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4x4 85 ND filters usable on digital ?


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Hi,

I decided recently to buy a used ARRI LMB-3 Matte box to use with my Sony F3 and FD glass.

With this, i bought a used set of 4x4 Tiffen 85ND filters because it was pretty cheap.I got  0 ,.3, .6 and .9.

My F3 has only one nd filter build in (a 0.9 i believe, the 1.8 has been removed).

But now i just realised that the Tiffens have the 85 color filter build in and are not just some normal NDs (I know it should have been obvious).

So from what i read online, i can't stack those filters together because it would affect the color too much.

Those are also not IR treated, does it matter ?

So my question is : Is it still usable for my configuration ? and can i stack the internal ND with one 4x4 ?

 

Also, i just started to shoot on a Bolex H16RX and would like to know if it is recommanded to shoot with those ? I have some 50D stock so it is already daylight.

Thanks !

Edited by Antoine Pret
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I would only keep the 85ND filters if you plan on shooting with tungsten balanced film stock.  Otherwise, sell them and buy regular NDs. You’ll be much happier in the end.

For use with both film and digital cameras, I would suggest ND filter brands like Schneider Rhodium, Nisi, Formatt Firecrest, or Mitomo TrueNDs that cut IR without adding a green cast. Some of the older NDs like Schneider Platinum or Tiffen IRNDs will add green. 

I would also avoid stacking ND filters if possible. It will make your image softer and can create double reflections around bright areas of the frame. 

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Thank you Satsuki, i guess i will do that.

 

I also came across a solution that looks very convenient for what i do. See the pictures 

 

pola1.JPG.cff6e16f3754d951bf905b198a6ed2cc.JPG114mpola.JPG.743a16a6cb994c6f4a5e08f7860e83e2.JPGfinal.JPG.8350b365cda60e66373eb2a96b8d3463.JPG

https://youtu.be/DvK_MUOOtiI?t=220

A guy that uses a 114mm linear polarizer with another square polarizer and so it creates a variable ND when he rotates the dial on his mattebox. He claims that the glass is very good quality so it has very minimal color shift.

Looks very smart but i am wondering if there is any drawback to do this instead of simply using square filters ?

 

What do you think ?

Edited by Antoine Pret
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5 hours ago, Antoine Pret said:

Thank you Satsuki, i guess i will do that.

 

I also came across a solution that looks very convenient for what i do. See the pictures 

 

pola1.JPG.cff6e16f3754d951bf905b198a6ed2cc.JPG114mpola.JPG.743a16a6cb994c6f4a5e08f7860e83e2.JPGfinal.JPG.8350b365cda60e66373eb2a96b8d3463.JPG

https://youtu.be/DvK_MUOOtiI?t=220

A guy that uses a 114mm linear polarizer with another square polarizer and so it creates a variable ND when he rotates the dial on his mattebox. He claims that the glass is very good quality so it has very minimal color shift.

Looks very smart but i am wondering if there is any drawback to do this instead of simply using square filters ?

 

What do you think ?

I mean, it’s a large variable ND, so it has the same drawbacks as other VND filters - double reflections, color casts, ‘X’ pattern shadow if rotated too far, can’t use polarizer filters, etc.

It would probably work ok for digital cameras since you can preview the exposure, but I’m not sure how you would get a correct meter reading on film. I guess you would have to spot meter thru the filter each time you changed the orientation to check the light loss.  Seems like more of hassle than it’s worth to me, but YMMV.

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