One Black and White Filter

[qruyk12]

If you could choose one black and white filter for street photography, what would it be? I am thinking Orange.

[FPjohn]

medium yellow?

yours
FPJ

[newspaperguy]

If there are people on your streets,
you might consider light green.

[nikon_sam]

So far Medium Yellow works for me...on one lens I have a 85a filter...

[John Robertson]

There is a Leitz filter in 39mm (Gelb/Grun )Yelow/Green excellent all rounder.

[mh2000]

a lot of people hate the idea of a green filter, but they can be pleasant for both faces and foliage... that would be my choice, but I'd actually probably never use it. What are you looking for in a filter?

[Artorius]

Originally Posted by John Robertson

There is a Leitz filter in 39mm (Gelb/Grun )Yelow/Green excellent all rounder.

This is my go everywhere filter for B&W film. I have all the others, yellows, reds, greens, blues, but on the streets, this is the one I will use most.

[charjohncarter]

This will be off the RFF member's charts, but if I had just one B&W filter, it is one that I don't think is manufactured. I would like a vignette filter. Something that would do this but more:

[Al Kaplan]

Too many variables! What time of year, color of or lack of foliage, cloudy or sunny or deep shade, skin tones? Forget the filter. A waste of time and money.

[charjohncarter]

I'm afraid I have to agree with Al Kaplan. Most of my filter experience has been, for 50 years still, experimental. I suppose if I picked one camera, one film, one developer (and one developing process), one filter and sent many rolls though this system I would be able to use them, but for me: just sit back and shoot. And as Al says don't waste time and money. Side note: filters are the least used accessory I've ever had.

[peterm1]

If you are planning to digitise your photos I would not bother - honestly its far easier and far more flexible to do it afterwards in PS. But if youa re shooting B/W film and or do not digitise your images, I am always inclined to go for a pale green filter for skin tones (it slightly darkens skin and looks like a slight sun tan) and a yellow for other shots. (I actually prefer orange for some but yellow is more reliable for most shots as its effect is less extreme. So if I were to limit myself I would say yellow.) In short it depends on what type of photography you are doing.

[WDPictures]

If you like the vignetting try filters that are too small for your lens... Or try a Holga which is probably less expensive than a filter. Or maybe Adobe Lightroom... Also refer to the "Gimmick or no gimmick" thread.

[DougFord]

On my RF cameras I always use a med yellow (022) filter. Accept for pics taken indoors.

[Al Kaplan]

The main use I've had for filters over the years was getting correct color balance when shooting transparencies, all kinds of warming and cooling filters in series 80, 81, 82, and 85 plus FL-D.

[Trius]

Originally Posted by Artorius

This is my go everywhere filter for B&W film. I have all the others, yellows, reds, greens, blues, but on the streets, this is the one I will use most.

Listen to the brother. Yes, there are situations where this filter isn't appropriate, and the biggest drawback of any filter is filter factor, but for b&w this is the most useful filter 90%+ of the time.

[charjohncarter]

Originally Posted by WDPictures

If you like the vignetting try filters that are too small for your lens... Or try a Holga which is probably less expensive than a filter. Or maybe Adobe Lightroom... Also refer to the "Gimmick or no gimmick" thread.

This is the camera I use instead of the venerable Holga. And believe it or not it is much better at 'Holga' than Holga.



But I would like to have the centering that a vignette filter would provide, on either a SLR or RF.

[Zonan]

Yellow/Green (B+H MC) is about as good an all-round filter as you can find

[matt335]

Originally Posted by Artorius

This is my go everywhere filter for B&W film. I have all the others, yellows, reds, greens, blues, but on the streets, this is the one I will use most.

This is such a personal requirement in my opinion. street photography for me is about being quick. filters require time to change. if I was incorporating the sky or tall buildings then I would add a filter for drama. I do use a red/orange and a yellow/green B+W filter and a lovely old austral yellow filter I found in mydad's garage and it just slides onto my 39mm diameter lens. it also depends on weather you digitise your negs or not.

[StanSmith]

I have been using medium yellow but beginning to favor yellow green. Leica calls it "ggr" and it is 060 in the B+W catalog.

[WDPictures]

Originally Posted by charjohncarter

This is the camera I use instead of the venerable Holga. And believe it or not it is much better at 'Holga' than Holga.



But I would like to have the centering that a vignette filter would provide, on either a SLR or RF.

Nice lookin' camera, bet flashing that bling around your neck stops traffic!

[sniki]

Only one filter: yellow-green

[Rob-F]

I don't use a filter for street photography. Maybe just a UVa to protect the lens. I'd rather have the undiminished film speed. If I thought I needed a filter for street work I would use aa light yellow or Leitz yellow-green. An orange filter will give you a dramatically darkened sky. But who needs that for street work? An orange or yellow filter will remove reflected blue sky-light that might have been useful when the subject is shaded from direct sunlight.

[Roger Hicks]

A lot depends on the film and the effects you want. For gritty 'mean streets', HP5+ and red; for delicate old-fashioned tonality, Fomapan 200 and light or medium yellow, or FP4+ and deep yellow. I never got on much with yellow-green.

But mostly I don't use coloured filters at all for 35mm 'street', even though I've accumulated most colours over the years. Yellow on the Alpa; deep orange on a 200/3 Vivitar Series 1 for landscapes; deep yellow, orange or even red on the baby Linhof...

Tashi delek,

R.

[mr_phillip]

Can't say I see too much point in using filters for street photography, but when I use filters at all it tends to be either red to add impact to landscapes (rural and urban), and orange when the sky needs a little added definition.

[mr_phillip]

Originally Posted by charjohncarter

...if I had just one B&W filter, it is one that I don't think is manufactured. I would like a vignette filter.

If you want to add vignetting, you're probably better off looking for a hood of just the right size (or wrong size, depending on how you look at it). Or use a combination of hood and filter (to move the hood forward and block angled light). That's the combo I use on my Perkeo to vignette the corners: