Which filter should I get for B&W film?

[Pedroga]

@DREW WILEY
@Paul Howell
@BrianShaw
@BrianShaw



You’re right I’m letting my anxiety to start shooting get ahead of me before even trying. I bought what I think will be enough to learn with for quite a while.

I picked up a Yellow (Medium) #8, an Orange #15 (though I hesitated between that and the #21), Red #25 and #28, and a Green #11 (VG9).

Now I just need to study a lot to understand the best situations to use them, how to use them, and what I should be thinking about beforehand.

 

[BrianShaw]

Good decisions! That's certainly enough to get you through most B&W applications. Perhaps a polarizer too?

A good way to understand the uses mgiht be to consult one of the filter maker catalogs. They are generally very instructive and illustrated. Like these ones:

https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/C1x9LZAkTES.pdf

HOYA | Downloads

hoyafilter.com

There are also a multitude of basic photography books that do the same/similar. The use of B&W color contrast filters has been quite stable for long time so older books can be consulted (and are often very affordable to buy).

 

[Alex Benjamin]

Now I just need to study a lot to understand the best situations to use them, how to use them, and what I should be thinking about beforehand.

This has pretty much all the theoretical info you need.

Black and White Filters Tutorial

www.freestylephoto.com

 

[DREW WILEY]

What general theory doesn't teach very well is that colors in nature aren't necessary the same as they are with artificial color reproduction charts, or shots of colored crayons, etc. As most of us know, deciduous foliage may look green, but also has a lot of yellow and even red natural pigment disguised by the more dominant green chlorophyll until Autumn arrives and the chlorophyll bleaches out, leaving those other colors dominant. So quite often, even a strong minus-green filter won't have the same impact with green foliage as you might think at first. It still reflects a lot of red light which insects and film itself might see, but we do not. This is all a matter of testing and practice. No way around that; just make it fun.

But to start out, just visually look at various settings through your respective filters, to see how they alter things. No, the film won't see things exactly the same way, but it will help with the learning curve. For basic black and white shooting, you don't need to read up too much. Scientific use of filters is obviously different, and color photographic uses can get more technical too; but black and white applications are straightforward.

What you do need to learn is the basic "filter factor" of each respective filter - that is, how much extra exposure is needed for each filter. This can vary somewhat film to film. But you can start with the Tech Sheet for each film you plan on using, and see what filters factors they recommend for common filters. Its best to learn with just one specific favorite film first, before introducing any other complications.

The same goes for polarizers. Learn the basics before adding those. Frankly, I don't even like them, and never carry one. I only use polarizers to control reflections on my copy stand in the lab, and then only when absolutely essential.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Polarizer
Red R23, R25 R27 R29 720 [Infrared]
Yellow
Green

 

[BobUK]

Here in the USA a good source for used filters is Filterfind.net. His Data page is a useful Rosetta Stone for comparing the different numbers used for the various colors. And also, provides information about what each color might be used for and how much exposure correction might be needed.

Data

"filterfind" lists values for Tiffen brand filters.

A few people on the internet seem to downgrade them as economical and only good for beginers.

Would the average person such as myself really notice the difference between them and expensive top of the range makes?

 

[tcolgate]

For regular black and white contrast (for landscapes, or clouds/skies for instance), I only ever use yellow, orange and red (#25). But I do find a green #58 and blue #47b useful. I don't do tri-chromes, but occasionally, for urban stuff, it can be useful to vary contrast for a specific colour.
So for instance, we have a lot of red brick shops with blue signage around here, and through experimentation, I've found a green 58 works better to separate a faded blue sign without bringing up reds in the bricks too much.
I've used the #47 blue on florals, and I also use the blue occasionally for previsualise when working with uv/blue sensitive dry plates.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

"filterfind" lists values for Tiffen brand filters.

A few people on the internet seem to downgrade them as economical and only good for beginers.

Would the average person such as myself really notice the difference between them and expensive top of the range makes?

I've never used them; however, Tiffen now makes multi-coated filters with Schott glass. Much better than their older filters. Of course, they're more expensive. Get coated filters to reduce flare and ghosting. Two other fine filters are multi-coated Hoya and B+H (Schneider-Kreuznach). You get what you pay for.

 

[DREW WILEY]

B&W filters, Alan... not B&H, the photo supplies company (I've made that same typo myself sometimes). I have a few coated Tiffen filters, but they're still not in the same league as Hoya or B&W multicoated ones. What Tiffen does best is to offer the largest selection. It's really hard to find certain specialty filters except by Tiffen or in fragile expensive Wratten gel fashion. Tiffen makes sandwich style filters with a colored thermoplastic in between, rather than using dyed-en-mass colored glass like other manufacturers.

The biggest problem with typical uncoated filters, including Tiffen, is that they attract condensation and atmospheric smudging (even from filter pouches) much more easily than coated filters. I almost always have to clean them right before use, sometimes more than once on the same day (especially along the beach).

 

[Vaughn]

Have fun experimenting with the filters. It will get you looking at color a little more intently.

I do not use filters often. I use the yellow filter the most, not for darkening the sky (I usually like my skies to be on the light side -- to keep them as the source of light), but instead to pop the yellow leaves of fall under the redwoods.

As in this example...

Redwood, Vine Maple

8x10 carbon print

www.photrio.com

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

B&W filters, Alan... not B&H, the photo supplies company (I've made that same typo myself sometimes). I have a few coated Tiffen filters, but they're still not in the same league as Hoya or B&W multicoated ones. What Tiffen does best is to offer the largest selection. It's really hard to find certain specialty filters except by Tiffen or in fragile expensive Wratten gel fashion. Tiffen makes sandwich style filters with a colored thermoplastic in between, rather than using dyed-en-mass colored glass like other manufacturers.

The biggest problem with typical uncoated filters, including Tiffen, is that they attract condensation and atmospheric smudging (even from filter pouches) much more easily than coated filters. I almost always have to clean them right before use, sometimes more than once on the same day (especially along the beach).

Thanks for noticing. Actually it's B+W not B&W.

 

[wiltw]

@RalphLambrecht
@Andrew O'Neill
@MattKing
But should I buy resin or glass?

Glass is better than resin in terms of resistance to mechanical damage to the filters.

Decades ago I purchased a variety of Cokin resin filters to play around with. I put them into a vinyl filter envelop to reduce the great bulk caused by carrying the filters in their original holders. I took them on a photo expedition which involved being in dusty conditions. Much to my dismay, dust managed to get into the filter envelope, and simply carrying it around in my equipment bag caused sufficient abrasion to scratch the resin filters -- after only a single trip. I had to throw them all out! (and I never bothered to replace them).

 

[zfshi]

I find middle yellow is more useful to add the right amount of contrast to the scene.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Buy glass, coated.

 

[Rayt]

What type of photography do you do? For urban street photography I often just use a clear filter for protection and if I can spare the speed then a yellow but it’s not necessary. This is because a higher shutter speed is more useful. For environmental type street or travel where there are more tones then a yellow-green if I can spare the shutter speed. For landscape the type of photography on a tripod I use anything from yellow to red depending on the scene like how much sky and clouds, greenery, color of the subject etc. I mainly use T-Max 400.

 

[Patrick Robert James]

OP is probably long gone by now.

I have every filter under the sun after all these years of never selling anything. I've found that the most used filters are basically just two, yellow-green and dark orange. Orange for landscapes typically and YG for portraits. YG can be used for practically everything if you only want one. For landscapes it will do what a yellow filter will do plus separate foliage a bit. It has minimal effect on exposures as well.

Coated filters are better than non coated. Tiffen filters are typically not coated to answer the question from BobUK above. It is worth the couple extra bucks for coated filters. Keep in mind lots of off brand filters were made by the big ones. I believe Kenko and Hoya made Callumet and Promaster filters for example. The best filters have brass rings which is better than aluminum for not getting stuck on a lens. Some are plastic which are the worst.

 

[Pedroga]

OP is probably long gone by now.

I have every filter under the sun after all these years of never selling anything. I've found that the most used filters are basically just two, yellow-green and dark orange. Orange for landscapes typically and YG for portraits. YG can be used for practically everything if you only want one. For landscapes it will do what a yellow filter will do plus separate foliage a bit. It has minimal effect on exposures as well.

Coated filters are better than non coated. Tiffen filters are typically not coated to answer the question from BobUK above. It is worth the couple extra bucks for coated filters. Keep in mind lots of off brand filters were made by the big ones. I believe Kenko and Hoya made Callumet and Promaster filters for example. The best filters have brass rings which is better than aluminum for not getting stuck on a lens. Some are plastic which are the worst.

I'm still here, my dear friend, lolThe filters I bought a while ago have arrived, but unfortunately I haven't gotten any black and white film to test yet.

 

[GregY]

I find that I don't use the green very often. For me the 040 from B+W is the most useful. It looks orange to me but they call it dark yellow. I also use the 022 yellow a bit and the 090 red the least.
You can see examples of the effect on these two youtube videos I did.

Yes, The only place i found a green filter useful was in the USA SW for sandstone & adobe....

 

[MattKing]

FWIW, the advantages of the more expensive brands of filters weren't limited to their optical quality.
In many cases, their quality of construction was better. For example, they were much more likely to be made from brass rather than aluminum.

 

[mshchem]

FWIW, the advantages of the more expensive brands of filters weren't limited to their optical quality.
In many cases, their quality of construction was better. For example, they were much more likely to be made from brass rather than aluminum.

+1

Aluminum filter rings seize, B&W brand, brass and multi-coated, sweet!!

 

[awty]

Blue for moody rainy days

 

[eli griggs]

First, yellow-green #11, Light, Medium, dark yellows, orange, 25 red, #90 red polarizers and lastly, darker green, blue.

Yellow-green can live on your lens, IMO.

ND 1, 3, 8, 10, no variable ND.

Again, all in my opinion.

Ludz brass step up rings from Amazon and, if buying round filters, used brass ring quality, B&W, Hasselblad, Heliopan.

Square gel filters, Kodak.

 

[Loren Sattler]

I have a whole host of filters in my B&W tool kit and rarely use anything other than a K2 yellow filter which I use to darken blue skies and improve skin tones. Once in a great while I will use an orange filter if I want more contrast with clouds and sky. I have not used a red filter for years and cannot remember ever taking a photo with my green filter. Maybe I am missing something, but I find filters are not magic bullets to make better photos.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

I’m looking to buy color filters (green, yellow, orange, and red) to use for analog black-and-white photography.

When searching for a green filter, I’ve found several options with different “strengths” of green, and I’m not sure which one I should choose.

Does anyone have advice or experience with this?
Which one would be considered the most classic or versatile to start with?
And what kind of differences should I expect in the final image when shooting black and white with these variations?

These are the markings/values I’ve come across:
LB1, LB2, LB3, LB4, LB6, LB7, LB9, LB11, LB16, LB17.
View attachment 418913

the typical standard set is Yellow8
Green 11
Orange15 and
Red25. Many manufacturers use different designations, but the numbers are typically in there.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Numbers too can be confusing. For example, B&W has a 22 product number which equates to light orange like 15, whereas with Wratten and Heliopan, 22 signifies a very deep orange. Hoya has an X0 filter which resembles 11 Yellow-green; but they're X1 is distinctly medium green. Reds come in 23, 24A, 25 (the most common), and deeper 29 (which can differ brand to brand in intensity). Then there are that old K-series numbering system sometimes still lingering around like a Coelocanth.