Are 'spensive filters worth the $$ for me ?

[John Kasaian]

I need to re-oufit my filter kit. My 4x4 Lee System is just too small for the larger lenses (which really deserve slip on Series adapters and Wrattens if I can find them) and my smaller threaded lenses are an assortment of sizes and what I have has always been hit-and-miss for them, as most of my kit came out of close-out boxes at various camera shops. The 3x3 system is missing all of the filters (how is that? Where did they go? Are there thieving Filter Elves running amuck in Central California?)

My most used filters are Yellow, Green and Orange, with Red and Blue being the frosting on the cake (nice, but I don't exactly need the calories!) I do get a lot of use from the Orange.

Another one of my filter issues is I've got lenses that accept 46mm and 76mm, and I've yet to find a 46mm to 76mm step up ring, or an equivalent combination of step up rings.

On my 35mm camera I've had good luck with Tiffen, Hoya, Quantaray and Vivitar filters. Would these be acceptable for Large Format as well? Or should I muddle on until I can afford higher end B+W or Heliopans?
$15 for a filter is obviously a lot easier on my budget than $40-50 and going into a photo shoot with three filters is more realistic than just one. All my stuff is contact printed these days, if that makes a difference.

The shambles of the kit I do have has now gotten to the point that I'm missing even the most used filters and holders, so I've got to do something, especially since I'm heading to the red rocks of Colorado Springs this summer.

Any advice or suggestions?

[Pere Casals]

I need to re-oufit my filter kit. My 4x4 Lee System is just too small for the larger lenses (which really deserve slip on Series adapters and Wrattens if I can find them) and my smaller threaded lenses are an assortment of sizes and what I have has always been hit-and-miss for them, as most of my kit came out of close-out boxes at various camera shops. The 3x3 system is missing all of the filters (how is that? Where did they go? Are there thieving Filter Elves running amuck in Central California?)

My most used filters are Yellow, Green and Orange, with Red and Blue being the frosting on the cake (nice, but I don't exactly need the calories!) I do get a lot of use from the Orange.

Another one of my filter issues is I've got lenses that accept 46mm and 76mm, and I've yet to find a 46mm to 76mm step up ring, or an equivalent combination of step up rings.

On my 35mm camera I've had good luck with Tiffen, Hoya, Quantaray and Vivitar filters. Would these be acceptable for Large Format as well? Or should I muddle on until I can afford higher end B+W or Heliopans?
$15 for a filter is obviously a lot easier on my budget than $40-50 and going into a photo shoot with three filters is more realistic than just one. All my stuff is contact printed these days, if that makes a difference.

The shambles of the kit I do have has now gotten to the point that I'm missing even the most used filters and holders, so I've got to do something, especially since I'm heading to the red rocks of Colorado Springs this summer.

Any advice or suggestions?

IMHO, with filters, what you tested with 35mm prime lenses will work similar with LF.

You may know that Hoya has 4 product segments: Alpha, NXT, EVO and HD3, this is from cheap to expensive. The HD3 range is more resistant to abuse and has the best coating performance. The HD3 UV has 32 layers coating and 99.7% light transmission, so it also generates a very low amount of stray light.

If I was a pro I would acquire HD3 level, but I'm not, so filters of NXT quality like are more than enough for me, if it was a filter I was to use it little I'd even buy the Alpha level, but if I was to use it a lot perhaps I'd buy the EVO level. I use Hoya quality levels to compare only because they have those four price/quality levels, that each are equivalent to other brands.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/hoya/filters.htm


A good coating is needed in case you stack filters: Pol + Yellow + Graded, for example, in special with sun in the framming. IMHO for a lot of other situations filter price may not be much noticed in the result.

Here you have some info about filter induced flare: https://luminous-landscape.com/the-filter-flare-factor/

Regards

[xkaes]

You've got quite a plate of spaghetti.

I use 35mm and 4x5, but even before getting into large format, I realized the importance of standardizing filter sizes. One of the reasons why I liked Minolta gear was that they tried to get their lenses to use 55mm or 72mm. Most camera and lens manufacturers hope that users never notice or won't care, and most shutterbugs probably never use any filter, anyway! But I do, and with 4x5 and wider 35mm lenses, I didn't want to have a ton of various filters doing the same thing for various lenses. I settled on 77mm filters for everything. I just have various step-up rings -- from 40.5mm-72mm to 77mm -- and ONE set of filters. You can get step-up rings in ANY size (or in sets) for next to nothing on EBAY -- for example, 39mm to 77mm.

OK, I also use the Cokin P filter setup for "special effects" filters -- that uses a 77mm adapter, so no problem.

What filters to buy? There is a difference, but most of mine were bought used for a LOT less than new. I prefer multi-coated filters, which should be a good indicator of quality, by itself. All of my lenses have a UV filter, at least, all the time -- important for protection. My other circular filters are mostly Hoya. For the Cokin filters, the variety on EBAY is amazing -- many sold in kits. Whatever you do, don't get into a BRAND frenzy.

One way I save size and weight is to stack all my filters together and put a metal top and bottom on the stack (these are cheap). All your filters are always together in one place, and you just select what filter(s) you need on the side of the stack.

[Doremus Scudder]

Hi John,

In my estimation, there are two advantages to top-of-the-line filters. The first is the obvious benefits of coating; flare and scratch resistance. The second, with the Heliopan and B+W filters, is the brass ring, which just doesn't get stuck in the lens or to other filters like aluminum rings do.

Over the years, I've acquired a couple of nice sets of B+W and Heliopan filters in all the sizes and colors I usually use. The benefits are nice. However, I have a number of Tiffen uncoated filters (they don't make coated) that simply aren't available in other brands that work just fine if I take a little care with them. I'm careful to shade them and to try to keep light sources out of the angle of view whenever possible.

Coated vs. uncoated: Yes, 99.7% transmission is great, but I defy anyone to spot the prints I've made from negs made with uncoated filters... And remember, there is an entire group of people who still swear by uncoated lenses. An uncoated filter, well shaded, may add a bit of overall flare to the mix; compensate with a bit of overexposure to get the shadows out of the fog if you need and a bit higher contrast when printing.

Brass vs. aluminum: Aluminum works fine too if you make sure not to tighten the filters in too much and carry a loop wrench for emergencies.

The main thing is to get filters that are made of plano-parallel optical glass and have dyes that don't fade too much over time. The Hoyas and Tiffens will be in that category along with B+W and Heliopan.

And, take your time switching over. Scour the used sites for what you need; something will turn up eventually. Used Nikon filters are coated and come in nice thin brass rims if you can use 52mm and 67mm (their standard sizes).

I have two sets of filters; a small set for my compact lenses, which are all adapted up to 52mm, and a larger set of 67mm filters (my largest lens is 67mm and I can't bring myself to carry anything much larger). I can also adapt the 67mm set to 52mm with an adapter and just carry one set if I need to cut down on weight a bit.

Good luck putting your kit together,

Doremus

[Eric Leppanen]

How large are your large lenses? Lee makes press-on filter holders enabling their 4x4 filters to be used with lens barrel sizes as large as 115mm. The filter does not need to cover the entirety of the front element since taking apertures in LF are so small.

The Lee press-on holders (plus any donut adapter rings to fit on intermediate diameter lens barrels if needed) are expensive, but may be less so than purchasing an entire new set of large diameter B&W color filters plus step up rings. To my knowledge no U.S. retailer carries them (you might be able to order directly from Lee USA, I think I may have ordered one that way years ago), but they can be purchased from the U.K., for example:

https://www.robertwhite.co.uk/filter...er-holder.html

https://www.robertwhite.co.uk/filter...er-holder.html

I had SK Grimes make donut adapters for me years ago, I don't know if they would be less expensive than the Lee donuts. Grimes could also make versions of the press-on holders themselves if you supply some of the Lee components (such as the plastic side guides which can be purchased cheaply here in the U.S.), don't know how that would cost out versus purchasing holders from Lee.

[Peter De Smidt]

https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/201...on-the-market/

[Mark Sawyer]

I remember seeing a video on cheap vs. expensive filters a few years back, wherein the photographer put an expensive well-known (I think it was a Heliopan) filter on the video camera and rotated the filter. No effect. He then tried it with a cheap filter, and you could see the image wobble with distortion as he rotated the filter.

[xkaes]

And that proves?

[John Kasaian]

How large are your large lenses? Lee makes press-on filter holders enabling their 4x4 filters to be used with lens barrel sizes as large as 115mm. The filter does not need to cover the entirety of the front element since taking apertures in LF are so small.

The Lee press-on holders (plus any donut adapter rings to fit on intermediate diameter lens barrels if needed) are expensive, but may be less so than purchasing an entire new set of large diameter B&W color filters plus step up rings. To my knowledge no U.S. retailer carries them (you might be able to order directly from Lee USA, I think I may have ordered one that way years ago), but they can be purchased from the U.K., for example:

https://www.robertwhite.co.uk/filter...er-holder.html

https://www.robertwhite.co.uk/filter...er-holder.html

I had SK Grimes make donut adapters for me years ago, I don't know if they would be less expensive than the Lee donuts. Grimes could also make versions of the press-on holders themselves if you supply some of the Lee components (such as the plastic side guides which can be purchased cheaply here in the U.S.), don't know how that would cost out versus purchasing holders from Lee.

I've been using the Lee system for quite awhile. It will fit on the rear of my big Kodak lenses, but not so much front mounted. The plastic filter holder is sort of sprung and did it's best to launch my No.11 green into a water fall last week. I keep the Lee polyester (sounds like a pair of trousers, don't it?) filters in Calumet card stock protectors and they've been fine, but wear and tear over the decades have taken their toll---besides I think I'm out of the card stock protectors and Calumet, alas, is no more for resupply.

[John Kasaian]

I just ordered a 46mm to 67mm adapter ring from Keh for $2.49