most used lens filters

[Tiago Pimentel]

hey!

 

I was wondering, what are the filters that you guys use the most, when shooting digital (narrative stuff). I'm not talking about NDs or IR, or UV, but more like "creative" filters, such as low cons, diffusion, etc. Really interested in your experience.

 

Cheers

[David Mullen ASC]

Depends on the show, the look youve created, plus over time, there are new filters that get popular.

 

Id say that in the past nine years, Ive used the #1/4 Schneider Hollywood Black Magic more than any other diffusion.

 

After that, an #1/8 Black Frost or Black ProMist or #1/2 Tiffen Black Diffusion/FX for shows that were less diffused than the ones where I used the Hollywood Black Magics.

[Max Field]

Id say that in the past nine years, Ive used the #1/4 Schneider Hollywood Black Magic more than any other diffusion.

 

After that, an #1/8 Black Frost or Black ProMist or #1/2 Tiffen Black Diffusion/FX for shows that were less diffused than the ones where I used the Hollywood Black Magics.

Is it primarily for affecting practicals which appear in frame? I was looking at tests of these 1/8-1/2 diffusion filters and saw it had little impact on human subjects. Or does it only make a difference when viewing in lossless quality?

[David Mullen ASC]

They definitely have a smoothing effect on skin but the whole point is to be subtle.

[David Mullen ASC]

The Hollywood Black Magic is a combo filter, each has a base of a #1/8 Black Frost that creates a mild misty halation and different strengths of HD Classic Softs, which have a pattern of dimples in the glass to blur part of the image and overlay it on the undiffused detail where the filter is clear, the principle behind all diffusion, the overlay of a sharp image and a blurred image. But the dimples in the glass also create a halation effect around points of light but more of a blurred image of that light rather than the hazy glow that the Black Frost creates.

[Reggie A Brown]

I generally use the black pro-mist. Through my own test I prefer to follow a rule I created for myself, the wider the lens the lesser the strength. For example, on a 18mm I may use 1/8 strength and on an 85mm I may use 1/2 strength, or even stack filter strengths if I really want to go soft or create more bloom around the highlights. Speaking of blooming, that's one of the things you'll want to pay attention to when choosing a diffusion filter.

 

I was shooting a campfire scene the other night and I wanted to get a little bit of bloom from the campfire. I was using the black pro-mist 1/8 on a 20mm focal length. I had to remove it because I was getting some weird reflections into the lens from the fire. My 1st AC for the shoot is a college student who know what she likes but haven't been shooting long enough to understand why she like certain things (if that makes sense). When I removed the filter she said, "man I like it with the filter on, it really don't look different but it feel different".

 

So like David said, it's subtle. You may not necessarily see a difference, but you can definitely feel it. One last thing to point out is, be cognizant of the reflections the filter can create when pointing them into lights or bright areas.

 

I did a test to show the blooming effects those filter have. I hope it helps, it can be seen here...

 

[Adrian Sierkowski]

I've personally been a Warm Black Pro Mist fan for awhile; especially when I still had my own set, though I let those go awhile ago. Also I'm big on classic softs. I think they next thing to get into will be looking into those tiffen net filters (i think they were tiffen).

I'm also a big fan of a Tobacco #2-- though sometimes I also hate it.

I think in the end, NDs and Polas are the most used, as they're technical filters, and then from there as David Mentions it depends on what the show wants and needs for the look you figure out.

One other technical filter I still keep using is an FLB as I still prefer correcting in camera -v- in post, but that's just me.

[Rodrigo Otaviano]

I've been using Black Promist for years now. Mostly the #1/4 and #1/8. Sometimes the #1/2. Big fan. I use them for my stills as well. I also use the Tiffen Smoke filter sometimes (#2 and #3). And I've been recently experimenting with nets and Classic Soft.

[Tiago Pimentel]

Thanks for sharing guys. I love exploring new filters as I'm always trying to find new ways to bring some texture to the image in every way I can. Lighting is number one of course, but sometimes digital can look too clean. I never tried tiffens low cons and smoke filters. Do you guys think they're good filters to texturize / dirty up the image?

 

Thanks

[John Beatty]

I've been shooting a lot of commercial work recently and have actually been trying to avoid the halation/blooming around highlights created by diffusion filters, while still getting the subtle softening effect diffusion filters can offer. Halation/blooming is great when you want it, but sometimes you don't, but still desire some diffusion.

 

For this I have recently been turning to Schneider's Radiant Soft filters. You can go all the way up to a 1 and sometimes even a 2 before you start seeing any blooming occurring around highlights, which has been great in situations where I really don't have a desire to see any.

[Adam Beck]

I recently used Radiant Softs on a feature with the two main characters being a little older. The actors loved how they looked on camera and I would love to purchase a set in the near future. I had used strengths 1-3 but in retrospect feel like I could of pushed it a bit more to a 4 in a few scenes.