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Scott Rosenberg
7-Jul-2004, 16:02
good day...

i am currently purchasing gear from an upcoming trip to banff/jasper. i'll be shooting velvia and neopan across. i've pretty much settled on everything, sans the best set of filters. from reading other threads, i've decided on:

-polarizer (though wavering between hoya moose 'warming' or b&w linear non-warming)

-#25 red

-either a #15 Dark Yellow or #11 Yellow-Green

i'd like to add some drama to the sky and a little seperation to the trees when shooting with the neopan. have any of you experience with these filters? i know the #15 will darken the sky, but will it also lighten the trees? my concern with the #11 is that the effects will be too slight.

thanks, scott

Nick_3536
7-Jul-2004, 16:55
A #15 blocks all the blue and IIRC a little green. So it'll darken trees.

Gem Singer
7-Jul-2004, 16:55
Hi Scott,

We're talking about ISO100 B&W film, here. Like T-Max, Fuji Acros is extremely sensitive to the blue end of the spectrum. The #25 red filter will certainly add drama to the sky, but you will need to use up 3 stops of light in order get the job done. Your shutter speeds may then become too slow to overcome the wind movement of the vegetation.

The #11 is a very mild green filter. A #13, being stronger, will lighten the foilage a bit more. They will both darken the sky, but not dramatically.

The #15 filter will probably be your most used filter. It won't lighten the trees, but it won't darken them very much, either. The newer films, that are extremely sensitive to blue, seem to need stronger yellow filtration in order to darken the sky. The #15 works great, especially if there is a body of water in the picture.

A strong UV filter (especially in combination with a yellow filter) helps to add drama to the sky, at higher elevations.

Have a great trip.

Henry Ambrose
7-Jul-2004, 17:11
Acros does seem to need more or different filtration than standard films. For my tastes an orange filter makes pretty nice skies, about like what I'd expect from a yellow filter on FP4 for example. The 25 will usually give very dramatic skies with Acros. Your greens will darken quite a bit though.

Bill_1856
7-Jul-2004, 17:19
If you're not used to using filters, now isn't the time to start with the strong stuff. Nothing looks more amateurish than over-filtered landscapes. I think that the #11 yellow-green is probably a good compromise to start. Leave the Red at home -- you'll ruin more pictures than you'll save by using it (or at least always take a backup shot without it).

Andrew O'Neill
8-Jul-2004, 00:08
The #11 and #15 reproduce greens much lighter than the #25. The #11 even slightly lighter than the #15. The reason why I'm telling you this is if you use the #25 to darken blue skies you'll most likely end up with a sea of black conifers as this filter blocks green. If you want to dramatize the sky in the Canadian Rockies you can easily do it with the #15. It will darken blue skies just as well as the #25 and doesn't require as much of a filter factor. What I've noticed about the #11 is it's ability to separate red tones. Films have different spectral characteristics. This must also be weighed in when considering the use of filters. My advice would be to keep it simple and don't over do it. In an earlier post of mine I listed the filters that I commonly use....commonly use but not very often. I noticed I use the #8 and #15 most often. The #25 rarely gets pulled out.

Scott Walton
8-Jul-2004, 06:56
I used to use the 25 a good deal until I read an article in a LF magazine. It tested the difference between a 25, a yellow/green and orange and it certainly changed my mind and vision. I would go with the yellow/green B+W and the regular polarizer as the Y/G will make everything very natural but with stunning tones for you to work with! Over the years I have tried many different decent manufacturer's filters and have come to appreciate the B+W Schnieders! With the Velvia, be very judicious with the use of your polarizer! It can be overdone VERY easily there by ruining a really decent shot. Velvia is very saturated as is!

Tom Perkins
8-Jul-2004, 07:02
I live and work in Western Nevada and the Eastern Sierra, so the skies are fairly similar to what you can expect in the Canadian Rockies. It is a matter of taste, but heavy filtration can really deaden the skies and kill the shadows; it increases contrast in scenes that are already off the scale. Orange and red filters make it hard to print with any sense of light. You may find when you meter the sky that it requires no filtration at all in relation to the rest of the scene. The yellow-green will not lighten the trees significantly, but I think you will be happier with the 11 or a 12 than you would with the deep yellow and certainly the red. If you come on some dramatic clouds, try using the 11 or 12, underexpose slightly, and increase development. This can give some of the benefits of the red filter without killing all the shadows and the greens. I am no expert by any means, but as we used to say in Tonopah, tamp'er lightly.