4X5 Filters

[Ngreen2]

Hello all,

As a large format photographer for over 2 years now, I ahte to admit that I have no idea where to start as far as filters go. Most of my work has consisted of studio lit, controlled portraits and still lifes but I'm heading back to my home state of Montana after 5 year absence and really want to shoot plenty of landscapes.

Is there a basic set of filters recommended? How do they attach to the lenses? What are the exposure compensations I need to make? Etc.


I appreciate all of your input!

-Nolan Green

[BrianShaw]

I still use Kodak gels (primarily) for those applications. My Cambo lens shade has a filter drawer included so the filter in a cardboard holder goes into that apparatus. For other LF cameras (Speed Graphics) I use series adapters for glass filters and lens shades. Filter factors used are per the individual filter. My basic set are yellow, orange, red for B&W. I have lots of other filters (CC, ND etc) but the yellow gets used most often.

[Mark Woods]

Here's a link to the Kodak Filters tech sheet:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=15&sqi=2&ved=0CGcQFjAO&url=http%3A%2F%2F125px.com%2Fdocs%2Ftechpubs%2Fkodak%2Fb3akic.pdf&ei=1prsT_7sFeqg2QXmnf3_CQ&usg=AFQjCNG9t_8tuI2DzFkwQc_hqBTCA-WYHw

[joselsgil]

Ngreen2,

What kind of film are you planning on using? Color, B&W, or Infrared?

What lens are you planning on using? Some of the older vintage lenses use adaptors, while the more modern lenses take screw on the front of the lens.






Jose

[John Kasaian]

It depends on your lenses. If you've got modern glass thats threaded for filters you can pick up adaptor rings for your lenses and standardize on just one or two sizes of screw on filters. If you have old unthreaded lenses you might be able to pick up slip on adopters, which are just threaded rings and of course filters. Or you can use the Lee Gel-snap holders and Lee polyester filters. Or a bracket that holds filters either in front of you lens (usually in connection to a sun shade) or over the rear elemet.
Do whichever you find is more cost effective and less stressful
I've got an eclectic collection of lenses so my kit is all over the place---the sweetest deal I have is a 240 G Claron which uses the same size filters as my old Nikon F2 lenses---I already had a near complete set!

[Light Guru]

I'm a big am of the Cokin and Lee filter systems. I ended up going with the Cokin as they are more affordable.

As for exposure compensation if you have an iPhone or iPod touch the app Reciprocity Timer is a must have. You select your film type, enter in your metered exposure, and add your filter if your using one the app then gives you the correct exposure compensating for filter and reciprocity and has a built in timer to cou t your exposure for you.

[Brian Ellis]

You really should tell us whether you're talking about color or b&w film or both. But if you're talking about b&w, the traditional basic set of filters consists of yellow, orange, red, green, and maybe blue. These come in different degrees of strength (e.g. light red, medium red, dark red) so there's a wide range of choices within those basic categories.

As far as attaching them is concerned, there are several basic methods. There are the round threaded filters that screw onto the lens (assuming the lens has threads to accept them, some old lenses didn't), either directly if the lens and filter are the same diameter or by use of step-up or step-down rings if they aren't. Then there is the Lee and similar systems that consist of square filters that are placed in a holder and the holder is then attached to the lens with adapters. And there's the old Series filter system that AFAIK is pretty much extinct but also involved the used of adapters.

I quit using all filters except polarizers and neutral density grads when I became reasonably proficient with Photoshop since its filter tools and other similar color balancing and contrast adjustment methods work better and are more flexible than the traditional filters for b&w and color. But when I used the traditional filters for b&w after trying virtually all available systems I ended up with square 4"x4" filters from Lee and other sources and didn't bother attaching them to the lens with holders or adapters. I just held them in front of the lens by hand which seemed to work as well as any attachment system and saved a lot of time, trouble, and expense. You just have to make sure your hand doesn't get in the way of the image which is easy to do with most lenses and filters as large as 4"x4."

[tgtaylor]

I recommend the Cokin Z Pro filter holder. It's the same quality as the Lee holder except that you don't have to carry around a small screwdriver when you change to thicker/thinner filters and it's better priced. The Cokin will accomondate all 4x4/6 filters - Cokin, Lee, Schneider, HiTech etc. The largest lens adaptor for the Z is 82mm. If you have lens with filter threads greater than 82mm you'll have to get the Cokin X Pro which is a gigantic holder with correspondingly larger filters. The Z Pro, however, will work with practically all lens normally used with 4x5. When I bought mine I got the 82mm ring and bought step-down rings for all my lens which I keep attached to the ring on the holder in a Lee case I picked-up.

Thomas

Thomas

[lenser]

I too am a big fan of the Cokin system. For color, I use a Polarizer (as needed), an 81A for warmth, and ND rarely. Once in awhile I will use a ND graduated filter to control sky exposure to get it more in line with the foreground.

For B&W, the Polarizer, usually in conjunction with either a red or yellow for maximizing cloud separation and seriously darkening skies, sometimes the red, green and yellow alone, and rarely the ND.

The Cokin system, like some others, has a basic holder (three sizes for the different sized filters offered based on the size of your lens's front element) which slips on to a lens ring ( many thread sizes available). They also offer adapters for non-threaded lenses like my ancient Turner Reich convertible. These slip over the front of the lens and then attach by three nylon tipped screws that are finger tightened. The actual filter holder then slips onto this adapter.

[Peter De Smidt]

One way to do this is to find out the largest filter size that your lenses have and use step up rings on the other lenses. That way you can use one-sized filters for all. For example, the largest filter size in my field kit is 67mm, and so I have yellow/green, orange, red and polarizing filters in 67mm. In my experience, quality glass filters resist damage much better than plastic or gel filters. This method, though, depends on having a fairly small max filter size. For example, if you have a lens with a 105mm filter size, you probably don't want to step up all the other lenses up to 105. Not only would the filters be large and bulky, but they'd also be very expensive.

Note that you can use filters behind the lens, and often the rear element of a lens has a smaller filter thread than the front. Note, though, that filters places between the lens and the film have a greater effect on focus than filters placed between the front of the lens and the subject. With thin filters, such as gels and polyester filters (Lee), there shouldn't be any noticeable focus shift. With thicker glass filters on the rear of the lens you'll probably want to check focus with the filter on, which could be a bummer in low light.

You use colored filters with black and white to adjust or separate tones. A filter lightens tones of it's own color relative to other colors and darkens tones that are complementary to it's own color. So suppose you are shooting an apple tree with red apples and green leaves. Suppose further that your light meter says that the apples and the leaves have the same luminosity. Ignoring your film's spectral response, that means that the apples and leaves would end up being the same shade of gray, probably not what you want. You could use a red filter to lighten the apples and darken the leaves, or you could use a green filter to lighten the leaves and darken the apples.

[Cor]

Don't be over enthusiastic with filters though..Recently I was test driving new to me Fomapan 100 and somehow I decided that most of my shots had to be done with a yellow filter (I use the Cokin system). The blue sky will and did darken and I knew but forgot at that time that shadows are mostly lit by blue light. I placed my important shadows on Zone III, only to find out after processing to find less detail there than envisioned, more a Zone II.

I cannot exclude that it is film related as well, next time I will pay extra attention to it, I shot the Fomapan 100 at 50 asa and processed in Mytol (Xtol home-brew clone), it builds contrast fast, as already is known.

best,

Cor

[Jim Jones]

I don't shoot LF color, and usually get by with a polarizer and red filter for B&W. More filters are needed by more demanding photographers. Step-up rings let large glass filters fit most lenses.

[mcherry]

Will the Cambo compendium hold 4x4 glass filters? I'm a cinematographer and I have a HUGE collection of very expensive 4x4 glass filters and I'd hate to have to use lesser quality filtration if I don't have to. I'm thinking of getting the Cambo unit, but not if it won't hold glass. I've even been thinking about customizing an old matte box with several rotating filter trays for use with my still cameras.

[Heroique]

...I really want to shoot plenty of landscapes. Is there a basic set of filters recommended?

Here’s a real-world filter kit from me – b/w & color landscapes.

But first, my three lenses:


1) Schneider 150mm/9 g-claron = 52mm threads (w/ 35.5mm-52mm step-up)
2) Fuji A 240mm/9 = 52mm threads
3) Schneider XL 110mm/5.6 = 67mm threads

So ... I really have just two thread sizes, w/ one – the 52mm – very easy to manage.

By memory, these are my field filters:


• 4 Nikon 52mm b/w filters (g, y, o, r)
• Nikon 52mm polarizer
• Nikon 52mm 81c warming filter
• Nikon 52mm 2-stop + 3-stop ND filters
• B+W 52mm 10-stop ND filter (very fun)

• Marumi 67mm polarizer + 67mm 2-stop ND filter
• Lee 52mm + 67mm adaptor rings (w/ holder + hood)
• Lee 4x4 b/w polyester set (g, y, o, r)
• Lee 4x4 81a + 81c warming filters
• Lee 4x4 85b filter (for tungsten film outdoors)
• Lee 4x6 2-stop Graduated ND filter

I almost never carry all of these w/ me, but I do use all of them often. :cool:

[Heroique]

And just to help illustrate, below are Lee’s 4x4 (framed) polyester filters – they come frameless, too – plus a typical Lee 4x6 Graduated ND filter, 2-stop, hard edge.