Basic filter packages

[Michael Escher]

I was hoping that I could quiz folks who have more expertise in the shooting to suggest a selection that would be the basis of a good basic filter package.

What I am shopping for is a filter package that would maximize my camera's ability to shoot "film like" footage.

So, if you were to put together a filter set that would serve you in as may as shooting situations as possible, what would you choose?

Perhaps a better way is to put together three filter sets.

1. Your favorite set, no cost limit.

2. Your favorite set, $1000 max.

3. Your favorite set, $500 max.

[Javier Urena]

film cameras and video cameras use the same filters. i'm not aware of any video filter that will give you a film look. a soft focus filter, like a black pro mist 1/2 (which i've used) or a black diffusion 1/2 (which i have not used) can help, but i'd rather turn down the sharpness on the camera. it has the added benefit of reducing noise a bit.

[Robert Luke]

black frost is good to have a film look.
http://www.centuryoptics.com/product...ffusion/bf.htm

and century optics is the best brand. at least i think so.

and i shoot everything with circular polarizer, sometimes combined with the built in neutral density filter

[Marco Leavitt]

I second the black frost recommendation. I don't know that it makes video look like film, but it's a nice effect.

[Tim Dashwood]

1/8, 1/4, 1/2, full black promist are good to have in your arsenal at all times to take the edge off of video. White Promists (aka Promist) are also handy sometimes for a "happy" look. Good for "flashback" scenes, or interviews of wrinkly people.

I also very often use a Tiffen Soft Contrast 1 in place of a permanent UV or Sky filter. It is one of those filters that you can just screw in, leave on, and use for every application. It lowers the contrast slightly and distributes the light in your highlights to the mids, without diffusing, essentially extending the latitude of your image before reaching the CCD.

I also like to use a "Linear" Polarizer for different purposes, but it won't work with the 14x manual lens because the lens rotates as you focus. It will work fine with the 16x manual servo or the white lenses.
I use linear so that I can "dial in" the amount of the effect. For example, when making blue skies bluer, you can rotate and adjust how blue/dark you want to go.
For reflections, you can do a neat "rack" reflection. For example, shoot from outside through a window and then rotate the polarizer until the reflection in the window reveals the villain. That sort of stuff.

I also have a few ND grads of various strengths for landscape shots that I use quite often.

Tim

http://www.TimDashwood.com

[Michael Escher]

Does anyone have a source for used filters in Los Angeles? I heard about a place called the Filter Factory in NYC but would prefer to buy local so I can take a look at the filters before I buy. I may be wrong, but I am assuming that buying the filters used that I could save some $$$.

[Marco Leavitt]

I'd try Birns & Sawyer. Excellent service. Not a sponsor I know, but this is a pretty specialized request.

[Bruce S. Yarock]

Tim,
Who makes the "promist"?
Bruce Yarock

[Robert Luke]

Originally Posted by Marco Leavitt

I second the black frost recommendation. I don't know that it makes video look like film, but it's a nice effect.

well let's say it gives the second half of film look on video that 24p doesn't do.