85 filters

[jack king]

hi there,

 

just wondering where i might be able to get hold of some 85 filters? And is it one size fits all lens's?

 

also, just wondering why it seems to be more important to use one with super 8 and not 16mm (my super 8's have internal filters, whereas my beaulieu r16 does not). I'm using tungsten with both, so how come no-one has said to me when using 16mm 'make sure you use an 85!'??

 

Cheers!

[David Rakoczy]

Film Lighting

 

... this will tell you most everything you need to know.

[Serge Teulon]

Hey Jack,

 

David is right....get that book.

 

In the meantime the reason nobody has mentioned to shoot with an 85 because there is no such thing as needing to shoot with an 85 by default. Unless you are shooting tungsten balanced stock whilst relying on natural daylight.

In the 85 filter set there are 3 individual ones : 85, 85b &85c.

They are all amber coloured. Each one represents a different colour temperature. I.E 85b = 3200K(tungsten)

[Satsuki Murashige]

just wondering where i might be able to get hold of some 85 filters?

B&H Photo Video, Filmtools, pretty much any photography store.

 

And is it one size fits all lens's?

Nope. You either get the round screw-in kind for each lens size, or you get rectangular filters that fit into a matte box. But then you need the matte box, rods, baseplate, etc. There's an intermediate system for still photography called the Cokin P-filter system which allows you to use rectangular filters with a cheap plastic adapter for which you can buy different rear threading rings for your different lenses. But there's no shade for the front and it's a pain to use for filmmaking where speed and efficiency are important. Cheap though.

 

also, just wondering why it seems to be more important to use one with super 8 and not 16mm (my super 8's have internal filters, whereas my beaulieu r16 does not). I'm using tungsten with both, so how come no-one has said to me when using 16mm 'make sure you use an 85!'??

Super 8 has always been an amateur format. That's why the filters are built into the cameras, and also why they also have built-in light meters. Also, the filmstocks available for Super 8 have until recently always been reversal stocks, not negative. So getting the exposure and color balance perfect in-camera was extremely critical.

 

16mm is much older and began as an amateur format but became a professional format over the years. So it was expected that if you were shooting 16mm, you knew about negative vs. reversal film, daylight vs. tungsten balance, filters, etc. You would not use an 85 with daylight-balanced film, only with tungsten-balanced film (and many DPs choose not to for a variety of reasons).

Edited September 14, 2009 by Satsuki Murashige

[jack king]

Cheers folks - really big help

 

Amazed by how knowledgeable people on here are. I'm learning...am sitting with the book 'cinematography' by blain brown; and the american manuals for 2 hours a day and i'm slowly getting there. Learning through practice is proving costly...

 

Reason why i was asking is because tungsten seems to be default format, and and no-one has mentioned using 85 with my beaulieu even though i've shot everything outdoor during the day, (still haven't had this processed yet) and i guess i'd just expected to come across it in one of my books.

 

Anyway, this was cleared up perfectly so cheers guys, and extra thanks for the links and clear explanations satsuki :)

 

Jack