4x4 filters: What do you have and where do you get yours?
I am going to buy some filters and I wanted some suggestions on what to get and where to buy... Preferably UK, but worldwide is also useful.
I know I'd like:
- Neutral Density 0.6
- Neutral Density 1.2
- Neutral Density 3
- Neutral Density 6
- Neutral Density 9
- Neutral Density 12
- True Polarizer
Any other suggestions? Any good/bad makes?
Cheers.
In the UK? Then post here. You might need a hand in the future from a real person... HV20 (PAL)
Most people I work with shooting video or RED tend to get by with a polarizer, three or four strengths of ND and a soft-edge ND grad and/or attenuator. If you shoot talent 'of a certain age' or with less-than-perfect skin, a mild diffusion filter (like Tiffen's glimmerglass) can help them look their best and if shooting outdoors with heavy amounts of ND (1.2+) an IR mirror can reduce infrared contamination which can cause certain colors to shift (a black costume might turn purple or a red one magenta). A clear optical flat can also be handy for lens protection if other filters aren't being used.
Others with a more discerning eye may disagree, but at least for these basic grey filters mounted in a 'proper' matte box with flags and/or hard mattes and bellows or donuts to control light leaks and flares, I must confess I've never been able to see any difference between "high-end name brand" ND and "Bollywood special" ND; maybe the expensive ones are more consistent in strength batch-to-batch, or start with flatter, more colorless glass, use better or more durable coatings, have more carefully-polished edges, better quality control, etc. so I won't say they're overpriced.
By the way, David Mullen ASC recently described the standard matte box/filter package he'd typically rent for a feature as part of a larger discussion about filters on my favorite REDuser thread; well worth the read.
Top brands:
Heliopan
B&W
A little lesser:
Hoya
Tiffen
Blazing hot. www.xgbeatz.com
I have a few Hoya and B&W screw on filters that i barely use these days...
When outdoors shooting landscape / timelapse, i carry Cokin P filters : ND2 ND4 ND8, soft and hard ND4 Grads, both linear and circular Polarizers, 2 different diffuser and a 3 stage modular mattebox.
* beware of slight vignetting on wide-angles and/or color shifts when stacking filters due to IR contamination *
For better latitude on the 5D, i ordered a variable ND that gets up to ND800 ; should be there already ! recommended for the kit lens : 77mm screw with 82mm front lens = no vignette at the wider end.
my vids with 5Dmk2, 7D, GoProHD, HV20, exotic & rare glass : anamorphics, fisheye, macro, tilt-shift, ultra-wide
Coolio, thanks for the help gang.
Now I just need the money to buy some!
In the UK? Then post here. You might need a hand in the future from a real person... HV20 (PAL)
I don't want to start a thread about it, so why not talking about filters again?
I'm currently checking to get some real 4x4 filters. I've checked on B&H and found these:
It's from Cavision, which makes some nice 15mm rod supports.
So, I know Bruce is usually referring to Tiffen as THE minimum brand to get, but as always, being on a budget, I'm wondering. I got some nice results using cheap ebay cokin P filters, unfortunately they're 84mm and I'll need 100mm (4x4).
so I'm wondering what do you think? Would this one be a good model to get? In the specs, it says that it's made of glass (not resin like the Cokin filters I have).
Also, I'm not much familliar with 0.9 and all: on ebay it's usually ND2/ND4/ND8 which I'm more confortable with. Is there a good reference where I could get a "cross-reference" chart or something?
So, Bruce, Janke...what do you think?
0.9 = 3 stops, i.e 12.5% transmission, i.e. 8x, i.e. ND8
Logarithmic vs. directly proportional measurements
Thanks for that Janke! Now I know a little more what to check!
And about the brand/quality of the filters, would you try it?
with the cheap filters I bought off ebay, I got a slight magenta shift in the colors, but nothing I can't live with. Would it be the same with these, as they're glass?
No idea. "Pig in a poke" comes to mind when buying on the web...
That would be more appropriate when buying from ebay!Originally Posted by Janke
No idea. "Pig in a poke" comes to mind when buying on the web...
I mean, it's glass filters, from a reputable company (canadian as well!) and B&H sell that stuff...I'd be up to try, especially for the price.
Looks like there's already a solution:
An adapter! Of course!
I'll try to make them before spending 100$+ on 2 filters. Looks perfectly doable. I don't know about the FOV though. Hope it'll be enough...
JM2C, but I'd splash out the extra $6 for the Cavision ones: at least they're made of real glass and come with a protective pouch.
I've never used Cavision gear in anger but I've fiddled with their matte boxes, follow focuses and other accessories at NAB and in general I'd describe their stuff as "reasonable quality at a reasonable price" — you can find most of what they sell better-made or more cheaply priced, but they try to hit the sweet spot between painful to buy and painful to use.
That's what I finally did! Ordered the ND 1.5 from Cavision. Been pleased with it so far.
Here's 2 stills. Can you guess which one's the stock image?
IMG_5278.jpgIMG_5280.jpg
Now I don't know how they will act if I stack another one in front of this one, but so far, the 1.5 seems to be good for most situations outdoor: I can stop down the lens a bit and increase shutter speed if it's too bright (with ISO 100) and I could always boost a bit the ISO if needed, if there's some clouds.
I'll probably get a 0.6 or 0.9 for other situations where the 1.5 is "too much".
i have a couple of 4x4 NDs from Tiffen, good quality and i've been quite pleased with them so far. Will probably continue building a Tiffen set, they're not cheap (but not ridiculously expensive either) but it's a brand i can trust so far.
I know about Tiffen, but as I'm not living out of my hobby, I'll stick with lower-cost filters!
So far, the Cavision impresses me. Glass filter with very slight little blue tint (which is almost not visible) and well built. For the price, I'm impressed.
I bet that the first one is actually the stock footage. All filters (variable or not) seem to add a slight color cast to the image. With that said...the second image has the slightest green tint to it. But what's great about both is...the detail did not seem to change. That's a good thing. I can live with a slight color cast because that can be removed.
I actually picked up a Neewer Variable ND some weeks back. The amazing thing about Neewer filters is that they are not only cheap....but I have (what appears to be) no detail loss in the image either. I have not tried it with my longer lens as yet however...but so far it looks great. I picked my 67mm filter up for only $16 (some sites have it cheaper).
No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life...Albert Einstein
It's actually the opposite! The first is the one with the filter (slightly blueish) and the second is the one with shutter speed matched (~1/2500 or more)
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