Who/what was Wratten?

[Mark Sawyer]

While I don't like gels over a camera lens, and greater prefer the superior optical properties of multicoated glass filters...

I believe Wratten filters are equal to the best quality glass filters, and considerably better than the cheaper glass and plastic filters. Plus, you don't get the slight focus shift that happens when you add them after focusing. They do scratch easily though...

[Frank Petronio]

I always thought they were better than hard filters - thinner, less distorting, more clear, clean, and pure - according to the old farts who taught me. They thought the screw-in stuff was for duffers and 35mm photographers.

[Drew Wiley]

In terms of sharpness, all filters affect the image a bit, but the best results I've gotten
are with high-quality multicoated glass ones, the worst with polyester and sandwiched
glass Tiffens. Gels are extremely light and thin, but flap around in the wind and catch dirt easily. I've done plenty of testing, so hold to my original opinion. Things are a little
different today than when glass filters were first intoduced and the mastodon meat at
Safeway was still fresh (they still sell it, it's just not fresh anymore).

[Bill_1856]

Jerold -the agony
when a box Wratten glass plate was dropped.

Oooh! It's something that I've never thought of, and a certain part of my anatomy puckered tight when I read that line and thought about it.

[Rider]

How is the optical quality of polyesters vs. gels? I've seem many people (even pros) refer to a polyester filter as "color gel".

[Frank Petronio]

Certainly for field work a mounted hard filter will be more practical.

[Drew Wiley]

There are several types of plastic filters, typically in squares. Since polyester filter are thin and flexible like gel filters, they are sometimes casually called gels, but so
are the acetate filters sometimes used for studio lighting. Lighting filters are unsuitable over lenses, and polyesters certainly aren't very good optically either, although they are tougher and generally cheaper than true Wratten gels. The other
type of plastic filter, made of stiff acrylic resin, is relatively expensive, and more
scratch and flare prone than good glass filters, but has a cost advantage in especially large sizes. Most often you see these come up used in the Sinar brand.
I purchased a set of Lee polyester filters about twenty years ago, and it was a good
investment for tricky architectural lighting setups when the 4x5 chromes did not need to be enlarged significantly, which is often the case in briefcase portfolios, business ads or brochures, or today, laptop presentations.

[al olson]

The Kodak Data Book, Filters and Pola-screens, 1951, designates all of the filters as Wratten Filters. It states:

Available Forms: Gelatin filter film, cemented in B glass, cemented in A glass, all common sizes.

[Kevin Crisp]

Lead singer of the Sex Pistols?

[jnantz]

johnny wratten