What filters for B&W Photography would be a must to have and in what situation would you use them in and what kind of effect do they have?

-- Mark (mark4583@aol.com), August 29, 2001

Answers

Mark -- You can read a lot of books and articles on the subject. You can do a search here of the archives, and do a Yahoo search. I use everything from a Y-1 (very light yellow) to a 25 deep red. You should learn the effects of filters by practice: Get a Y-2 Yellow and a 25 Red, and take pictures of the same subjects (include clouds in blue sky) and see the differences for yourself. Then you can decide on your next acquisitions. There's a lot of push for the multicoating on more expensive filters, but I haven't noticed propblems with the less expensive ones I use. You won't really be able to judge when to use filters until you have experience with them under your belt.

-- Jeff Polaski (polaski@acm.org), August 30, 2001.

Mark, I don't believe there is such a thing as a 'must have' filter for black & white. One concept is, why buy an expensive lens, and then degrade it with a cheap piece of plastic or glass. Personally, I have gone back and forth on filter use over the years. I think when photographers are in their 'gadget' phase they buy and use loads of filters. For the type of work I do now, I really like the #25 red filter. I use it a lot with both landscapes and portraits. In landscapes it punches up the sky, brings out the clouds. In portraits I like the effect it has on skin tones [not to everybody's liking]. Take a look at a photo book, they'll usually describe filter effects in detail. Kodak has one - I don't recall the title.

chris

-- Christian Harkness (chris.harkness@eudoramail.com), August 30, 2001.

I use a yellow green or a light red filter for most of my landscapes. For portraits I use a diffusion filter.I have a polarizer from my slide film days that comes in handy to darken the sky bring, out the clouds and reduce reflections in non- metallic surfaces. When I want to carry around a minimum of equipment I carry the polarizer. I believe you should get as high a quality filter as you can afford. I use B&W, Nikon & Tiffen filters.I understand Heliopan & Hoya are good brands as well. The Kodak book referred to in a previous post is highly recommended.

-- Robert Orofino (minotaur1949@iopener.net), August 30, 2001.

you should get filters that can be mounted on the rear element of your lense (if using large format)to negate any quality problems associated with front element mounting.

-- mark lindsey (lindseygraves@msn.com), August 31, 2001.

I like the yellow 12 from tiffen on the end of my lenses, but this is just preference. I just leave them there, they don't rob too much light indoors. Landscape stuff just gets a polarizer on top of the 12, works great. Easy and pleasing.

-- Mike DeVoue (karma77@att.net), August 31, 2001.

MArk:

Since we are using teh internet why not use it to the fullest.

Go to www.tiffen(it was a guess on my part when I read your question) and see the LOADS of info they have there. There is a section called B&W Filters by Ira Tiffen which has all you want to know about them.

Good luck

-- RICHARD ILOMAKI (richardjx@hotmail.com), August 31, 2001.

Filters, Hmmmm. The short answer is the fewer, the better.I don't use filters very much , but I own a passel of them Several rules: don't stack them; the factors multiply.i.e. a yellow filter with a factor of 2, when combined with a green with a factor of 3.2, is a filter factor of 6.4.(why anyone would ever want to do that,I have no clue) Any filter moves the point of sharpest focus one way or the other by a distance equal to 1/3 of the filter's glass thickness. That can be somewhat overcome by a smaller f/stop. Keep 'em CLEAN! My standard filters are skylight 1As , and a polarizer.Not together, although you can buy that combination in a polarizer. Use the polarizer as a neutral density filter when the f/stops and shutter speeds are running near max. The 1a provides protection from fingerprints, sea spray, geyser blup, and other nasties, and eliminates some excess blue. Use for B&W or color film. The skylight IB gave strange and exotic skin tones, unrealistically accentuating a light tan, with Fujichrome, years ago.I have never used the combination since. May be different now. Light yellow is not enough, IMO, red is too much, so I have settled on an Orange filter for darkening in sky and water scenes. Green lightens green, and it is said to provide "better" skin tones, whatever that means. I recently bought a Tiffen Softnet 2 black filter. Why? I have wanted one for years. Good reason, Huh? The price was right. Filters are like eating Oreo cookies--you gotta have more than one! Prices are sometimes better on eBay, despite guys paying 80-90% of new price for used items! You can pick up deals if you know your item, do your homework, and don't get sucked into a bidding war. Good quality filters run $18+- from discount houses, and a "fair" price is about 1/2 of that, with shipping extra. Some eBayers make out like bandits on the shipping. Me, I'm a "sniper", and get the filters I want at about what I figure they should sell for. I sold a set of 52mm filters on eBay for $20. Lens hood, sky 1a,linear polarizer, red, and med. yellow. All good shape, the buyer was pleased, and got a heck of a deal. I don't beat my equipment, BUT you never know. Read the tiffen.com information, then experiment, because different films react differently to filters, and some have a different filter factor. Don't get hung up on technique. Find out what produces effects you like, then stadardize. It'll make life easier and a lot less frustrating. (Don't ask me how I know this!)Cheers: CC

-- Carl Crosby (hummminboid@aol.com), September 17, 2001.