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low , soft & ultra contrast filters


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Tiffen Low Con is the oldest filter, from the 1950's or maybe earlier... it's similar to a Fog filter but with less halation (glow around lights), but it still softens somewhat and bright lights glow a bit. Soft Con is a Low Con with black specks added to bring down bright areas a bit.

 

Ultra Con is a newer design, from the late 1980's I think -- the "mist" particles in the filter are much finer so there is more of an overall haze added without as much softening or halation as with a Low Con.

 

Double Fogs (late 1960's) are a mix of a Fog and Low Con filter.

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I've an exterior shoot next weekend on Epic and I'm concerned about the relationship between noise and highlight detail. Mostly because we want to shoot 300 fps, and this pushes the camera to the extreme.

 

I've been looking at these filters, mostly the soft contrast, but I've found very little information on how they affect sharpness. We do want a lot of sharpness. But I also want to keep as much density as possible and no clipping. Weather's probably going to be very windy (London in October...) which makes frames a no go. Also cos I'll be on a rickshaw.

 

Any thoughts or experiences on this issue of sharpness?

 

I'll be testing the combo on Monday but I do wonder if there are other recipes for this.

 

Cheers!

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I've an exterior shoot next weekend on Epic and I'm concerned about the relationship between noise and highlight detail. Mostly because we want to shoot 300 fps, and this pushes the camera to the extreme.

 

I've been looking at these filters, mostly the soft contrast, but I've found very little information on how they affect sharpness. We do want a lot of sharpness. But I also want to keep as much density as possible and no clipping. Weather's probably going to be very windy (London in October...) which makes frames a no go. Also cos I'll be on a rickshaw.

 

Any thoughts or experiences on this issue of sharpness?

 

I'll be testing the combo on Monday but I do wonder if there are other recipes for this.

 

Cheers!

 

SoftCons are an older technology -- you might want to test Schneider Digicons insteads, which are more like UltraCons instead of LowCons:

http://cinematography.net/edited-pages/digicon-test.htm

 

Otherwise, there is a relationship between contrast and sharpness, lowering one lowers the other.

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  • 8 years later...
On 10/13/2012 at 6:09 AM, David Mullen ASC said:

 

SoftCons are an older technology -- you might want to test Schneider Digicons insteads, which are more like UltraCons instead of LowCons:

http://cinematography.net/edited-pages/digicon-test.htm

 

Otherwise, there is a relationship between contrast and sharpness, lowering one lowers the other.

Know it is an old thread but would you still stand by this David?

C

 

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