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Thread: On the rear or up front?

  1. #1

    On the rear or up front?

    Was interested if there were any pros or cons of rear or front mounting filters? My lens having a 90mm+ front thread makes me shudder at the thought of glass fi lter prices. Surely alot cheaper to buy small and rear mount?

    I will look forward to your replies.

  2. #2

    On the rear or up front?

    Matt, there is an archive on this board specifically related to filters - go back to the New Questions list from here and scroll down. There are several topics re' rear mounting filters.

    Good luck,

  3. #3

    On the rear or up front?

    This issue is addressed a bit lower in the list of questions: "Behind the lens filter placement": http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=009CSM

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Sep 1998
    Location
    Loganville , GA
    Posts
    14,409

    On the rear or up front?

    Sure rear are smaller and cheaper. They also degrade the image quality more then any front mounted filter would as well as create a focus shift.

    But you save some money and that's what counts

  5. #5

    On the rear or up front?

    Use 3" (or 4") square Gelatin filters behind the lens. That is the best solution when using filters. No focus shift. No flare. Make sure filters are dust free. Handle filters by corners (which are out of view).

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Dec 1997
    Location
    Baraboo, Wisconsin
    Posts
    7,697

    On the rear or up front?

    After collecting virtually every filter size ranging from 39mm to 82mm for my various lenses, becoming totally confused with which filter went with which step up or step down ring for which lens, and being weighed down by carrying around anywhere from six to twelve circular glass filters, I finally decided to forget about using circular glass filters. Instead I now use Lee polyester 4"x4" filters and the Lee rubber band system on all my lenses from 35mm to 8x10. They aren't cheap (about $65 each) but since they fit all lens sizes they save money in the long run and work just fine, not to mention being far lighter and less bulky to carry around. The only exception is polarizers, which I still have in circular glass since it isn't practical to use the Lee rubber band system with a polarizer. Of course you don't need any in-camera filters at all if you scan your film and then work with Photoshop so glass filters will probably will disappear one of these days.
    Brian Ellis
    Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you do criticize them you'll be
    a mile away and you'll have their shoes.

  7. #7

    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Location
    San Joaquin Valley, California
    Posts
    9,599

    On the rear or up front?

    FWIW, check out the Tiffen websight and click on Ira Tiffen Tech Talk. A lot of information on this subject. Cheers!
    "I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Dec 1999
    Location
    Forest Grove, Ore.
    Posts
    4,675

    On the rear or up front?

    To suggest that rear mounted filters degrade image quality more than front mounted filters is a bit naive.

    It's true that, if one is shooting very small focal lengths, behind the lens filtration can introduce some amount of spherical aberration. But, for typical focal lengths, it's not an issue. All photography is subject to aberrations, but they're small enough so as not to be an issue. Even apo lenses introduce aberrations for all but three wavelengths, but for practical purposes, they are insignificant.

    It is also true that rear mounted filters are subject to less flare, which has a positive effect on image quality. So, we weigh that advantage against other considerations, and we compromise on what best fits our needs. The trick is to be informed about the effects of different configurations, which is one of the advantages of participating on this site.

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