great for people shots using low ambient light);
• reduces your DoF for a given shutter speed (not so great for most landscapes);
• makes your viewfinder much darker, so low light shots are harder to compose;
• minor loss of resolution (though a good one should still let your lens out-resolve your sensor)

[Phil1]

I'm not sure about heat and D cameras, but a lap top locked in the trunk of a dark colored car can be 'toasted'. I don't suppose a D camera would be much differant though I have not heard of it happening. On an automotive air conditioning test trip one summer in Palm Springs, the under the sloping rear window glass location, the temp read 183F! That would cook a prime rib roast.