Filter Combination Question

[Andy K]

I have a few favourite filters I use, ie. yellow, orange or red filters when shooting bw, UV or polarising when shooting colour. I rarely use any others.

My question is this, does anyone use multiple filter combinations on their lens?(for example a polariser over a UV or even over a colour). What combinations have you used and why?

Just curious!

 

[Nige]

polariser and red to drop as many shutter speeds as possible.

 

[Lee Shively]

Although I haven't shot more than a couple of rolls of color in the last year, I have used an 81B + polarizer combination and a Tiffen Enhancing Filter + polarizer. The warming/polarizer combo is available in a single filter. The use of the enhancing filter with a polarizer has limited applications. I've also used a graduated neutral density filter with warming and polarizing filters. For black and white, I also have only used the red + polarizer combination. It makes for some interesting night effects in full sunlight.

 

[Helen B]

When shooting transparency film for documentary work, I've used a combination of magenta and CT (colour temperature) filters in fluorescent light. I normally do that by combining a normal screw-in glass filter with a Wratten gelatine (or Lee polyester) filter held inside. This avoids the creation of too many parallel glass-air surfaces (the gelatine/polyester filter will never be flat) and it lessens the chance of cut-off in the corners. (I do documentary work with a rangefinder, so I can't really use a Lee/Cokin type filter system.)

Which filter is which depends on what I have available - though usually the gelatine/polyester is the magenta correction and the glass is the temperature correction. You can often get away with approximate temperature correction in situations where the green-magenta balance needs to good - I couldn't justify having a complete set of glass CC magenta filters for all my lenses, so I only carry 10 M and 20 M in glass. (You'll never achieve 'correct' colour balance with many real-world fluorescent lights because the emission spectrum has sharp spikes that cannot be corrected with dye-type filters.)

I only do the two-filter thing as a last resort - I don't mind the character of the illumination showing in the slide, so usually stick to an approximate correction for the magenta (hence the 10 M and 20 M filters), and let the temperature be what it is - after choosing between tungsten and daylight film.

I use two filters more often in the movies, though I avoid doing so if I can, but that's a different story. Even the parallel surface problem is more easily solved when using a matte box.

Best,
Helen

 

[sparx]

I have used a polariser with yellow & orange filters for B&W. Not sure if it was worth losing a couple of stops for though. On occasion i have used a grad blue and a grad orange going opposite to each other (if you see what i mean). for landscape shots.

 

[Andy K]

Any chance of seeing one of those those landscapes Sparx old bean? In fact any examples would be interesting to see folks!

 

[mark]

I regularly stacked a polarisor and an 81 a warming filter for color landscape, until I bought a warming polarisor. That and a Cokin split density filter are all I use if any filter for color work. With BW I have staked the various colors with a loarisor. Nothing funky on this end. Most of the time I foget that I have the filters with me.

 

[Ed Sukach]

... (You'll never achieve 'correct' colour balance with many real-world fluorescent lights because the emission spectrum has sharp spikes that cannot be corrected with dye-type filters.)

Very true re: fluorescent light spectra. "Bumpy" and all over the place. One partial remedy is a Tiffen "FL-D" filter, approximating something of a correction. I bought one of those in a panic, when I found that I was forced to work under fluorescents. Interestingly, I like the color *cast* - aesthetically - for some daylight illumination, and will use it when the mood strikes.

 

[gma]

There was a post several months ago of some tombstones with a church in the background. Red and polaraizer filters were combined to produce a spectacularly black sky and as previously mentioned, a rather night effect in full daylight.

 

[Thomassauerwein]

I always have 2 filters for b/w work and about 1/2 the time with color. I've found it important to split them up with one the rear of the lense and the second on the front. I don't remember why I had to start doing that but my guess is because of vignetting. I try not to use gels but if I have to I always put that filter behind the lense.