What is your most used filter?

mikeb_z5 · Aug 17, 2004

While browsing some of the images here I saw very few photos that included information on filtration used during exposure. so the questions are:

1. What is your most used filter? For what effect?
2. any examples in your portfolio(or gallery) we can see?

As a relative newcomer here and to photography in general I am often unsure on what filters I should purchase and/or use.

Thanks in advance for your replies,
Mike

Leon · Aug 17, 2004

When I do use a filter (very rarely these days), my faves are an orange to push the contrast up and get some good sky detail in the weedy English light and a yellow/green to get some differentiation in foliage tones- i use them both equally. Saying that, I proabably use a homemade diffusion filter to pre-expose film in high SBRs more than any other.

When i used to take more colour transparency shots, my fave was a ND grad

sparx · Aug 17, 2004

I always have an orange or red filter attached behind a UV. No reason other than I like the results. Sometimes use a polariser or a ND or coloured grad if i'm trying to get exposure times up or balance bright sky/dark ground etc.

David A. Goldfarb · Aug 17, 2004

1.5 stop yellow filter for B&W in one form or another.

jd callow · Aug 17, 2004

40 or 70cc m
ND Grad
Tungsten
florescent

BWGirl · Aug 17, 2004

Hi Mike!
I'm pretty new to photography, and I bought a red (#25) and Orange (YA3) filter after reading about how these do interesting things to clouds and sky. I also have a polarizing filter, but an still experimenting with that one!

I keep a UV filter on my camera all the time and put the other filter over the top when I use them. I have found that I really like how the orange filter exaggerates the clouds in the sky without darking the foliage too much. I want to buy a green filter, too. I've read that it will wash out the green in some foliage and make it look "IRish" hmm... "IR-ish" (not Irish! haha ) .

I have two pics in the Critique Gallery that were shot using an Orange filter. Hope this helps some! It's been really fun experimenting with the filters!
Jeanette

127 · Aug 17, 2004

orange (and definatly red) can be a bit intrusive. I'd kick off with a yellow and consider building from that.

I got some really nice (at least technically) outdoor portrait shots recently with yellow/green - I'll defintaly be trying that more in future.

Ian

juan · Aug 17, 2004

I don't care for the effects of the darker filters, so for B&W I use mostly K-2 and occasionally K-3 (I think that's #6 and #8 in the newer terminology).
juan

david b · Aug 17, 2004

Here in NM, i never take off the light yellow filter. It adds just enough punch and doesn't over do the sky.

roteague · Aug 17, 2004

Without a doubt; a 1 or 2 stop ND Grad (I use it almost daily) and either a warm polarizer or an 81A. Of course, I primarily do color. When doing B&W I am currently only using a yellow filter - plus the ND Grads.

bobfowler · Aug 17, 2004

Probably #6 or #9 would be the most used. #25 wouldn't be too far behind.

mark · Aug 17, 2004

Color-Warming polarizor or an 81a
BW-yellow or orange so far, but red comes in handy for drama.

Aggie · Aug 17, 2004

Ok, this is stupid question #2350. How do you tell what is what by the different manufactueres designation? I have the basic yellow, red, orange filters, but there are many that I'm looking for, and faced with some strange number, I have no clue if it is a yellow green or purple. Any information out there to tell what is what?

Donald Miller · Aug 17, 2004

Aggie said:
Ok, this is stupid question #2350. How do you tell what is what by the different manufactueres designation? I have the basic yellow, red, orange filters, but there are many that I'm looking for, and faced with some strange number, I have no clue if it is a yellow green or purple. Any information out there to tell what is what?

Aggie,

I understand your question and concern. In fact I have had the same concerns. The only way that I know to accurately determine the effects among differing manufacturers is to compare the spectral characteristics of the filter. A manufacturer who is of good repute will have this as published information.

In lieu of that, one can read the filter through the four channels of a color transmission densitometer. In fact, in my opinion, that method is actually more accurate insofar as the filter factors involving additional exposure.

Good luck

mark · Aug 17, 2004

Aggie
When in doubt call the seller and ask. better yet go in and look at them. Then again I am not very picky and stick to the basics.

Shesh · Aug 17, 2004

Aggie said:
Ok, this is stupid question #2350. How do you tell what is what by the different manufactueres designation? I have the basic yellow, red, orange filters, but there are many that I'm looking for, and faced with some strange number, I have no clue if it is a yellow green or purple. Any information out there to tell what is what?

Aggie,
Just call them and ask for their catalogs. I use filters from 4 manufacturers - B+W, Heliopan, Nikon and Hi-tech (for split ND) and got all the relevent information from them.

My most commonly used filter for B&W is a yellow-green filter from B+W.

glbeas · Aug 17, 2004

I'd bet most of them have an online catalog, like this on for Hoya filters:

http://www.newportglass.com/hoycat.htm

Andy K · Aug 17, 2004

I use three filters most... a UV, a Yellow (K2), and a linear polariser.

glbeas · Aug 17, 2004

I'd have to say my most used filter is a coffee filter. Gotta get woke up in the morning. After that it's a red filter or an R-72 infrared if I'm shooting the stuff.

John McCallum · Aug 17, 2004

glbeas said:
I'd have to say my most used filter is a coffee filter. Gotta get woke up in the morning. After that it's a red filter or an R-72 infrared if I'm shooting the stuff.

LOL - you beat me to it.....
For me yellow, green, orange or red and often ND depending on the situation and effect I'm after (there uses already identified).

Tom Stanworth · Aug 18, 2004

Mostly orange (21??) or yellow (8). Here in the UK we often need a litttle help with contrast... I use a 23A (very close to orange really) too and have just bought a 25 for a bit more kick. I also use a yellow-green quite a lot.

Tom Stanworth · Aug 18, 2004

Mostly orange (21??) or yellow (8). Here in the UK we often need a litttle help with contrast... I use a 23A (very close to orange really) too and have just bought a 25 for a bit more kick. I also use a yellow-green quite a lot.

mikeb_z5 · Aug 18, 2004

Wow, thanks for all the replies! Very helpful info indeed. From what I gather yellow and orange would be the flavors of choice?

I guess another question would be how do you compensate your exposures? Meter through the filter? Film manufacturers data sheet? or do you use a constant adjustment for each filter on all film types?

Thanks again,

Mike

DrPhil · Aug 18, 2004

I use a yellow quite a bit. Polarizer isn't far behind. I often use ND filters too.

jd callow · Aug 18, 2004

mikeb_z5 said:
Wow, thanks for all the replies! Very helpful info indeed. From what I gather yellow and orange would be the flavors of choice?

I guess another question would be how do you compensate your exposures? Meter through the filter? Film manufacturers data sheet? or do you use a constant adjustment for each filter on all film types?

Thanks again,

Mike

I use the manufacturer's info and if the images come out dense or thin adjust accordingly. I have also metered through them as well. My wife's camers (Nikon FE2 with a great internal meter) has through the lens metering and so I make no adjustments.

What is your most used filter?

mikeb_z5

Leon

sparx

David A. Goldfarb

Moderator

jd callow

Moderator

BWGirl

127

juan

david b

roteague

bobfowler

mark

Aggie

Donald Miller

mark

Shesh

glbeas

Andy K

glbeas

John McCallum

Tom Stanworth

Tom Stanworth

mikeb_z5

DrPhil

jd callow

Moderator

What is your most used filter?

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