Using Rubylith For Homemade Red Filter. Will It Work?

I would like to use a red filter on my Agfa Isola (slip on series adapter & hood) for my B&W shooting. There's some leftover Rubylith from my safelight homemade filter. Will this work if I cut it down for a red filter on the Isola? It looks about the same as your usual camera lens red filter to me.

Should be fine. For modern, panchromatic film there is nothing magic in using red for the filter. Except for possibly cutting the amount of light bouncing into the camera the filter doesn't do anything.
If the camera doesn't have an opaque cover for the window you should probably add a piece of black tape to put over it in between shots.

Yes. I do it with my Dianas. Here's one, using Rubylith:

As Bdial says, Rubylith should be good for covering the frame number window. I would expect a loss of sharpness when using Rubylith over a good lens. It may be good enough for a Diana.

I'm remembering Rubylith as having a slightly matte finish on the ruby side, which would not be very desirable. However, I confess I probably haven't bought any since the 1970s, so it may be different today!

I have some for paper plane masking and mine is matte (well, sort of semi-matte pearl) - used it forever in pre-mac graphics arts, and don't recall ever using gloss. The ruby tape was glossy though. I think the stuff is matte so you can sketch lines on it with a pencil?

For darkroom/B&W safety - yep, red seems to be red. I use red spiral party bulbs in my darkoom, 2 of them in metal reflectors bounced off the ceiling - it's like daytime in there, but no fog. I mean, it's scary-bright for a darkroom!

I'm just looking to darken the skies, accentuate the clouds, and give more contrast than my yellow filter gives bdial. I'll have to experiment to figure out the filter factor, but assuming that it works like a store bought filter, 2 stops ought to work. The camera's shutter only goes to 1/100 (which is actually a bit optimistic on mine), and it's tough to not overexpose the film when I shoot at the beach.

The rubylith that I have is the peel off type that can either remain stuck to its base, which would lower the IQ as J.J. mentioned, or it can be peeled off and stuck to something else. For my safelight, I stuck it to a piece of plexi. My scheme is to peel off a little piece to stick to a series V UV filter that's already here, because the cheapest red filters that I see available are $10 to $20, which is a little nuts. Sounds like it will work. Thanks guys.

Don't ever underestimate the power of a good, cheap Diana lens. This shot is not as nice, or as pictorial, as eddie's beautiful tree, but it sure is sharp!

My guess is that the Rubylith will cut out a lot more than a normal red filter. That's what it's for.

john_s said:

My guess is that the Rubylith will cut out a lot more than a normal red filter. That's what it's for.

Click to expand...

I think this is right. If you want to try it with IR film you might be on to something. I don't know how you would factor it.