Viewing filter for B&W photographers?

[jay moussy]

I keep "The Amateur Photographer's Handbook" (A. Sussman) by my beside, and last night, I discovered that there are such things as viewing filters, used by B&W photographers, to preview the monochrome scene, it seems.

Did I understand this right? Are they in use at all?
I never heard of them before, but I now see a few on online vendor sites.

 

[BrianShaw]

I have a couple that were bought in the 1980’s. They have very rarely been used.

 

[Kino]

I have two; one for color and one for B&W. I think they were made by "Peak" and look like a folding magnifier.

Like Brian says, they are only marginally useful and most people stop using them shortly after purchase.

You can do roughly the same with a .60 to .90 ND filter briefly held up to your eye to avoid adaptation.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I had one, it was easier to use my imagination.

 

[Pieter12]

You can a similar idea of how an image will look in monochrome (albeit not black and white) by wiping though almost any medium color filter such as amber, yellow or orange.

 

[Maris]

The classic viewing filter for black and white photography is the Wratten #90, a dark amber shade. In use it is brought up to the eye for a quick glance rather than a long stare. The eye/brain complex adapts quickly and tends to cancel perception of the filter effect.

 

[Nicholas Lindan]

Blue filters were used as viewing filters in the days of blue sensitive film. A cyan filter would work for orthochromatic film, I imagine, though cyan filters aren't very common outside a Rosco theatrical filter sampler pack and not even then. A very deep blue/purple filter would work as a viewing filter for wet plate & tin-type.