Re: [Leica] Leica Users digest V4 #47

[Bob_Maxey@mtn.3com.com]

>>There are only a few well established B&W filters. Red, orange, yellow,
green, yellow/green, blue. Various shades are provided by some
manufacturers, eg; light yellow, medium yellow, dark yellow, light red,
dark red, light blue, dark blue... etc... But they still accomplish the
same thing, just to a lesser or greater degree.

I do not agree. How do you define "Well established"? Do you mean those
that are commonly used? The catalog of gelatins (Wratten) is vast and has
been for a long time. Granted, there are various densities of some common
contrast filters, but they are all different and all do different things.
Eastman Kodak, Tiffen and Ednalite have carried many colored contrast
filters in different shades for years, and I always had a bunch of
different ones available to me. Medium Yellow and Light red have been in my
bag for 25 years now.

Personably, my absolute favorite is a K2 (Yellow). Understand that
panchromatic film will record all colors, but will not render then properly
on film. you will loose the relationship between the color and how it is
rendered. Yellow allows a better rendition of all colors in black and
white. For me, a yellow filter is mandatory for 90% of all serious black
and white photography I do. Especially snow scenes and higher altitude
images.

Get these filters:

Dark Yellow, Medium yellow, Red, a Polarizer, Green and Orange. Get them in
series sizes so they can be used with more than one lens. Stay away from
resin and acetate filters, they are worthless and no good. But use solid or
Dyed in the Mass types which you can easily find, except for the polarizer,
which is not available as a solid glass filter. Wratten Gelatins also work
well, but are fragile. However, I just unwrapped a K2 Gel made in 1942-
still perfect. Get a good book on filters and decide what you want to do
and what results you are looking for.

I currently have over 500 filters and no more will I purchase any expensive
filters. I will never pay as much for a couple of Hasselblad filters as is
my car payment, and there are very few differences between them. I have
also tested filters sold by Leitz, and there is no differences between them
and others.

RM