Black and White filters

[j_fletcher]

ND filters about 50% of the time. Red filter sometimes, hardly ever now though.

[nikon_sam]

I've had this 25A fitler for a long, long time but never got around to using it until last week...I really liked the results with the clouds in the background...

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

I have a collection of the colored filters for BW but honestly never use them. I had never bothered using filters all my life and last year I spent the money to buy a set of them to fit my Hasselblad and have never seen the need for them. I should try them though

[ssmc]

I use either a Hoya orange "G" (actually more of a dark yellow) or a B+W 040 (which really is orange). I tried a red filter but apart from losing some light I could barely tell the difference from the either of the yellow/orange filters on Tri-X so it went back in the box. Both the G and the 040 make a very noticeable difference to outdoor scenes with foliage or blue sky.

While there is a lot of advice floating around about filter factors I have not found it necessary to add more than 1/3 stop with either the G or 040, using cameras with TTL metering (despite what the M6 manual says). After some controlled testing, now I don't bother and just shoot the film "straight up" at its rated ISO.

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Originally Posted by ssmc

I use either a Hoya orange "G" (actually more of a dark yellow) or a B+W 040 (which really is orange). I tried a red filter but apart from losing some light I could barely tell the difference from the either of the yellow/orange filters on Tri-X so it went back in the box. Both the G and the 040 make a very noticeable difference to outdoor scenes with foliage or blue sky.

While there is a lot of advice floating around about filter factors I have not found it necessary to add more than 1/3 stop with either the G or 040, using cameras with TTL metering (despite what the M6 manual says). After some controlled testing, now I don't bother and just shoot the film "straight up" at its rated ISO.

Filter factors that come in the instructions for filters assume use of a handheld meter, not a TTL meter that is reading through the filters. TTL meters do pretty good with most filters at automatically giving he correct increase, but some colors, like red, need a little more exposure than the TTL meter looking through the filter will say.

[charjohncarter]

Originally Posted by Chriscrawfordphoto

Filter factors that come in the instructions for filters assume use of a handheld meter, not a TTL meter that is reading through the filters. TTL meters do pretty good with most filters at automatically giving he correct increase, but some colors, like red, need a little more exposure than the TTL meter looking through the filter will say.

That is good information, Chris. I've had that experience but never realized what was going on; thanks.

[Doug]

Yes, agree with Chris on the red... the meters tend to be a bit more sensitive to red than the typical B&W film, so will deliver underexposure in red/orange light or with TTL metering through red or orange filters.

[divewizard]

I typically put the same type of filter on my Pentax spot meter that I am using on the camera (Fuji 6x9), that way I have not needed to worry about filter factors.

If I use a filter on my ga645zi, which does not meter through the filter, I first measure the filter by taking several readings with the Pentax spot meter with and without the filter in the same type of lighting conditions I want to shoot in. I then using the weighted (by judgment call) difference in the readings as my filter factor for the ga645zi by reducing the ISO setting the appropriate amount.

My Nikon FM & FE meter through the filter and usually get the exposure right.

[reubelim]

Just bought several colored p filters since I have various-sized lenses in different formats, and waiting on them to arrive via post.

Any input would be appreciated,

Cheers!

[barnwulf]

I voted 10-25% but it completely depends on what I am shooting. If I am just out walking around and shooting quickly, I don't use filters. If I am looking and studying things more closely I will sometime use filters to separate some of the color/gray tones that would otherwise blend too closely. If you shoot in color and are converting to b&w, you can do this on Photoshop or Lightroom or other editing programs. I use yellow, orange and red. Jim

[Chris101]

I have yellow and orange and red filters too. But I rarely use the yellow or orange ones, because I always get more of what I'm after with the red ones. Lately I prefer 29 to my old stand by, 25.

[kokoshawnuff]

I use a Light Red, Dark Red, Light Yellow, an Orange, and occasionally a Green. About 30-40% of the time I use a contrast filter

[kitaanat]

I always use filters.
orange / yellow / red / green

[AJShepherd]

Red filter, yellow filter...
I'm a big fan of shooting Ilford HP5+ with a red filter for the high contrast I get from that combo. I usually use the yellow filter only when I'm shooting slower films.

[sanmich]

Only for landscapes.
I find the orange to be the right emphasis of the sky without being unnatural like the red.

[rogerzilla]

With some films yellow makes little difference, except for losing a stop of film speed. With Acros it really makes clouds stand out. Red is a bit OTT for my liking and pretty much blacks out any grass and foliage, so it's best saved for artchitecture.

[crawdiddy]

Yes, I often use yellow or red filters for B&W.

But, I don't need it for my Canon FD 35mm f2 (Thorium) lens. It's already yellow-ish, and I get plenty of contrast with it.

[Guaranteed]

Medium yellow nearly always.

[TareqPhoto]

I use only ND/GND/C.Pol filters, but as long i started to shoot film i should try those color filters, i have Yellow but didn't use it yet, i had Red filter in the past but that was for digital and for P-series size which i never use anymore and sold the holder [hope to sold the filters as well], but i am not sure if yellow will serve me better or i have to add more filters and test them!!!

[stip80]

folks, maybe this is a stupid question, but when some of you say yellow/green, do you mean stacking them together? will doing this achieve both the effect of each filter when put on separately?

[David Hughes]

Hi,

Nothing wrong with the question and the answer is that some firms make/made a yellowish green filter, as well as green and yellow filters.

Regards, David

[Mablo]

Originally Posted by stip80

folks, maybe this is a stupid question, but when some of you say yellow/green, do you mean stacking them together? will doing this achieve both the effect of each filter when put on separately?

In my case I have a yellow-green filter. It darkens the sky a bit and lightens the foliage a bit.

These days I only shoot 35mm with a SLR and use less filters than I did with rangefinders. This is because SLR lenses have more contrast to begin with and I don't like to focus on an orange landscape ;-)

[htimsdj]

I have two lenses ZM 35/2 and 50/2, and I leave a yellow filter on each unless I need a different filter. I also have an orange, yellow-green, and red filter, and I use those if I need more contrast.

[Peter_S]

I shot about 70% film, and of the film about 80-90 % is b/w.

On my M6 is a 022 B+W yellow filter, that I hardly ever take off and that works great. Sometimes orange and red, but then I use an external lightmeter.
My Contax T3 has a B+W orange filter on (fixed exposure correction, works great).

[tunalegs]

In the middle of the day, yellow K2 some of the time. But I tend not to like to shoot in the middle of the day - and there's rarely any point in using a yellow filter in the morning or evening except if it is hazy.