Filters in the field

[Ed Richards]

I am curious about how folks handle filters in the field - what do you keep them in so that you can get to them easily? I am thinking about round glass, not rectangular filters.

[David A. Goldfarb]

I like the Tamrac filter wallets.

[Peter Galea]

The "jewel cases" they come in. I haven't found a wallet that doesn't leave a smudge on the glass.

[naturephoto1]

Hi Ed,

Will you be shooting any transparency material? If so, you may want to consider the usage of rectangular Grad ND filters. They provide much more flexible placement of the gradation.

Rich

[Henry Ambrose]

I carry mine stacked in "filter caps" a set of metal threaded caps for both male and female threads of the appropriate diameter. Porter's has cheap crappy ones for something like $7.95. If you have Heliopan or some other brands the filter is identified on the outside edge. B+W or others without edge markings require putting a little tape on the edge and writing the filter info there. That is how to tell them apart when screwed together.

[stompyq]

I use rectangular filters (cokin P mount). My singh rays are in there own cases. the other odd assortment of filters (ND's IR filter etc) plus some ND grads (hitech) go in to a tamrac MAS filter holder. I've tried a lot of other solutions but this has been the best so far. The MAS could easily be clipped to a belt or even the outside of my bag plus has so far protected all my filters. I gave up on filter wallets b/c they seemed to toch the surface of the filter. Repeated use seems to eventually scrach the surface (sometimes for me). Ever since buying the singh rays i 've thought that the singh ray case is the best solution. The Tamrac Mas holder is like a bunch of singhray holders glued together (I know Kinesis also makes something similar). Earlier i also experimented with the jewel case idea. It probably gives the best protection but become very bulky very fast (especially if you use a lot of filters like me). So mmuch space that it took the space of several lenses. I'd much rather leave that extra space for more film holders.

[Bruce Watson]

I carry mine stacked in "filter caps" a set of metal threaded caps for both male and female threads of the appropriate diameter. Porter's has cheap crappy ones for something like $7.95. If you have Heliopan or some other brands the filter is identified on the outside edge. B+W or others without edge markings require putting a little tape on the edge and writing the filter info there. That is how to tell them apart when screwed together.

Same here. Lightest and most compact way to carry filters IMHO.

[PViapiano]

This is a great thread, with great info. Thanks for the discussion.

I was thinking about getting a filter wallet but will now stay away from them. For the moment, I'm carrying mine in their original jewel cases, stored in the inside flap of my Cyberpack 6 backpack. I only have 3 presently; a medium yellow, yellow-orange and light red, all B+Ws.

I have my eye on a few ND grads, a yellow-green and maybe a polarizer...

[stompyq]

Same here. Lightest and most compact way to carry filters IMHO.

But slow, and only works for round filters.

[Bill_1856]

Marie Cosindas, (IMHO the best color photographer of the 20th Century), scotch-taped ordinary enlarger gels over her lens, carried them neatly in a baggie.