Filters

[David W. Jones]

Originally Posted by Jason McCormy

Well, the Cavision filters arrived.

I spent the weekend comparing them with the three Tiffen 4x4 filters I have shooting primarily outdoor shots. They are not bad. At one time they may have been junk, but it seems their quality is up to the point of fairly decent. They seem to block a little more light than the equivalent Tiffens, and the polarizing filter while not bad isn't that great, for roughly 45 dollars it is actually pretty good.

The gradient filters are not that abrupt in their change. So over all, while not the best filters they are more than decent and will suit me for some of the more interesting shots I'm doing.

Wait till the sandwich starts to separate in areas on the Cavision filters, A problem they are known for!
But, if the product you deliver for your clients is only considered "fairly decent" then the Cavision filters should be just fine.

I am not affiliated with Schneider Optics, but their Multi-Coated Filters are a cut above the Tiffen filters you judge by.

[Steve Phillipps]

And if anyone asks me about filters I'm going to refer them to DVInfo and a search on Ryan Avery as there's a whole tutorial contained within these pages!
Steve

[Ryan Avery]

Originally Posted by Bob Hart

Ryan.


Don't forget to mention the infra-red contamination problem with some brands of ND's.

Bob,

Good point except you are missing where the problem really lies. The IR contamination problems experienced by Sony EX and RED camera users are a result of an inefficient IR filter at the sensor. ND filters that are off in their color mix by just a few tenths of a percent can lead to worse IR control on a small level when stacked. A good extremely dense ND (1.5 or 1.8) can control some of the IR light contamination but not all.

Using an IR/ND combo filter can negate this effect but only if you have a camera with this problem. I would love to sell everybody the much more expensive IR/ND filters but if you don't have a camera that has the IR problem, you don't need it and it will just cost you more. Also IR/ND filters reflect IR light so if you put them in the wrong place in the matte box (behind any other filter) then you might suffer from internal lens reflections and other imaging problems. IR/ND's work great if you use them properly for the right purpose with little negative effect. I highly doubt that everybody will need one of these in the future unless camera manufacturers continue to produce cameras with this issue.

Ryan Avery
Schneider Optics