View Full Version : Canon Xl1 Day-for-night Filter


Marcus Farrar
December 3rd, 2002, 06:10 PM
Has anyone ever tried to shoot video in the day with filters to make it look like it is night, or dark. I am shooting a video and it would be nice to not have to bring lights out at night in the middle of the street in public areas. I saw a filter like this and it seems to good to be true.

Robert J. Wolff
December 8th, 2002, 05:56 PM
Off hand, I would suggest an 80A, 80B, or, possibly, an 82, in your filter size.

Since you are trying to lower the K temperture, from somewhere in the region of 5600K, down to about 3800k, these should do the trick.

If I might be so bold as to suggest: You are opening up a large can of worms.

If you mentally image the full moon's shadow of an object on the ground, you will see that it is "apparently" far sharper than the suns shadow, of that same object.

It isn't. But it appears to be so since your personel iris has hit max opening.

Now, besides that small esthetic, controling precieved time of day, can be one giant pain in the rumpus delecti. Trying to achive this with filters, is done with difficulty. Your one-directional-lighting-sun, applys a single light source, with a great deal of spill. Not so the moon.

I know. Small things to consider. But, to achive the desired illusion, they must be approached.

If I might suggest, a better method might be to change the color temperature of your camera. Some call it white ballance. I prefere color temperature. You may save your self a lot of time and money, by experimenting with the (ugh!) white ballance.

Best.

John Paulsel
January 23rd, 2003, 02:45 PM
I would alter the video in post, rather than boogering it up with a filter. Better yet, why not shoot at night.

"Day for night" was much more common in film when color was fairly new and film speed was very slow. Now color film is much faster, and DV sucks in tons more light than film.