Anyone besides Lee make a ND 0.1 filter?

[Steve Goldstein]

I'm looking for a 1/3 stop (ND 0.1), preferably some sort of cheap acetate. Lee makes one in 4x4 size, but $41 and special order from B&H. I was hoping for something more like a $7 Rosco gel filter, but Rosco doesn't make one that's only 0.1.

Does anybody out there know of a less expensive alternative to Lee?

[Steve Goldstein]

Answering my own question here - Kodak used to make ND 0.1 Wratten filters, and sealed ones are available on eBay. True, they're 3"x3" filters for $10 rather than 20"x24" filter sheets for $7, but a small Wratten is all I really need.

[Jim Jones]

Perhaps your question is too specific. There may be a simple solution to your problem if you only ask the right question. For example, printing an opaque pattern that blocks 1/3 stop on any clear substrate would work in some circumstances.

[Jerry Bodine]

FWIW, here's a possibility: When I recently had a need for 0.1 ND filter in 100x100mm size to fit into my gel filter holder, I wasn't successful in finding such a product. But I discovered that the polypropylene protectors I use for storing my sheet film negatives read 0.10 ND on my densitometer, when using just the single thickness, .002" (.051mm). I then trimmed a piece to the needed size.

[Steve Goldstein]

Great idea, I’ll check my sheet film protectors. The Wratten filter I bought won’t last forever.

[Drew Wiley]

The real question is whether or not anything cheap would even be close to its advertised density. I've measured such products in the past using a densitometer and found them to generally be quite a ways off; and the lower the density, the worse it gets. In a non-staining developer well cleared of antihalation dye, the fbf of TMax sheet film is around .05. You could see how two sheets combined read.

[Bob Salomon]

Great idea, I’ll check my sheet film protectors. The Wratten filter I bought won’t last forever.

You planning on shooting or printing through this? They are not optically clear.

[Drew Wiley]

If they're frosted they can also fool densitometer readings.

[Bill Burk]

I picked up an ND 0.1 and 0.2 for not too much money. I use them when testing meter precision in cameras when using manual shutter speeds, because the shutters and f/stops are whole, while the meter might easily read third stops.

[Jim Noel]

Find the nearest Stage Supply store. They will carry 12" square gels in all densities and colors. They are very cheap but so thin they work well and I have never had any distortion.