Framing/Black & White Viewing Filters Ansel,Picker, ect..

[akfreak]

I have read several books on B&W photography ANsel said to use a Wratten #90 in his book the negative, Fred Picker used some sort of Zone VI B&W viewing filter to frame and see tonal relationships during his scouting adventures.

Fist off how many of you use them?

Second what do you use?

Third where is the best place to buy one if you use one!


I know the trained eye is the best tool to use to see in Monochrome. I know that papers vary and contrast variance is situation. I know that there is no one tool that will make you see correctly in black and white. With that said, I asked a few question above and hope some of you can help shed some light on why some of the greats used these tools, when I read so much text to the contrary.


I want to see in black and white better. I cant just keep a camera to my eye all the time. I want a small filter/framing device that I can use to help train my eyes to see the world in Black and White. What is the best most cost effective way to learn to see this way. For $283 I found 10 of what Ansel (http://cgi.ebay.com/Kodak-100mm-Square-Wratten-2-0-Optical-Filter-No-90-/350479577239?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item519a35f097#ht_560wt_1139) recommend but I will never pay for this. 4" square gel filter for $300 bucks, yeah right.


Thanks, AKf

[Arne Croell]

The Zone VI filter from Fred Picker used the Kodak filter, so the color (brownish) is the same. Zone VI put it behind glass and in a round plastic frame to make it sturdier and with a lanyard to carry it around the neck. The size of the filter area was smaller than the whole Kodak sheet, they probably got something like 9 filters out of the 10x10cm Kodak sheet. They came in at least 3 different aspect ratios, for 35mm/6x9cm, 4x5"/8x10"/6x7cm, and square.
In use, the monochrome effect last for a few seconds; if you look through it for a prolonged time, the eye again perceives some colors (dimly).

[Ken Lee]

Any cheap point-and-shoot digital camera that can be set to B&W mode, can act as a "B&W viewing filter".

That being said, I use my Zone VI filter much of the time, because it requires no batteries and hangs lightly from a lanyard around the neck.

I'm still learning how to see in B&W.

[Brian Ellis]

"Viewing filter" is a little bit of a misnomer. You don't actually just stand there viewing the scene through the filter. You flick it back and forth in front of your eyes quickly a couple times and try to observe the tonal mergers and separations in the scene as you do. At least that's how the Zone VI one was used.

They might be marginally helpful to someone new to black and white photography who isn't used visualizing how different colors will separate and merge on black and white film. But that becomes second nature fairly quickly. I owned one for many years but only used it a few times. Between my loupe and various permutations of eye glasses I had enough things hanging around my neck without adding any more. Plus it isn't all that easy to see the separations and mergers you're supposed to be looking for when you're just flicking the thing back and forth in front of your eyes a few times.

IMHO it isn't going to do any harm unless it becomes a crutch for doing something you should be able to do pretty easily on your own but it probably isn't going to do a whole lot of good either given the way it's used. As for using it to frame, a cardboard cut-out that you carry in your hip pocket will work as well or better and costs nothing.

[cyrus]

About the third time you use the filter, you start to wonder why.

[dasBlute]

I use two things in the field. The most important - for me - is a stiff/flexible sheet of plastic from an old fuji quickload with a 4x5 aspect cutout, tied on a string and attached to my loupe so I can pick it up, work on framing, and drop it without losing it. If I'm interested in the qualities of a filter, I use it separately, like Brian said, moving into and out of the view path to see how the tones change - I do this with any filter I'm going to use. Seeing through a red/orange/yellow filter will show you how things look without 'colors' but it will also change the way the tones stand in relation to each other - it's not a neutral view.

[Renato Tonelli]

I find it useful, especially for framing the shot before setting up the camera.

The Zone VI filter comes up for sale on this forum and on eBay from time to time. They are not cheap, but they are very sturdy; I have had mine for a long time.

You could purchase a small Wratten No. 90 from B&H and a glass slide mount, cut the to the right size and sandwich it in the slide mount. The filter is very, very delicate and needs to be protected.

[Lenny Eiger]

I say you don't need anything... I watched the other day as someone used a piece of old polaroid backing (black) with a 4x5 hole cut in it. I thought it was silly. Of course if it helped him, that's great but need and want are two different things.

If one looks at Newhall's History of photography, you might note that a great majority of folks in there used one camera and one lens for substantial amounts of time (15 yrs or so). When one is shooting with a single lens and gets sensitized to its dimension, then its very easy to begin seeing in that way. It's uncanny how you can put down your camera exactly where your subject fits on the ground glass.

By the same token after a year of shooting and printing in the same medium, you will find that the medium will train your eye. This happened to me when I switched over the platinum back in the '70's. It took a while but I began to see the extra tones that platinum made available to me.

I bring one lens with me, and usually a longer lens (just in case there's something across an obstacle). The long lens rarely gets out of the pack.

Lenny

[bbuszard]

I cheat; I'm color blind! But I still find a 4x5 frame is helpful for composition.

[akfreak]

Thanks for the feedback. I knew a lot of what was said. I will be on the lookout for a 8x10 zone VI version. So all of you that say you never use it anymore, pm me. We just may be able to make a deal. Thanks AKf

[Collas]

There is always the SRB-Griturn Monovue.

http://www.srb-griturn.com/monovue-1601-p.asp

It works in the same way as a monocle, just hold it briefly up to your eye. The rubber eye-cup can be moved around so that it can cope with both left and right eye viewing.

Nick