Filters for B&W

[perkeleellinen]

I had good success with a green filter shooting in woodland. I use an orange to flatter skin and a red to increase sky contrast.

 

[nworth]

The basic set is medium yellow (Wratten #8), yellow-green (#11), and red (#25). The #8 filter is basic. It darkens the sky a bit and corrects the color rendition so that things stand out better. The #11 is particularly useful for foliage, which it lightens a bit. The #25 is usually used for dramatic sky effects, but is also handy as a contrast filter to lighten reds and oranges or darken blues. All these filters also filter out ultraviolet light and help control haze. A polarizer is very handy for sky effects and to control reflections. I find an orange filter (#15) very useful in the desert and red rock country. Some people find a stringer yellow filter (#12, for instance) useful. It gives more sky darkening and haze penetration than the #8. Some like to use a full green filter (#61), but I see it as a contrast filter mostly. If you look at a scene through a filter, you can get a pretty good idea of what its effects will be. (This takes a bit of practice, but you will learn quickly.)

 

[Andrew Horodysky]

The basic set is medium yellow (Wratten #8), yellow-green (#11), and red (#25). The #8 filter is basic. It darkens the sky a bit and corrects the color rendition so that things stand out better. The #11 is particularly useful for foliage, which it lightens a bit. The #25 is usually used for dramatic sky effects, but is also handy as a contrast filter to lighten reds and oranges or darken blues. All these filters also filter out ultraviolet light and help control haze. A polarizer is very handy for sky effects and to control reflections. I find an orange filter (#15) very useful in the desert and red rock country. Some people find a stringer yellow filter (#12, for instance) useful. It gives more sky darkening and haze penetration than the #8. Some like to use a full green filter (#61), but I see it as a contrast filter mostly. If you look at a scene through a filter, you can get a pretty good idea of what its effects will be. (This takes a bit of practice, but you will learn quickly.)

I concur with this selection and use(s), fully. The yellow-green, I also use for portraits.

Andrew

 

[Q.G.]

The yellow-green (11) does what a yellow (8) filter does as well as lighten foliage.

 

[kevs]

I generally use a 25 A red, which nicely accentuates a moody English sky. For portraits, I don't use a filter, unless there's a specific reason to affect the skin tones.

 

[Martin Aislabie]

And what i need for very strong sunny day dusty and flat sky?

There isn't much that is going to help you when you get the "White Skies" after a dust storm.

However, when the skies have cleared a bit an Orange or Red filter will help to put some tone back in the skies.

An Orange filter should also lighten the orange/red sand you guys have a bit too - so reducing the overall contrast.

Shooting early in the morning or late in the evening might also help a bit.

Overall, unfortunately, you are going to be seriously challenged

Martin

 

[TareqPhoto]

There isn't much that is going to help you when you get the "White Skies" after a dust storm.

However, when the skies have cleared a bit an Orange or Red filter will help to put some tone back in the skies.

An Orange filter should also lighten the orange/red sand you guys have a bit too - so reducing the overall contrast.

Shooting early in the morning or late in the evening might also help a bit.

Overall, unfortunately, you are going to be seriously challenged

Martin

In all cases, i don't shoot much outdoor in the summer here when it is very hot and humid and the sky is flat and mostly dusty, i just wait months until the things clearing a bit.

 

[JPD]

Light-yellow (5) is a standard filter for me, both in summer and winter. It darkens a light blue sky a little, and gives better details in snow, and don't make skin tones too light. The filter factor is only a half stop with pan films, and one stop with ortho films.

Yellow-green (11) or Rolleifilter Grün-Hell, is a filter I like to use in the summer. It darkens the sky and lightens foliage, and gives more detail on skin. Also good when you have a dog-friend with a reddish fur that you want to darken against the green grass.

Medium-Yellow (8), another standard filter for darker skies.

Yellow-Orange (16), darkens the sky even more, without looking surreal, and cuts through haze. Great filter to use for sharp landscapes and in the mountain areas.

 

[johnnywalker]

I recently took long (12km) hike in a nearby mountain park, with my RB67, 2 lenses and a bunch of filters. The forest is sub-alpine, and the foilage on the trees is very dark green. I thought I'd try out my green filter with the hopes of lightening the foliage and darkening the sky. In fact, it was quite a cloudy day. I used up 4 rolls of film. Almost all the shots were with the green filter (A sunpak "PO1", bought used). I used a filter factor of 4, and opened up 2 stops). To my surprise the trees are almost black. All of the negatives with the filter are a bit underexposed, but except for the trees I could probably work with them. On researching it further it seems I should have used 2 1/2 stops (6 ff), but half a stop out shouldn't have this much effect - or so I would have thought. I arrived at the 2 stop figure by using a light meter with and without the filter in front of it.
Does anybody have any thoughts as to what is going on here?
The film is Pan F, developed 16 min in Perceptol 1+2.
Is there any website that has all of the filter factors for the different manufacturers? I can't even find a source for Tiffen filter factors. Hoya publishes theirs, but that's about all I can find.
Incidentally, on the way out (mostly uphill on rough terrain) I swore I would never do this again with that heavy a camera, but time dims bad memories, so I may change my mind.

 

[2F/2F]

I recently took long (12km) hike in a nearby mountain park, with my RB67, 2 lenses and a bunch of filters. The forest is sub-alpine, and the foilage on the trees is very dark green. I thought I'd try out my green filter with the hopes of lightening the foliage and darkening the sky. In fact, it was quite a cloudy day. I used up 4 rolls of film. Almost all the shots were with the green filter (A sunpak "PO1", bought used). I used a filter factor of 4, and opened up 2 stops). To my surprise the trees are almost black. All of the negatives with the filter are a bit underexposed, but except for the trees I could probably work with them. On researching it further it seems I should have used 2 1/2 stops (6 ff), but half a stop out shouldn't have this much effect - or so I would have thought. I arrived at the 2 stop figure by using a light meter with and without the filter in front of it.
Does anybody have any thoughts as to what is going on here?
Is there any website that has all of the filter factors for the different manufacturers? I can't even find a source for Tiffen filter factors. Hoya publishes theirs, but that's about all I can find.
Incidentally, on the way out (mostly uphill on rough terrain) I swore I would never do this again with that heavy a camera, but time dims bad memories, so I may change my mind.

Because of the overcast weather, you were left with primarily cool colors exposing your film. This slows it a little bit, first of all.

Then, and primarily, the green filter I know of (#58) is actually designed as a color separation filter, so it has a sharp cutoff. Therefore, only green light exposes your film with that filter. Since most of the light at the scene was bluish, and the filter blocks blue, you were left with a very tiny amount of light exposing your film.

 

[2F/2F]

What filters do you guys use with B&W film? I heard that yellow was useful for all weathers and red for darker skies...anything else?

I don't use filters often. My most used is the Hoya XO, which is roughly a Wratten #11 equivalent. It darkens blues a tiny bit and lightens greens a tiny bit. I think it makes b/w pix look more like what the eye sees. If I can spare the speed, I will use one if I am using a rangefinder camera, but I am annoyed by shooting with filters when using an SLR. It is the only filter that I go out of my way to get in the proper size for direct fitting to almost all of my lenses (sans large format lenses). I have one in 52mm, 55mm, 58mm, 72mm, and 77mm. (I do use a step up ring to 52 for my older Mamiya lenses with the 39.5mm filter threads, or whatever crazy size they are.) Supposedly they have some utility shot under tungsten illumination as well, but I have never tried them this way.

My next most used would be the Hoya R72, on either HIE (I have about four rolls left.), Efke IR820C, or Rollei IR.

Then, blue, since Ilford Ortho is only available in 4x5 format. I don't use the proper blue filter, though. I use a color conversion filter (#80A) designed for color film. I prefer this one to the true blue filter (color separation, #47) because: A. I already have it, and B. it does not completely cut out all the other wavelengths, since it is designed to balance daylight color film for tungsten illumination, so the effect is a bit more subtle.

Next after that is probably orange or yellow. I only have these in Series VI size, though.

 

[mike c]

2F/2F,what results are you getting with the blue filter on the Ortho film

 

[johnnywalker]

Because of the overcast weather, you were left with primarily cool colors exposing your film. This slows it a little bit, first of all.

Then, and primarily, the green filter I know of (#58) is actually designed as a color separation filter, so it has a sharp cutoff. Therefore, only green light exposes your film with that filter. Since most of the light at the scene was bluish, and the filter blocks blue, you were left with a very tiny amount of light exposing your film.

This is not one of those occasions where I think, "I should have thought of that"! There seem to be a few green filters, but which is the Wratten no. for a "PO1" beats me. What you say makes sense, and I think I'll just be thankful I got it cheap and leave it at home from now on. Thanks!

 

[ZorkiKat]

An Illustrated Example for using filters for BW:

Dead Link Removed

 

[Dali]

Thanks ZorkiKat, it is a very useful comparison! I have to browse more often your site...

 

[2F/2F]

2F/2F,what results are you getting with the blue filter on the Ortho film

I probably wasn't clear enough. I don't use the blue filter on Ilford Ortho. I use it (80A) on regular panchromatic film in formats other than 4x5 (since that, and I believe 8x10, are the only formats in which I have found the emulsion), when I want the film to look more orthochromatic.

I haven't tried Efke/Adox Ortho yet, or Rollei's, but I intend to!

 

[CBG]

Blue filter w/ ortho film would result in the effect of a very old fashioned "color blind" blue only sensitive film by getting rid of the green light that also affects ortho. Ortho is sensitive to UV, blue and green light. I believe it would darken foliage dramatically, but I haven't tried it myself.

 

[2F/2F]

Blue filter w/ ortho film would result in the effect of a very old fashioned "color blind" blue only sensitive film by getting rid of the green light that also affects ortho. Ortho is sensitive to UV, blue and green light. I believe it would darken foliage dramatically, but I haven't tried it myself.

...but a well-made color separation blue filter (i.e. one with negligible "leakage") would do the same thing on panchromatic film.

 

[DWThomas]

This guy has quite a list out there, but alas, I see no PO1. My impression is that some yellow/green filters with designations like X1 or X2 might do what you want. I admit to having acquired a few of such items to fit some of my cameras, but alas, haven't really tried them out - My GAS got ahead of my laboratory work!

 

[mike c]

I probably wasn't clear enough. I don't use the blue filter on Ilford Ortho. I use it (80A) on regular panchromatic film in formats other than 4x5 (since that, and I believe 8x10, are the only formats in which I have found the emulsion), when I want the film to look more orthochromatic.

I haven't tried Efke/Adox Ortho yet, or Rollei's, but I intend to!

Ok,did not think there was much of an advantage.tank you.

 

[johnnywalker]

This guy has quite a list out there, but alas, I see no PO1. My impression is that some yellow/green filters with designations like X1 or X2 might do what you want. I admit to having acquired a few of such items to fit some of my cameras, but alas, haven't really tried them out - My GAS got ahead of my laboratory work!

Thanks, that's just what I was looking for. I suspect the PO1 is a Sunpak designation who's true characteristics are known only to Sunpak. If I had bought the filter new, I'm sure some good information would have come with it.

I normally have the yellow-green (Hoya G (X0)) on my lens when outdoors, but I was hoping for something a little more dramatic by using the green. The article you linked to points out that the effect of green filters is often less than expected because of film's lower sensitivity to green. This fact coupled with 2F/2F's explanation makes sense of my experience.