From: bjs@uts.amdahl.com (Barry Sherman)
Newsgroups: rec.photo
Subject: Re: Filters for View Cameras
Date: 9 Apr 92 18:50:46 GMT
Followup-To: rec.photo
Organization: Amdahl Corporation, Sunnyvale CA

Jim Dykes writes:

>  I have a question for the view camera users on the net.  What type of
>filters do you use and how do you attach them?
>
>  I own a Bender camera with a couple of lenses (210mm & 90mm).  Right
>now, I hold a 'P' series Cokin filter in front of the lens
>whenever I need a filter, but for long exposures this is often
>unpractical.  I'm not sure I want to commit any more money to the Cokin
>filters because I can't always find the colors I want (yellow-green, deep
>red and CC).  I'll probably go to gel filters, but I want to know if
>there are any other options.  Thanks.
>

I also recently started out with large format and even posted the same 
question.  Here's what I've found out and done:

Get a copy of the Calumet catalog (1-800-CALUMET).   It lists several 
options for filters and for ways of holding them.

*  Regular glass filters.  These screw into the filter threads on the lens 
   just as do glass filters for other formats.  Given the large size of view 
   camera lenses I decided that this was prohibitively expensive.  You could 
   do as I've done for 35mm and get one set of filters which would be large 
   enough for any conceivable lens and then use a step-up ring to fit them to 
   lenses with smaller threads.  But those big chunks of glass are still 
   pretty expensive.  The only glass filter that I've gotten is the polarizer.

*  Gel filters.  These come from Kodak.  They're flimsy looking 3"x3" or 4"x4"
   squares.  You can either hold them in front of the lens as you've 
   desribed or get one of a couple of gel filter holders that Calumet
   carries.  IMHO you should avoid the Kodak gels.  I bought a few of them
   locally and found that if a few rain drops hit them they swell up and
   are pretty much ruined.  Drying them out made no difference - the spots
   remained swollen.

   The gel filter holders from Calumet:

   (BTW - another problem that I have with holding filters, aside from the
   irritation of holding them for multi-minute exposures and trying not to
   bump the lens, is that if I want to be watching the scene so as to trip
   the shutter at the right moment, then I can't be watching where I'm holding 
   the filter and find, after the exposure, that it was only covering 1/2 the 
   lens or some such error.)

   - I have the one that uses two pieces of springy steel to hold a rectangular
     frame to the lens.  It also has a pair of "barn doors" which serve as
     a lens shade.  This works well except that if you mount your gels in 
     the Calumet gel mounts (cardboard holders which make them nicer to handle)
     then you can only get one filter into the holder.  THis is awkward
     when, as I've encountered using Velvia, I want to use several filters.
     (I find I like a combinatino of a very light red CC filter with an 81
      filter for warming when shooting in deep shade.  Then with long 
      exposures one must compensate for reciprocity failure induced color
      shifts ...)

   - They also carry one which attaches to the back of a lens board, 
     carrying a filter behind the lens.  I like the concept here - protecting
     the filter from the elements - but shied away from it as I can be
     a bit of a klutz and would prefer to minimize my handling of my
     expensive lenses.  I also question how well this would work with a 
     very short focal length lens when using movements.

   - The 'compendium' style lens shades (look like a mini-bellows attached
     to the front of the camera) usually have filter slots for holding
     gels.

*  Calumet polyester filters.  These look just like the Kodak gels but are
   cheaper and more durable.  I've used them in the rain and they weren't
   damaged, unlike the Kodak gels.

As an aside, I took a workshop this weekend in which the instructor (Ray
McSavaney) told us that John Sexton had been dissatisfied with the sharpness
of some of his images.  Analyzing his notes he observed that this happened
when he was using gel filters.  He replaced his gels with glass filters.
Must be nice to be able to rationalize that kind of an investment!


Hope this helps,

Barry



 

   

-- 


|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Barry Sherman, Amdahl Corp.       | "Any fool can face a crisis - it's     | 
| bjs@ruts.ccc.amdahl.com           |  this day-to-day living that wears you |
|                                   |  out." - Anton Chekhov                 |
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Newsgroups: rec.photo