Can anyone recmmend any 4X4 filters for the HD100U and perhaps tell me a little about each one and what their experience has been.
I keep hearing about Black Pro Mist and how it makes it look more "filmlike."

Is that true and what other filters are basic and/or standard I need to get for various situations.

Thanks

Brian,

I have several Formatt filters. They are great. However, after several years of experience, I have come to the conclusion that it is better to shoot plain and add effects in post-production. That way you have more flexibility.

An example: I shot a short using the Black Super Mist. Great look, no doubt about it. However, later I wanted to give it a different look but I have the limitation it was shot with the filter.

There are so many great electronic filters that do the SAME in post (Magic Bullet, Digital Film Tools, etc.), again providing you with the flexibility to be more creative during post and make your footage looke the way you intended without permanently altering the original material.

Regards,

Luis Otero

However, I forgot to mention, that a polarizer and UV filters are needed no matter what...

There is a school of thought that follows along the lines of the idea that if you're shooting video trying getting a "film look", that you don't want to degrade the image by putting heavy diffusion in front of the lens.

I think most of the harsh characteristics of video that people are trying to soften with diffusion come from excessive edge enhancement ("detail") that a lot of video cameras come out of the box with. In other words, try backing off the detail setting on your camera a little to see if that helps you.

Also note that it's common film practice to shoot with an absolutely clean lens (meaning no filtration). Only once or twice in a 9 year assistant cameraman career was I instructed to keep some sort of diffusion in front of the lens for everything. Note that if we did, the strength of it was tweaked shot by shot, like a 1/4 for a wide shot, a 1 for closeup of female lead, etc.

Polas are ubiquitous for daylight exterior film work. UVs are unheard of.

UVs are unheard of.
Most people use UVs basically as a lens protection. For video work, that is. Put it on the lens and forget about it. If the quality of the shot is critical, as in dramatic (film-style) work or with strong back lights (sun, etc) it needs to come off because in the first case scenario it's not needed since assumingly enough care is taken not to cause any damage to the lens and in the second case the filter causes more flare than the coated lens elements.

It all makes sense to me.. =) Post it shall be..

It all makes sense to me.. =) Post it shall be..


Won't you still need ND's in a lot of heavy sunlit situations?

Remembering that due to the small size of the sensor that anything much over 5.6 and you risk getting doppler distortion.

I'v already found the built in ND's to be inadequate.

Well, NDs are class appart, and for me are a given only if the built-in are not adequate and the closing of the iris is not a solution, depending of your situation. If you need to maintain an adequate DOF and the iris must be kept open, and the light source is not handeled well with the built-in ones, agree, additional NDs are needed.

Luis

Well, NDs are class appart, and for me are a given only if the built-in are not adequate and the closing of the iris is not a solution, depending of your situation. If you need to maintain an adequate DOF and the iris must be kept open, and the light source is not handeled well with the built-in ones, agree, additional NDs are needed.

Luis

What filters are used for sunlight?

Won't you still need ND's in a lot of heavy sunlit situations?

Remembering that due to the small size of the sensor that anything much over 5.6 and you risk getting doppler distortion.

I'v already found the built in ND's to be inadequate.
Agreed -- the HD100's ND filters are a bit mild. In daylight in southern California it was very tough to even hold an F/11, which is beyond how far you'd want to stop down. A two-stop or three-stop ND filter would be a good item for an HD100 owner to keep handy.

What filters are used for sunlight?
Neutral Density filters. They're essentially "sunglasses" for your camera.

Neutral Density filters. They're essentially "sunglasses" for your camera.

I need them for my matte box Chrosziel 4X4. Any particular brand and model i should get? Tiffen?

Personally, if I had the choice, I would invest in a polarizer instead of an additional ND. On a bright sunny clear day the polarizer helps control the 'blueness' of the sky and increases colour saturation but also cuts the exposure by a couple of stops.

Agreed -- the HD100's ND filters are a bit mild. In daylight in southern California it was very tough to even hold an F/11, which is beyond how far you'd want to stop down. A two-stop or three-stop ND filter would be a good item for an HD100 owner to keep handy.

BTW Brian, if you are shopping for ND filters, a 1 stop ND filter is called "ND.3" a 2-stop is "ND.6" 3 stop is "ND.9" 4 stop is "ND1.2" and so on.

I recommend the .6 and the .9 ND filters and a polarizer. Be careful in the sun because the camera will resolve the filter pattern if you do not use a matte box.

Like this: Click (http://home.comcast.net/~stephenlnoe/filter.bmp)

So if I use the filters I don't need to use the internal HD100U filter, correct? And if I assume correctly I will get a better picture.

Really it is not an issue of "instead of", it is "in addition of" the biult in, if needed. However, I would put first the polarizer, then add the additional ND needed to achieve your desired footage look. I totally agree that the polarizer will provide you with a deeper blue skies footage in a very sunny situation as you are describing.

Luis

I recommend the .6 and the .9 ND filters and a polarizer. Be careful in the sun because the camera will resolve the filter pattern if you do not use a matte box.

Like this: Click (http://home.comcast.net/~stephenlnoe/filter.bmp)


What kind of filter was that? Polarizers and NDs should have no pattern whatsoever. This looks more like a black net, which won't work well on small CCD cameras.

Oh, and by the way, if you are shopping for Polarizer filters you may notice "linear" and "circular" types. I know alot of DV and SLR shooters say go "circular" so it doesn't interfere with the autofocus,(which isn't a concern with the HD100) but personally I would never use a circular polarizer. If you want control, always go with linear if you can.

Linear polarizers allow you to rotate the filter in the matte box to adjust the amount of polarization. This is useful if you want to darken the sky just a little bit, you can rotate it until it looks good to you.
It is also useful if you are using the polarizer to control reflections in glass. You can even "rack" the reflection in and out. It is one of the best multi-purpose filters.

Schneider Filters have the one Tim is talking about. It is the same I use and is so versatile! You rotate it without the need of removing it from the matte box depending on the situation. Great observation and advise, Tim.

Luis

What kind of filter was that? Polarizers and NDs should have no pattern whatsoever. This looks more like a black net, which won't work well on small CCD cameras.
I don't know. I wasn't on the camera that day. There were at variety of filters tried (just to see what they'd do).

So you guys would recommend using a Polarizer filter all the time? and also what are some good brands?

Again, if you are using a matte box, Schneider Filters have the one Tim is talking about. BTW, I do not use it all the time, just when neeeded (high light levels, water in the shot, glass in the shot, basically anything that can have a high reflection of light).

Luis

Right, polarizer to cut reflected glare and Neutral Density filter to cut the amount of light coming into the lens. I use Tiffen but am not opposed to any brand.

So you guys would recommend using a Polarizer filter all the time?
A polarizer can work magic on your footage, but it's not a no-brainer type of thing -- you have to know how it works, and when it works, and when it won't work.

Polarizers work only against polarized light -- such as sunlight. So outdoors, a polarizer can have a great effect on your footage -- cutting glare and reflections, really drawing out some deep saturated colors in leaves and grass, and darkening blue skies.

Or, it may have no effect at all.

Or worse, depending on your shot, it may have both effects!

See, a polarizer's effectiveness varies depending on what angle it is to the sun. At 90 degrees to the sun a polarizer will have the most effect, at 0 degrees (straight into the sun) or 180 degrees (sun at your back) it will have no effect at all. So depending on how you plan your shots, you may end up with shots that don't match well at all. And, if you're executing a panning shot, you may find that the polarizer's effect varies through the shot! That can be distracting and ugly.

So -- know what it does, know when it does it, and know how to get the best from it, and a polarizer will be one of the most valuable filters in your kit.