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most used filters for B&W?

It depends on a few factors. I believe the best filters for B&W are Yellow, Orange and Red, it just depends on which one you want. Yellow allows more light but doesnt create as much contrast as Red but of course Red gives you less light entering the film.
 
Polarizer, orange, red are the most commonly used.

Yellow, green and blue rarely used.

Steve
 
I use medium yellow and orange the most.
 
Yellow for the most part, Red for fun. Film can make a bit of a difference - TMY2 is quite close with no filter to many films with a yellow filter (from what I find) due to less blue sensitivity.
 
Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8330/4.3.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/105)

Filter use really depends on the particular subject and lighting, but generally I use dark yellow and yellow-green for increased contrast (red is too much in my opinion). I also use a polarizer in glare situations and a 6-stop neutral density filter for slowing water.
 
Yellow or orange. Using a yellow filter improves your lens with b&w film. Makes it more apochromatic, only one color
 
A 3-1/2 Kodak Polycontrast filter.
 
A medium yellow filter (Wratten 8 or equivalent) is probably the most useful. It controls the sky nicely. I've found that a yellow-green (Wratten 11 or equivalent, not real green) is very useful with foliage. In my part of the country (dessert, red rocks) and orange filter is quite useful. Red filters don't get used that much, but they are needed sometimes in contrast situations and when really dramatic skies are called for. Blue is definitely only for very special uses, generally commercial and industrial contrast situations. You can us a blue filter to imitate the old, non-color sensitive films.
 
Yellow-green for me. Then orange, sometimes red, green, polarizer and yellow (the latter especially with snow pics).
 
Blue doesn't get used often with outdoor photography as most people want to darken blue skies, not lighten them.

However, blue (80B) does have a place with studio photod, especially male portraits. It makes skin get dark and that can look very rugged for male portraits.
 
I believe it really depends on what I consider the "SOUL" of your vision when capturing an image. I use mostly red, 06/09 nd & polarizer.
 
Light-yellow, yellow-green/light-green and orange.
 
In descending order

Yellow/Green
Orange
Medium Yellow
Green
Deep Yellow
Polariser
Red

As "scottmj" says - it depends on your "soul" but also atmospheric conditions

Under the watery skies of the UK, a Red has a significantly different effect than when shooting in the almost waterless atmosphere of say Arizona.

A Deep Yellow filter in the beep blue cloudless skies of the American South West gives about the same effect as a Red filter in the clearest blue sky of the UK.

It takes a while to re-calibrate your eye and brain

Martin
 
I wear a police gear belt which keeps my meter and my most used filtration immediately available. The filters are strong yellow, red, orange, 10 stop nd, 2- 6 stop nd, 4 stop nd, 2 stop nd, 1 stop nd...resin filters are 2 stop nd gradient, 4 stop nd gradient, strong red gradient, strong yellow gradient and strong orange gradient. I use them all....Evan Clarke
 
I have recently bought red, orange and yellow filters for landscape work.

What filter is recommended for female portraiture?
 
Yellow is good for smoothing out skin blemishes – ideal for female portraiture

You could even go as far as orange – but you would have to play with lipstick & make up colours to avoid an unintentional very washed out look

Green or Blue eventuates skin irregularities – gives that rugged “male” look

Martin
 
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