Filters

[Santo Roman]

I just wanted to see what everyone uses for filters? In the past I have used my Cokin set and it seemed to work pretty well with my 35mm work, but i wanted to know if there was a different filter set that anyone thought was better for LF?

santo

[vinny]

what do you mean by better? There's no reason to change unless you need larger filters.
I use B+w or heliopan circular glass filters for everything but grads. They're less prone to scratches than resin filters.

[Archphoto]

For interior photography I have been using Sinar filters in Magenta and Blue, but otherwise I don't use filters.

Peter

[eric black]

For landscape work I use the following-
B+W KR1.5, 3, and 6 for recapturing red tones at high altitudes and in extreme cases, a B+W R20
Nikon A2 (equiv 81A) and B+W 81B if Id rather work in a straw colored direction
Tiffen 812's on occasion for shadows and/or knocking down greens
B+W M05 for knocking down greens in long exposures with Velvia
B+W Circular Polarizer for amping up the greens a touch while polarizing wet leaves
B+W KR1.5 Warm Tone Polarizer for polarizing fall foliage reflections etc... and looking to keep some red while polarizing
Tiffen Warming Polarizer to knock down greens while polarizing (expecially with Velvia at longer exposures)- and not really affect the reds much.

Although I typically carry quite a few filters, I only shoot with one attached maybe 50% of the time and only when I feel the situation calls for it (ie high altitude or shadows in canyons or longer exposures with Velvia where I feel the colors on the transparency may come out in a way that I am not looking for). I used to shoot Provia more than I do today and would always have some kind of a warming filter on for anything that I wasnt looking for a blueish tone on.

[BrianShaw]

I'm still using Kodak gel filters.

[Brian Ellis]

You probably should specify whether you're asking about filters for color or b&w or both.

I used to use the standard b&w filters - yellow, orange, green, and red - to darken skies and to separate tones that would otherwise merge in a b&w photograph. But now I find that I can get those effects better - more control, more flexibility - using Photoshop. So the only filter I use for b&w any more is a polarizer, mainly to reduce reflections. At various times I've used the Lee system of a lens hood with adapters and a filter in front, the Lee "snap on" system, and circular glass filters.

The only kind of color work I do is natural light outdoors and the only filter I've ever used for that is a circular glass polarizer to reduce reflections and sometimes to darken skies. I still use it to reduce reflections, doing that in Photoshop is too tedious (at least the way I do it). However, I don't use the polarizer for skies any more. Again, whatever I want to do along those lines I can do better in Photoshop.

I doubt that I ever used any kind of filter more than maybe 10 - 15% of the time. I'm a believer in the John Sexton principle that you keep filter usage to a bare necessary minimum.

[Santo Roman]

I should have mentioned that it was for BW work only. I really don't shoot much color anymore. When I was shooting more with my 35mm I would use a filter for my infrared and normal yellow, red and blue. I really just wanted to see what you thought of the Cokin filter setup. Thanks for the info though! I forgot a lot of information and it was nice to get a refresher.


santo

[bvstaples]

For B&W work, which is a majority of what I do, I have round B&W filters screw ons (red, green, orange, yellow), a B&W CPL, and for color I have Tiffen 81 A, B, C, and a Tiffen Warming CPL. I also use Lee ND grads when warranted. I probably use the red filter more than anything else.

I also bought the round filters in one size (77mm) and use step up rings on all my lenses except my Schneider 480. That lens requires a filter about 2 feet across (not really). On that lens I only use a 100mm square #25 in a gel-snap holder on the rear element.

Brian