filter quality

[Michael Gudzinowicz]

I do have one Tiffen filter which destroys lens performance. It was attached to a Vivitar Ser 1 90-180 medical macro zoom that the previous owner thought was a dog (it isn't) and wanted to trash. The filter looks fine, however, when placed on any long focal length lens, the image is soft. I think the effect is due to a lack of planarity across the glass which gives a small, perhaps variable, +/- curvature. On a long lens, the effect of a filter that doesn't have a focal length equal to infinity becomes more pronounced. Anyway, I don't use Tiffen filters.

[Armin Seeholzer]

Sorry Brian

I have to fully disagree!
I see a differences in lenses for example a Leica and a cheap lens from Tokina!
And I also had some unsharpness with a Hoya Pola on a Wideangel-lens on my 35mm set up!
Do not have it since I switched to B&W and Rodenstock filters!
The MTF Test for this german Mag was done with a machine in the pricerange of a big house. All filters had ben put in front of the same lens und they just looked if the transmission did change and the sharpness and resolution did change, with the filter in front.
Some had color cast etc.
Especially Polas with 2 classes and a filter between semes to be very tricky to get planparallel for some companys!

Of course it is much more präsent in 35mm because of the bigger enlarging factor but, in my opinion a system is only as good as it weakest part and this is many times the filters!

Just my 2 cents!

[Bob Salomon]

"Rodenstock filters"

Rodenstock filters, Linhof filters and several more are Heliopan re-labeled filters. In the case of rodenstock they are also packaged in the Heliopan box with a Rodenstock label on the box and a Rodenstock silk screen name on the rim. Other then that they are standard Heliopan filters.

[Eric Biggerstaff]

I have used, or do use, every brand of filter mentioned in this thread and I have not been able to tell a difference between filter brands by looking at the image.Perhaps some are made "better" than others from the standpoint of the glass used, the mounting ring material, etc.; but in terms of image difference I cannot tell. Serveral well known photographers use Tiffen filters with success and I believe they are fairly large suppliers to Hollywood. I have never run a "test" other than actual use, so I could be way off base. Might make an interesting article.

[Richard Schlesinger]

I would love to see someone with the ability and access to the appropriate instrumentation run some comparative tests with just one or two colors of black and white filters. I am aware that AA in oneof his books said that either "A" glass or gelatine are optically the best (at that time!). Given the cost of filters such as multi-coated B&W , particularly in the larger sizes, I think it would be most useful. Face validity would certainly suggest there is a difference. However I have often been fooled badly when purchasing by price - the most expensive is, sometimes best, but . ..

Steve Simmons, how about an article in View Camera?

[David A. Goldfarb]

It's the sort of thing you might never notice if you don't do a side-by-side comparison under conditions that would really show which filter is better. When I tested my own filters, I set up a shot that was likely to cause flare problems--a darkened room with bright sun coming through a partially shaded window, lens pointed into the sun. It wasn't too hard to tell which filters were better in this situation.

In Hollywood, you can just avoid that sort of shot, and lenses can be carefully flagged and shaded, and budgets are such that delamination of old Tiffen filters is not an issue. If you're shooting landscapes in natural light, it's nice to have filters that don't cause problems in the situations where those problems can occur.

[David Karp]

Never had a Tiffen filter delaminate. I can't tell the difference between my B+W, Hoya, or Tiffen filters. Of course, perhaps that is just my lack of discrimination! I do have a big gripe about Tiffen filters. The silk screened lettering rubs off easily. That makes it very hard to tell which filter is which.

[ronald moravec]

Maybe my 1960 Tiffins are not delaminating, but all but a few have something fuzzy and irregularly shaped going on in the center inside between the glass. Call it what you will, I replaced them all with B+W who made a bunch of new series 6 and 7 ones special order.

Their polariser and Leica ones do not form a color cast. Older Leica ones were definately green.

[FpJohn]

Hello:

Tiffen does make a "true" UV filter.

yours
Frank