Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/12/12
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]George Huczek wrote: > > Recently I read of a photographer who uses a colour gel on his flash, while > using a complimentary colour filter on the camera lens. I think he had a > green filter on the lens, and a magenta gel on the flash, or vice versa. > Can someone please tell me what practical differences these filtering > techniques have? I understand the theory of why this works, but I am > wondering what differences would actually appear on the photos if one did > this. He was using a standard focal length lens on a N***n to photograph > people, using TriX film. Have no idea why he would be using such a filtering combo when using b&w film. OTOH, I often use a 30cc green gel on my flash when photographing in fluorescent lighting conditions when using color neg film. That way the flash output matches the existing fluorescent and I have my lab correct everything when contacts and prints are made. When I use transparency film under these lighting conditions I use the 30cc green on the flash and 30cc magenta on the lens. I find with my CANON EOS cameras that the matrix metering and dedicated flash, especially with the fill dialed back, produce wonderfully clean results. I imagine even R8s or other systems can use this approach. For that matter, it could even be done with an M series machine and a Vivitar flash. One caveat, with through the lens metering dedicated flash cameras you don't have to worry about the filter factors. Just let the camera do the work. You have to make the calculations and adjustments for filter factor on an M series or other non flash reading camera; TTL excepted. Carl Socolow