most used filters for B&W?

[stradibarrius]

I have a polorizer and several ND filters. I was thinking either an orange or red and was leaning toward the orange. It seems that orange is better for the "first" colored filter. I can start playing with it and go from there.

 

[2F/2F]

Which ones are the most useful for achieving what end?

 

[Don Wallace]

Yellow-green for me. Then orange, sometimes red, green, polarizer and yellow (the latter especially with snow pics).

Johnny, as one Canadian to another, tell me more about yellow filters and snow (not yellow snow - I know enough not to eat it). I can't seem to get snow right, especially on overcast days.

 

[stradibarrius]

Good question Don!

 

[Jeff Kubach]

I use the yellow, orange and than red.

Jeff

 

[pgomena]

Usually a #8 yellow, maybe a #12 yellow, occasionally a "light" red (B&W equivalent of a 23A as opposed to #25), maybe a light yellow-green (#11 equivalent). Polarizer alone or in combination with the others depending on the situation. I keep a 3-stop ND filter in my kit for the occasional time when I want to drag the exposure a bit. Would like a heavier ND, say 10 stops, for really dragging water or giving water some softer effect in broad daylight. I've found my taste in sky filtration to have lightened a bit over time. I think the haze of distance is a good thing in many instances.

Peter Gomena

 

[Jim Chinn]

Yellow #s 8 and 12. I went through a phase were I used a 23A or #25 red for the skies in some shots but I rarely use them now unless I specifically am shooting only cloud formations.

 

[juan]

K2
juan

 

[johnnywalker]

Johnny, as one Canadian to another, tell me more about yellow filters and snow (not yellow snow - I know enough not to eat it). I can't seem to get snow right, especially on overcast days.

Don, I read somewhere that a yellow filter will help differentiate the faint shadows in snow. I tried it and it seems to work so I leave the yellow filter on as a standard filter most of the winter. I'm not sure how well it would work on completely shadowless days. And, it makes the yellow snow disappear!

 

[juan]

The yellow filter works because the snow is reflecting a lot of blue light.
juan

 

[Q.G.]

Rather because the shadows reflect mainly blue sky light, while the rest reflects everything.


I don't use filters much, but when it's mostly yellow or orange, or yellow-green.

 

[Stuart Turnbull]

I use a polariser and a red filter mainly, sometimes I use them together with often fab dramatic results

 

[Sirius Glass]

This is my experience too. Sometimes neutral density filters also

Instead of buying neutral density filters, I just put on another film back with slower film.

Steve

 

[Ian David]

Instead of buying neutral density filters, I just put on another film back with slower film.

Steve

That's good until you want something 3 stops slower than Delta 100 (or PanF)