XL H1 Filters and Gels

[John Kopicko]

Hi everyone,

I'm thinking about buying some filters off of ebay. There is a 23 pc kit and I'm sure that the filters are some type of off brand. Not expensive at all. It includes

* +1 Close up filter

* +2 Close up filter

* +4 Close up filter

* +10 close up filter

* 3 Image filter

* 5 Image filter

* Sand filter

* Soft filter

* Red filter

* Green filter

* Orange filter

* Yellow filter

* Blue filter

* Sepia filter

* Diffuser filter 1

* Diffuser filter 2

* Diffuser filter 3

* ND filter

* Linear polarizer filter

* Two field filter

* Veri-Cross filter

* Rainbow filter

* Safety filter

(These are definitely not technical terms)

Should I spend the extra money and buy name brand you can recommend or will I be ok with the off brand? I'm looking to experiment and remove as much of that digital look we all know. Any and all advice is welcome. Also, does anyone know about a good source of gels? Thanks!

[Gabriel Berube]

Hi John,

From experience I wouldn't recommend using cheap filters bought off eBay. They usually end up being very poor in quality, get lots of light loss and sometimes even produce unwanted distortions around the edges.

If you've got the money, I'd strongly suggest buying filters from B+W, Tiffen or Hoya. Their filters are of superior quality, will last a long time if you're careful and will help protect the glass of your XL lens in case of an accident.

[Robert Sanders]

I've been reading a lot lately about IR infiltration when using a lot of ND.

I'm wondering what IR filters would best be used with the H1 now that I've learned there are several flavors of IR filters.