I'm new to DSLR photography and I am looking to pick up a diffusion filter to shoot some candid wedding photos inside a church (I am not the "hired" photographer - just an amateur in the pews). I like the look diffusion filters offer, but I am confused over whether the Black Diffusion Filter or the Digital Diffusion Filter is the way to go. I'm also not sure whether I should be looking at FX 3 or one of the other degrees of diffusion. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Equipment: I'm shooting a Olympus E-520 with a Metz 48 AF-1 Flash, but I don't think I can use flash during the ceremony.
these days, i would never get a diffusion filter unless it was hugely discounted. post processing is much easier and much more flexible. if you want to get fancy, buying the Tiffen dfx software gives you their entire filter suite in digital form for the cost af about 4 of their physical filters in larger sizes.
Howard & Herb - thanks very much for the advice. I'll skip the filter for now. I'll also look into the Tiffen software you mention. I appreciate your time and willingness to share your expertise.
In the past, the Hassleblad Softar2 filter was often used for a very nice general diffusion. With a Softar1, you could stack them for a number3 effect. Using adapter rings, you can Softers to fit different lenses.
The black nylon filter can serve as a light subtracting type of filter. Stretching a white nylon stocking over a filter with retaining ring, you can create a filter that sprays the light. Filters like a D1 are great for headshot portraits but it takes a D2 to start to see real diffusion. Fog2 anf Fog3 filters are very interesting and can leave bits of blue spray in highligts. Double Fog filters don't show that blue fog haze. I still have all of these but in Photoshop you use Gaussian blur and avoid the extra expense and messing around changing filters at the wedding.
