UV & Warming filters for colour film

[thefizz]

I exclusively shoot B&W film at home and only ever use colour on the odd occasion like when on holidays abroad. So my question is this, what filters would be handy for colour landscape work?

I hear a lot of of people mention UV and warming filters but I'm not sure are they necessary. I know some people use a UV to protect the lens but I'm not interested in that. Would a UV or warming filter be useful for seascapes and mountain landscapes?

Thanks,
Peter

 

[keithwms]

At higher altitude (10,000 ft+) a UV-blocking filter starts to make sense. Many films are quite sensitive well into the UV.

At the sea, a UV filter might keep mist or fine sand off your lens, but it's doing ~nothing with regard to UV blocking: the relative amount of UV with respect to visible blues at sea level and lower altitudes is small. So then deciding whether to colour filter is mostly an issue of [visible] colour temp.

 

[Sanjay Sen]

To the first part of your question: I find a Polarizer useful in certain situations, and that is the filter I use the most for color. I also have a couple of warming filters that I've used a few times. I've seen some early morning seascapes shot with warming filters to good effect.

UV filters are supposedly useful for reducing haze (over water, for example) but I wouldn't know from experience as I don't use them.

 

[thefizz]

Thank you both. I have a polarizer but don't like what it does to blue skies when taken at altitude so maybe the UV would be better in that situation.

 

[Lee Shively]

Are you shooting negative or transparency color?

UV's don't usually do much to improve photos. I just use them to protect the lenses. When I shot color (it was always transparencies), I used several strengths of warming filters--1A, 81A, 81B, 81C. Of those, the 81A was about the most useful and it was unnecessary most of the time. It only became handy in shade on clear days. The warmer filters on autumn scenes can look nice but can be overdone.

If you're shooting negative color, you probably can live without any filters. Color negatives are corrected during the printing.

 

[Gary Holliday]

As Lee says, you would not normally use filters if using neg film, you pass those instructions onto the printer. Useful for tranny film. I have the whole collection of warm up filters which I'll occasionally use when I occasionally shoot colour!

 

[David Henderson]

The filters I use most when using colour are neutral density grads, especially when working with slide film as I most often do. I use warming filters much less than I once did - and probably only in the colour correction sense on grey days and in shade rather than to give a photograph a warm tint. The only time I have use for a UV filter is on the beach or in blowing sand. Partly this is protection, but on the beach in spray it gives me twice as many shots before I have to stop and clean something.

 

[thefizz]

I'll be shooting mostly colour neg film and any big enlargements I want will be wet printed, so I guess no need for filters here. I may shoot a little transparency film also, so maybe a set of neutral density grads are worth getting.

Thanks,
Peter

 

[Mick Fagan]

Peter, there can be a nice difference when using warming filters (or any filters for that matter) with colour negative film and wet printing.

Assuming your printing situation is that you have achieved good colour balance in the darkroom, filters do help in certain situations.

If you are doing a landscape where significant parts of the picture are in open shade, whilst other equally important sections are in full sun, then to help matters in the darkroom and to kill the cold bluish open shadow areas, I add an 81A or an 81C. My 81A is 200K warmer and decreases exposure by 1/3 of a stop. My 81C is 400K warmer and decreases exposure by 2/3 of a stop.

Basically you can just do straight printing without worrying very much about changing filtration to offset the bluish cast. They aren't very noticeable on the direct sunlight sections of the picture, but they certainly do remove the bluish tinge.

I find that I nearly always use the 81C.

The 81C with colour neg film will also make great outdoor portraits with pale white skin. The times I have used that filter on portraits, the sitters have been quite enthusiastic about the results.

Mick.

 

[CBG]

It really depends upon whether your photographs work for you with or without warming filtration. For transparency film, especially if you are shooting in skylit shadow areas, warming may make sense for you. For negatives, they are of questionable necessity.

C

 

[davetravis]

Hi Pete,
Not sure how high yur hills are over there, but I don't bother with uv below 5k.
Warming is good, but adds to yur film warmth...
GND's, and splits work fine.