Color Filters for B&W Film Photography - Large Format Friday

[@thomaspopple2291]

With the right scene I really like red filter and polarizer. Really makes the clouds pop.

[@MatMarrash]

Oh man, red + polarizer is getting pretty close to IR territory, now THAT'S the good stuff! :)

[@c.augustin]

For a long time I followed the common advice of just using Y, O and R filters, and nearly never liked the results. Everybody seems to dismiss the G (X1 - most likely a wrong interpretation of the Roman numeral XI for the Wratten 11) filter, and they are thus hard to find nowadays - but this is exactly the filter that suits me best. If I could have only one filter, it would actually be green! Why do I have a problem with the ROY filters? They lighten red and tend to darken green (Y the least, R the most) - and this is *not* how we see foliage, our eyes are most sensible to green (and yellow, because our "gray" receptors have their maximum there), so especially in landscape trees and gras simply look too dark and wrong. The green filter on the other hand enhances greens, and slightly cuts down on blues (the sky is slightly darkened, a bit similar to the yellow filter) and gives better differentiation with oranges and reds (e.g. in flowers). I get the impression that this tendency to recommend yellow filters stems from the really old days when film (and glass plates) were mostly orthochromatic, thus having dark reds with rather bright blues, so a yellow filter darkened the blues but left the greens nearly untouched (and the reds where already darker). This is what I get with a green filter on modern, panchromatic film …

[@carbonjimfitzgerald]

A #11 green is my most used filter too.

[@OllyHitchen]

I recently experienced in my local woodlands and preferred the green for all the reasons you mentioned.

[@c.augustin]

@@OllyHitchen I did some more research and tests in the meantime, and found the yellow filter a bit more useful than I thought - with the Ilford HP5 Plus (because Ilford stock is very neutral in color sensitivity, showing nearly no differentiation between red, green and blue, which is greatly improved with a yellow filter). I still use G11, and it makes the HP5 usable for me ;-). What I would like to use is a Wratten 44A (green-blue or cyan) filter to emulate orthochromatic film, but I can't get my hands on one (even harder to find than G11). Yes, I know, there's ortho film out there, but sensitivity is too low and contrast too high for me, and I don't want to use different film stocks if I can avoid it.

[@fstopPhotography]

My go-to B&W filter is a polarizer filter when shooting scenic and forests. Have been for almost 47 years.

[@GuppyRook]

Green 11 is used to darken skin tones, and was often used in studio portraiture to give the subject a 'healthier' looking skin shade.

[@jameslabeck6407]

Thank God for this. I don’t like blown out sky.

[@MatMarrash]

If you're not a fan of blown-out skies, I'd recommend panchromatic films for your best chance at them. Blue filters will blow out most skies, and if using an orthochromatic film try a yellow filter. Cheers!

[@SidneyPratt]

Thanks.

[@robertyoung1777]

I’m glad that you use the term “value” rather than “tone”. Tone is a musical term. Value is a visual art term. Great video!

[@nostalgiccameralife]

Tone is a visual term, however it is often incorrectly used to refer to value. Tone refers to color, so generally is irrelevant in discussion of black and white photography, except in reference to toning prints (which of course will "add" color, and thus "tone").

[@victordesabata]

Matt, I was thinking about color filters for b&w portraits an hour ago and now you published a video on it! woohoo!

[@MatMarrash]

This video's been in my head for a long time and happy to finally share it with y'all!

[@randallstewart175]

When I got my first 35mm camera around 1960, the first accessories I bought were color filters for B&W film. I still have them today. A small, nerdy historical correction for the video. Tiffen may use the number references given for the filters used, but that number system originated with a British company named Wratten. Wratten made the first high quality filters using filter gels sandwiched between very thin optical glass plates. Kodak bought the company after the War, and in true Kodak fashion, imported and sold the Wratten filters under the Kodak logo, assigning a different alphabetic designation for each filter. So the Wratten 2 (medium yellow) became the Kodak K, the No. 8 (red) became the A. To confuse further, Kodak also used the Wratten numbering system, so we had K1, K2, and K3, for light medium and dark yellow. To adjust exposure for filters, use the "filter factor" assigned to the filter and do the math. A lot of folks just read exposure through the filter, which is not reliable. Reason for this is that the light reading cells on many meters do not respond in a linear manner to various colors (contra want folks assume). Fun fact: the very popular and expensive Pentax Digital Spot Meter is a worst offender here. The best is probably the Minolta Spot M or F.

[@ammartaibi2623]

I love comments like these. Thanks your the info old-timer. Yeah i got so confused about the when wratten kodak naming when I was shopping around for filters.

[@randallstewart175]

@@ammartaibi2623 One thing you have to watch for if you are shopping for Kadak Wratten brand filters. Because they are sandwiches of glass and filter gel, after all these years they are subject to delamination. If you think such a filter has some separation between cover glass and filter gel, pass on by.

[@MatMarrash]

Randall thanks for sharing your knowledge, and speaking of delamination, my Sinar filters are starting to do that! :(

[@jasonnicholas4336]

On a lark, try layering the three RGB images together in Photoshop, assigning them colour channels and see what kind of colour image you can create.

[@MatMarrash]

Jason you'll be happy to hear that Trichomy is on "the list"!

[@AtlantaTerry]

@@MatMarrash something to include would be a Harris Drop Shutter.

[@extremelydave]

You just saved me so much time and hassle with this timely video (I am just getting my medium format filter set bought) so THANK YOU Mat!!! Just for that, I'm going to go to the support page and give back to you!! Thanks!!!

[@MatMarrash]

You're very welcome!

[@johnkawooya8421]

Great content!!!👍👍👍

[@GreggObst]

Another really nice choice for a "if you can only afford to start with a single filter" choice is the Hoya or Cokin Yellow-Green which is a nice combined effect on puffy clouds in the sky especially when there is grass or tree cover in a landscape. One tip I learned from some of the guys on the LFP forum was the combination of a yellow or yellow-green filter plus a polarizer in place of a red filter. It adds a really noticeable contrast punch. Well worth trying out. A tip for anyone with really big (95mm or greater) filter size lenses is the Cokin X-Pro filter system which gives 130mm filter sizes that can cover just about everything. The Cokin EVO holder has an internal ring that their EVO polarizer fits into which allows the three slots to free up for contrast or ND/GND filters in addition to the polarizer. I had to invest in one of those X-Pro systems once I got the giant 300mm F5.6 Symmar-S lens with its 105mm filter ring. The catch is Cokin doesn't actually offer a 105mm adapter ring for their own X-Pro filter system. Instead, there is a Chinese seller on eBay that sells 105mm adapter rings for a clone system of the Cokin X-Pro. Those 105mm rings are well constructed and fit with the Cokin system perfectly. Yet another tip for users of threadless lenses (Petzval, projection, barrel, process lenses etc, that want to use filters is the Lee Gel Snap filter holder which attaches to the outside of the lens barrel (front or back) using a thick rubber band system and has a single square 100mm/4x4" filter slot. The filter holder can handle lens barrel sizes up to 82mm in diameter. I've actually epoxied a cheap Scioti three-slot 100mm/4x4" filter holder to the front of one of the Lee Gel Snap holders so I can use up to four filters on threadless lenses. That custom setup works well for when I want to do two or more ND filters on a projection lens that has no shutter or aperture and I want to slow things down enough to use a dark slide, lens cap, or hat as a shutter on the front.

[@MatMarrash]

With so many ways to expand-on a filter kit, there's got to be a follow-up video with more options! Thanks for sharing those and my go-tos for "too big" lenses are my Sinar filter system and cine 6.5" filters.

[@blakeaghili4681]

You are very experienced and knowledgeable

[@BryanBirks]

10 sheets of Delta 100. No need to flex that hard on us. 😅 Definitely need to try some filters at some point. Looks like they can help a lot in certain scenarios.

[@MatMarrash]

Today we're bracketing our exposures with ULF!

[@jgugala]

Low-key flex. "Oh, this old stock? NBD."

[@arnolfini1434]

Ilford recommends Y/G filters in daylight and G/C in tungsten. Loved ILFORD films, well I would living in ILFORD.

[@MichaelLloyd]

When I switched to digital (2006) I gave all of my filters to a guy that still shot both. At the time I wasn't a very good film photographer even though I started around age age 9 (my dad gave me a Brownie Hawkeye and a Sears film development kit). That was 54 years ago. I learned a lot shooting digital and about 10 years ago I jumped back into film (MF and LF). It was cheap lol Not many people were shooting film. Used, almost new cameras were cheap (not no mo). At least now I'll know which filters to try first

[@YTGerry1]

I think if you had a scene with clouds in the sky the filter effects might have been easier to see. The filter factor calculations were really informative. Thanks!

[@MatMarrash]

Clouds would have been a nice bonus for sure! Hoping for a few more of these nice clear days to head out and shoot some IR film.

[@YTGerry1]

@@MatMarrash Thanks for the reply Mat. Your KZbin large format series is really excellent.

[@MarkHickford]

Not LF, but a yellow filter is pretty much always on my Rolleiflex 2.8e. R,O,Y filters are in the bag when out with my Hasselblad 503cxi. I don't actually have any filters or adaptors to go on my Graflex Speed Graphic's ~160mm Optar lens. Must rectify that sometime!

[@HOBOCARTEL1]

For large format I have a good set of Cokin XL filters. I find myself using orange and red the most and sometimes yellow.

[@stuartbaines2843]

Great video once again 👍🙂 I am learning a lot from you about Black&white LF temptation is whispering in my ear 😂

[@MatMarrash]

Thank you Stuart and the best part about filters is they're great for all B&W, but pair perfectly with the methodical process of LF.

[@carltanner9065]

I have B&W colour filters (Cokin) that I use on all my formats and cameras. But, like you mentioned, my red filter is the goto for general contrast enhancing, followed by my yellow filter. Another poster here mentioned Wratten filters. I use them a lot since I do astrophotography and they can work wonders on bringing out the detail on the surfaces of the planets. They can also be used visually to do the same thing. Like if you're looking for haze and/or clouds in the atmosphere of Mars, you can use an 82A filter (pale blue), which enhances those features. A 15 filter (yellow) helps to enhance the cloud bands on planets such as Jupiter and Saturn.

[@MatMarrash]

Thanks for the astrophotography tips Carl! That's still an area I know very, very little about but would love to try some day.

[@carltanner9065]

Sure :D If you're going to get into astrophotography, start with just your camera and lenses and grab yourself a tracking mount. You'll be able to do widefield astro work with that setup. Once you go down the road of using scopes and dedicated astro cameras, it can get very, very expensive!!! Makes ordinary photography look like a cheap hobby!!!

[@hughysaint4178]

I like the Red filter and the orange filter. Great job, this was very informative and much needed

[@MatMarrash]

Thanks! :)

[@terrywbreedlove]

Good morning Matt. Red filters are to strong for me. Yellow to weak. So I use orange a lot. 🍊

[@MatMarrash]

A very good middle ground, thanks Terry!

[@nostalgiccameralife]

Primarily use yellow and green filters, if I use a filter at all. Yellow has a subtle effect that is rarely noticeable to the untrained eye, but it is useful when using an old camera with limited shutter speeds to cut a stop off exposure. Green is useful for foliage in some situations, however yellow can also be useful for foliage. It depends of course on what is being photographed, a yellow filter will lighten yellow-green leaves, or leaves which are sunlit/backlit, vs. green which will lighten darker foliage. A yellow filter used on foliage during golden hour can produce an effect reminiscent of infrared photography, with leaves rendering as nearly white on the print.

[@RogerHyam]

Wow that was a lot of work. Thanks. I've never used filter factors but meter through the filter. e.g. If I am exposing for shadows and those shadows are blue (typical) and I am using a red filter then it will take a lot more light out of the exposure than the simple filter factor so there is a danger I will end up with thin shadows if I just use the filter factor. Also it is simpler. That's my thinking anyhow.

[@arnolfini1434]

Filter factors are affected by the colour of the ambient light.

[@gui4j]

my default is a yellow /green by Cokin

[@filmic1]

Great seminar! thank you...

[@MatMarrash]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@ethandudeman8359]

If you take your scans of the red green and blue, level them and then set them as the rgb channel corresponding you will get a full color image, Or if you just had the red filter and assuming your film was panchromatic using the unfiltered image and the red or orange filtered image you can end up with a result similar to early two color technicolor or cinecolor

[@lukemperez]

Great stuff, Matt. I still rock the red and yellow that you helped me source for my Yashica Mat all those years ago (yes, yes, I know-medium format is not large format, but when I need them, they are so, so clutch). I was recently on a trip to San Diego and realized a blue filter might be a good move for the waves crashing into the bluffs on those foggy, misty mornings.

[@MatMarrash]

Luke thanks for tuning in and glad to see you're still rocking film! The CA coast is a magical place and killer for B&W, filters or not. Wishing you and the family well!

[@IntrepidCameraCo]

Excellent video as always Mat !

[@MatMarrash]

Thank you very much! :D

[@timluttges9413]

Really interesting 👍🏼. I have a yellow and orange filter, but the results with the Green filter looks amazing. Thanks for your shared experience.

[@MatMarrash]

Thanks Tim, making this video reminded me that I'd been under-using my green filter.

[@JamesPearson]

Excellent video Mat, meticulously thorough and clear as ever. Much appreciated, thanks.

[@charlywedl5544]

For my Zeiss lenses on the Hasselblad 501 CM I use the Lee 100 filter system. I am very satisfied with the results. Only the polarization filter is a bit fiddly to install and is difficult to rotate in the filter holder. Interesting video, thank you very much!

[@imran152]

This is super helpful for B&W photography! I'll need to grab an orange filter for next time I shoot around greenery

[@MatMarrash]

If I'm bringing one filter for a clear day, orange is the go-to. But with a heavy LF kit, what's a few extra filters?

[@juliettehotel]

I would love to hear about how different filters can benefit different skin tones.

[@ammartaibi2623]

The naked photographer did a video about filters and portraits it's really dope. Go check it out

[@juliettehotel]

Thanks. I’ll look for it.

[@AtlantaTerry]

@@ammartaibi2623 a link would have been very helpful.

[@Gitsh]

Great instructional video Matt, l use a yellow and red filters regularly, particuarly for Landscapes.👍👍

[@AlexLuyckxPhoto]

I use filters all the time for my 35mm and 120 photography, but don't with my Large Format, and I should! Thank you Mat for a great simple intro into coloured filters on B&W!

[@MatMarrash]

Thanks Alex! Looking back at my catalog of B&W photographs, I started strong with filters but really dropped off on using them along the way. Hopefully they'll find their way into the bag for upcoming shoots.

[@MichaelWellman1955]

Great episode. I always go out with my filters. For my LF I have YOR but for 35mm I have all of the colors. Orange and red are my favorite filters. I realize it's not a "color" filter, but my favorite filter to use is the polarizer. If you really want your sky to pop when it has a wonderful fluffy clouds int them is to use a red & Polarizer. It's a bitch slap. I've rarely used a green filter but I should try and use it more. Thanks for making my Friday

[@MatMarrash]

Thanks Michael, I'd considered mentioning the polarizing filter but there's always more than can be added on like Polarizers, ND's, and other effects. Cheers!

[@jimjanus3710]

Good work Matt, very informative.

[@MatMarrash]

Thanks 👍

[@lensman5762]

Excellent demonstration. I have been a photographer for over 40 years. My advice is to use filters on B&W film sparingly. The urge is to go straight to an R or O filter. Yes it can create ' dramatic ' results but does dramatic suit all subjects all the time? One should also consider the type of emulsion and its spectral response before choosing a filter. Some films are Orthochromatic, some are Orthopanchromatic. some are plain old Panchromatic and some have extended red sensitivity. Fuji Acros is Orthopanchromatic for example and has a pronounced dip in the Cyan/Green region of the spectrum, one the reasons that it renders the skies well even without the use of a filter. The safest bet is to use either a Y8 ( light/medium yellow ) or a G(XO) Yellow Green filter. We used the G(XO) quite a light to recreate the the way our eyes see the scene when using a Panchromatic emulsion. One should also take into account of how much blue light is filtered out as the shadows are illuminated by the blue portion of the light spectrum.

[@MatMarrash]

The type of emulsion heavily impacts filtering decisions, and I tend to see what a film looks like unfiltered first, just to have a baseline.

[@andyvan5692]

HURRY UP, you will miss out on shooting (ON FILM) that family of ducks, how cute :-))

[@shawnmiller4440]

I've never shot with green or blue but have been curious, so thanks for the explainer! Shooting landscapes in the northeast seems like a good fit for those two at times.

[@MatMarrash]

Thanks Shawn, I think there are a lot of neat opportunities for those two in landscapes!

[@lhuhnphotography]

Great presentation of valuable information. Thanks!

[@MatMarrash]

Thank you Larry!

[@BobOgden1]

This was really useful. Thanks again for the excellent channel

[@MatMarrash]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ChristopherMay]

My go-to for B&W is is Yellow #8, though I usually carry the full complement of color filters just in case. Truth be told, my most used filters are my polarizers for both B&W and color work. I could probably survive without color filters but I'd be lost without my polarizers. Thanks for a great demo here, though. Trying each filter on multiple scenes would have been an impressive commitment on 35mm. To do it on 4x5...well, that's why this is an awesome channel! :-)

[@arnolfini1434]

Also you could try Yellow/ Green.

[@arnolfini1434]

Remember filter factors change in tungsten light .

[@MatMarrash]

Great point!

[@davehanner360]

Great video! Needed this one. Thanks!

[@MatMarrash]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@jackmckone8416]

Really fun video, Mat. Thanks. When i bought my polarizer i think i read that the less expensive linear polarizer does quite nicely as compared to the circular polarizer that digital requires. I can't remember for sure. Maybe you could cover that in a future video. Keep 'em coming, and always love the field work.

[@MatMarrash]

Thanks Jack, there's going to be some filters follow-up talking about more advanced and specialty filters for film. Since LF cameras don't have mirrors or fancy AF and metering systems, linear polarizers will work just fine. But if you already shelled out for a nicer CPL filter, they work nicely too!

[@richardstollar4291]

As always, very informative. I have R O Y G but don't have B. Mostly I use the Y but now will try the R more often as the results look interesting

[@MatMarrash]

Thanks Richard, I don't always pull out the red filter, but sometimes it's the right amount of "oomph" for the photo!

[@gui4j]

good tutorial , nicely done !!

[@MatMarrash]

Thanks a lot!

[@ashleyhoff7561]

What Filters? - I always carry a circular polarizer and a red when out and about. I have tended to find that the Circular Polarizer is my general go to, even when pointing in the wrong direction. But the other thing I have noticed personally of late - I tend to err on using none at all, regardless of the conditions. Just one more thing - you missed a trick! Blue filters for portraits! They can create some of the most dramatic portraits you will ever see (but maybe check with your sitter first :D )

[@MatMarrash]

Thanks Ashley and yes for portraits always good to run the "effect" by the sitter! :)

[@andyvan5692]

this is one scenario perfict for the Grafmatic holder, so you can run 6 sheets, same shot, different filter/exposure combination.

[@MatMarrash]

Alas the Grafmatic I used earlier in the season was a rental!

[@Resgerr]

I hardly carry filters but I love to have them, do need to use them more.

[@MatMarrash]

I feel the same way. They don't add a lot of weight to the kit but are somehow easier to forget than my keys and phone!

[@yetanotherbassdude]

Really awesome to see this direct comparison between different filters in the same scene, and it's crazy how much of a difference just using a filter can make! Any chance of a follow up looking at filters for B&W portraiture too, especially if you could look at how different filters affect different skin tones? I've recently found the work of Andy Gotts and I love his style for shooting celebrities with a super wide lens and I think a blue or green filter on panchromatic film stocks for more of an ortho film look. Maybe some inspiration for a filters investigation?

[@glebbio7506]

I was expecting to see trichrome images at the end of the video!)

[@aengusmacnaughton1375]

Matt! Aengus here -- (FPP's #1 Fan) -- love your spots on the FPP videos. Don't shoot large format myself (not yet!) -- vintage 35mm cameras and "consumer" medium format (can you say "Brownie"?) -- but I have used color filters for B&W film to great result (some of these consumer medium format cameras have a "pull in/out" yellow filter) -- but it is cool to see a real-world test and comparison (especially with the little used blue and green filters). I'll be headed out to the Columbus area (Georgesville) in late July to visit my daughter's family (my two grandsons!!!) -- she's a digital photographer (I have gotten her a few vintage Nikon lenses for her DSLR) -- but we were both wondering -- what would you recommend for "camera shops" in the Columbus area? And where were you on the Scioto river? That looks like a great place for photos! Thanks! Stay well!

[@MatMarrash]

Hey Aengus thanks for the comment and this episode was filmed off of Route 33 (riverside drive) along the Scioto. There are a few camera shops in Columbus: Midwest Photo (where I work), Dodd's, and World of Photography. Let me know when you're stopping by!

[@aengusmacnaughton1375]

@@MatMarrash -- OK -- I have added that location on the Scioto for my daughter, me and my grandsons to check out when I am in in July. We'll try to head downtown to check out Midwest Photo -- she already knew about the store as she is looking to rent some long Nikon AF lenses (she shoots a 7100) to try out before buying one. One day maybe I'll convince her to shoot film -- but for his second birthday in Feb, I sent my oldest grandson a Nikon One Touch 100 -- very easy to use Nikon point & shoot (and it has "Nikon" on it like his Mommy's camera) -- and it shoots/winds/flashes even with no film, so he can "play" with it -- but when I am out we're putting some film in it and we'll see what he gets!!! Hope to maybe see you when I am out there! Working my way through your videos now -- lots of great tips and techniques -- even for us non-large-format users.... Thanks!!!!

[@aengusmacnaughton1375]

@@MatMarrash -- Hey Mat! I was in Ohio last week visiting my daughter and family (Georgesville) -- both she and I stopped by the camera store Sat near closing, but you had headed out already. I talked one of the guys ears off while there! Awesome store -- we have one similar in one of the pretty scary neighborhoods of Baltimore, which I do not frequent! My daughter might be coming in to rent some long lenses for her Nikon DSLR for bird photography. I did manage to get some good family photos -- and some in the Darby parks -- with my Panasonic Lumix G85 (micro-four-thirds) -- and a batch of vintage 35mm cameras. Sorry that I missed you though.

[@MatMarrash]

@@aengusmacnaughton1375 Aw man, sorry I missed you on Saturday! Glad to hear the store took good care of you. Next time feel free to shoot me an email and we'll work on a meet-up time. Cheers!

[@erichstocker8358]

Watched this yesterday on my TV so no way to comment. Very good episode and nicely carried out. Where are you on "riverside" in Columbus. I don't recognize that location. Is that on the Olentangy or Scioto? Anyway a good choice for the filter demonstration?

[@MatMarrash]

Hey Erich, I was right off Riverside drive on the Scioto river. Thanks for tuning in!

[@davidottman9501]

Thank you Mat for putting together and presenting this very helpful information, and doing it so well! So basically the blue filter is what to use when you run out of ortho or x-ray film but want that look. Or vice-versa... :) Sorry to wander off-topic, but you mentioned wide angle. Is there a way to mitigate the need for a center-weighted ND filter for LF wide angle lenses? I the very rare event where one comes available for a given lens, the seller wants more for the filter than the whole lens is worth. Your use of the reducing back is a great way to accomplish this by cropping out the vignette, but what if we want to use the whole frame?

[@MatMarrash]

Thanks David, the blue filter is a growing favorite of mine, and gives a classic look on a modern emulsion; the best of both worlds! As for the center filter, there's not much beyond correcting in post via a digital profile or a printing mask. If you're aiming to use E6 films, the need for one becomes even greater. I often don't use the center filter for my 150 SSXL...until color gets loaded into the camera.

[@javiera8782]

I think the term is filters of color but I'm not sure haha

[@erikepskamp1991]

Once again you had an excellent episode. I have long-awaited this topic from you. So many questions, here are a few. I have used my tiny Reveni meter with the filter in front of it; is that an acceptable technique? In your shot across the river could you place one filter covering the river part of the exposure and a different one covering the sky and then find an exposure somewhere between the two filter factors? Thanks, Mat!

[@MatMarrash]

Hey Erik! You can use the spot meter through the spot meter, but with some colors reflecting more/less than others, the filter factor may be the best to go by. I've not used my Reveni spot in that way but have with the Sekonic L-778.

[@RicardoJMaydana]

Excelente episodio - bien explicado, consulta. el kit de filtros para gran formato podes recomendar ?

[@MatMarrash]

I would recommend a 100mm filter holder system like Benro or Tiffen. For glass filters (more expensive) try Tiffen, and for resin filters (cheaper) try Formatt Hitech. Cheers!

[@andyvan5692]

do you use ND's and Polarising filters?, and if you do, would be a great second go at filters, showing a comparison how these work.

[@danielcely8345]

2 years late but... anyway, just wanted to tell you I recently discovered your content, andIi've been binge-watching and learning a lot before moving on to large format. I do have one question regarding the second location you chose, since there was sunlight coming in the direction of the lens, I noticed some flare showing up on the top left corner of the image, are there flags or lens hoods you can use to avoid such flare in large format? I don't think I've seen you use them in any of your videos. thanks for the content! keep it up!

[@MatMarrash]

Hey Daniel thanks for the comment! While smaller LF lenses can fit a threaded lens hood, I don't own any in my kit and instead opt for using the darkslide that's removed during exposure. DIY shade works for everything but the really long exposures, and can even be used as an ND filter if you're quick!

[@thomaspopple2291]

Re-watching and had a question regarding drop in filters. Do you ever have an issue with light coming in from the top of the filter? There seems to be a space between the top and bottom of the filter and the lens. In really bright scenes, like desert landscapes, I have had issues with the top, or in the case of LF, bottom of the negative receiving more exposure than the middle and sides of the negative from light coming in through the little gap between the filter and the lens.

[@mjones410]

What about that moment when you are packing your gear away, you put your lens in it's bag and you realise oh bugger. I just shot 4 perfectly metered and composed frames of Rollei IR and I didn't put the IR720nm filter on..... You now have 4 frames over exposed by 6 stops lol

[@MatMarrash]

That's a big OOF right there! The few times I'd intentionally left off the IR filter the results weren't bad...but they weren't too good either!

[@mjones410]

@@MatMarrash I just shot them this morning. I'm going to turn lemons in to lemonade and run a little test. Big time pull process 2 of them, and stand develop the other 2 and see which works best (if at all) :)

[@MatMarrash]

@@mjones410 Good luck man, I think you'll be surprised by the resilience of over-exposing film!

[@andyvan5692]

one question, with WIDE lenses, do you use coloured "centre filters" ( to even the exposure up) due to the extreme angle of the light coming in?- or can you "gang" centre and coloued filters on the same holder.

[@MatMarrash]

This is an interesting question I hadn't considered. Most of the center filters I know of are circular, so it would be possible to stack them if the filter holder didn't block too much of the field of view. I know on my 150 SSXL, I can only fit one or the other.

[@andyvan5692]

@@MatMarrash yes, thankyou, but the filter factor would probably be prohibitive, at least without a stopwatch!

[@oudviola]

Thanks really helpful. I use a Tiffen yellow (8 I think) to control the sky and add contrast with clouds. Will have to try green with foliage. Just got a red 25 for Ilford's SFX200 infrared. But a big question re filter factors, doesn't it depend on the color of the subject you're metering off, especially with a spot meter?

[@MatMarrash]

Thanks Mark and you've got it when it comes to spot metering and color from subject matter. It's very easy to be thrown off. In "The Negative" there's a good synopsis of it and be aware of when shooting.

[@oudviola]

@@MatMarrash Will go back to the source once again!

[@JeremyOClair]

Hey Mat, I'm curious what you'd say about polarizers (circular) with B&W film. These colored filters certainly are specific with limiting the tones/contrasts of colors, but I'm curious whether there would be any benefit of a polarizer besides darkening a sky. Or what the pros and cons would be. Thanks!

[@ammartaibi2623]

A polarizer would cut out the reflections if set to the appropriate degree. It's really important to use. If say if you had to own and use just on filter it should be the polarizer. It's the only one that you can't replicate in post

[@MatMarrash]

Jeremy I'm a big fan of using a polarizer when it's needed. When you're trying to remove some reflections like in water, windows, or sky, they're great. I tend to use them with waterfalls to "pop" the water and rocks a bit. Only con is the lost of 1.5 stops!

[@DaarkCloud]

Have you tried the Lomo instant wide back?

[@MatMarrash]

Not yet but would love to get my hands on one!

[@DaarkCloud]

@@MatMarrash I would love to see your take on it. I saw it on their website and instantly thought of you.

[@trevoroneill8131]

What camera do you use & where to get this at

[@MatMarrash]

Hey Trevor the 8x10 I'm using in many episodes is an 8x10" Tachihara Double Extension folding field camera. I picked mine up at Midwest Photo years ago, but small camera dealers like MPEX, Roberts Camera (Used Photo Pro) are great places to find gems like this.

[@jgugala]

I understood filter factors differently. Rather than half of the number, it’s exponential, I.e a FF of eight is actually three stops, as two to the third power is eight. This is based off of the fact that a full stop less of light is half, and a full stop more is twice the amount. A FF of four gives you the same answer with division or square root, but it changes dramatically as you go up. Am I wrong?

[@MatMarrash]

Hey Jon, thanks for pointing this out, factors are log base 2. I cut out that bit on filter factor to avoid any confusion!

[@jgugala]

@@MatMarrash Thanks, Matt. Just wanted to be sure what I thought to be true was actually so. Appreciate all your insight.

[@camerachica73]

Could you list the filter numbers and or links please?

[@MatMarrash]

List in the description, no links since I'd recommend picking them up used!

[@mamiyapress]

Why would you use a Chromo Blend filter ?

[@MatMarrash]

While I don't personally use them, those filters are to add a limited/graded effect for color and b&w films.

[@extremelydave]

On a slightly troll side question... where's your Raveni light meter????

[@MatMarrash]

The Reveni is alive and well, but I haven't been showcasing it since it's not the production model that folks that backed the project will be seeing. Updates soon!

[@nelxonmiranda]

RoyG what? I know what humean but others may not. I’ve never heard it called that and I’ve been around.