Warming Filter

[PhotoBob]

If you were going to choose only one warming filter 81a,b, or c which one would you choose?
If you primarily were interested in landscapes with the occasionally portrait.
Is there one you would choose for overall versatility?
Thank you

 

[naturephoto1]

Hi Bob,

I believe that most people might choose an 81B (I have an 81A, but many may consider this too mild) or if they got a Tiffen an 812 (I have one and it has more warmth than an 81A [though more orange and less pink]) or if they purchased a Singh-Ray an A13. At this point I have switched mainly to the Cokin P series size even for my 4 x 5 large format lenses though I also have the Lee system for some filters. I use the expensive Cokin P size Singh-Ray filters in this case the A13 and compliment the Singh-Ray with the slightly less expensive Lee filters in the same size.

Rich

 

[roteague]

I would agree with Rich. Either an 81B or a Tiffen 812. One option to look at is a Tiffen Warm Polarizer (812 + polarizer) - it is my most often used combination.

 

[Mick Fagan]

Bob, I have all three of these filters. Hoya glass to be precise.

Eventually I nearly always choose the 81C. Portraits look really good, especially with very light skin colour early in the mornings.

Think weddings and the wedding party standing out of direct sunlight and one immediately gets cool tones from the blue sky. Pictures with with the 81C were always the ones chosen. This was even though I used C41 and did my own printing, which looked quite correct, that said, the 81C prints just looked better.

I lose 2/3 of a stop with the 81C as opposed to 1/3 of a stop with the 81A. The 81B is somewhere inbetween.

I also used the 81C filter a lot in the bush, and my country is quite warmish in it's earthen colours anyway, but things just look better.

Mick.

 

[noseoil]

I tend to use the 81B (what I have, based on a friend's use) here in Tucson. The 81B and polarizer is a winning combination in the desert. Please remember, the light here tends to be a bit harsh and shadow values are usually well lit by cloudless, cold blue skies. I use this combination with saturated e6 films (Velvia, E100VS, E100SW, etc.) Best, tim

 

[naturephoto1]

Hi Bob,

As Robert mentioned and Tim suggested, use of a warming filter with a polarizer can be very valuable. That is why the filter makers have come up with warm polarizing filters. That way there are fewer air/glass interfaces. So rather than using the warming filter and a polarizer as Tim has mentioned, it is preferable to use a single warm polarizer such as the Tiffen warm Polarizer (Tiffen 812 + Polarizer as Robert has mentioned. All the major filter makers including Tiffen, Hoya, B + W, Heliopan, and Singh-Ray have their own versions of these filters. I have the Tiffen, the older Singh-Ray and the new Singh-Ray Lighter Brighter Warm Polarizing filter. The new Singh-Ray filter is expensive, but allows much more light through and as a result has less exposure correction. This is particularly valuable with slower large format lenses and when focusing with the filter on the View Camera.

Rich

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

I like the KR series filters from Heliopan and B+W, which are a more pure red than the 81-series. I probably use KR 1.5 (which is approx 81A) most often in open shade or if it's overcast, KR 3 outdoors on an overcast day with the combination of shade, and KR 6 for, say, an indoor shot on an overcast day with window light.

Generally I like warming filters to correct the light back to neutral. I don't like the obvious look of a warming filter.

 

[PhotoBob]

Thanks

Thank you all for the input.
I really appreciate it

 

[Baxter Bradford]

In scenic shots, I use an inverted Lee 81B soft grad the most. Thus I get to warm up the ground, but do not adversely affect colour of the sky. This filter is used in conjuction with ND grads and/or polariser.

With a smallish from lens element, you can pull it all the way across for a full 81B filter.

For detail shots with no sky I think that you really need to have a choice: none, 81B and 81D and very occasionally in very flat cold light, an 85C. Holding up the filters in turn soon shows which will work best. Get the colour temp wrong and the image looks far worse than if you correctly address this issue.

 

[EdR]

Another vote for the inverted warming graduated filter here. I dislike the effect that a uniform amber 81 series filter often has on clouds and skies which I find can be muddied and look a bit unnatural. The two warming filters I use the most are an inverted 81b grad and coral 2 grad (usually with an ND grad over the sky: I actually have had a couple of custom Lee's made which combine an 81 series and a 2 stop ND grad on the same filter). The coral is, as you would expect, pinker and I find can be useful for autumnal foreground colours. I would always err on the side of caution with warm-ups - subtle enhancement is the key for me!

Cheers,
Ed

 

[roteague]

Another vote for the inverted warming graduated filter here.

That brings up a good point. Consideration needs to be given to the location where you will do most of your photography. Where I live (Hawaii) I would never use anything stronger than an 81B, but some places like England, you often need something stronger. Likewise, I see no need for a split warming filter, but obviously as you and Baxter have pointed out, they are valuable in England.

 

[EdR]

I find myself using them in many locations, Robert, home and away! I find that landscape images with lots of sky often betray the use of a warm-up by slightly muddying the blues and causing the clouds to take on a colour cast. Sometimes, of course this may be desirable e.g. at dawn or dusk! But outside the golden hours, it is usually only the foreground reflected light that I like to enhance and I use a grad probably 95% of the time.

Maybe I'm just weird...

 

[roteague]

Perhaps Ed, but I've never found a use for the split warming filter. Either here in Hawaii, or in Australia.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Color grads can be interesting for B&W. A tobacco grad will darken and increase contrast in the sky, like an orange filter, without changing the rendition of the landscape.