Filters with your EX1
 

Just thinking about picking up some filters for my camera and wanted to see what other EX1 shooters are using?

UV-Haze
Polarizer
Soft focus

In use
ND Filters

Ready just in case
Close up filter
Diffusion filters
Graduation filters
Polariser
Various assorted like a fog filter etc.

I'm buying filters now. What graduation (size, patter, ND) do you use or recommend?

Have you ever used a low contrast filter to get a film look in very bright light?

Michael. I have three Tian ya organic glass ND filters. One two and three stops. They are 3 1/2" by 4". I use with a cokin adapter. Also a 77mm screw on 4 stop ND filter that came with a krasnogorsk 16mm camera. A blue red and fog graduation filters. Some colours but not likely to get used. No I have never used a low contrast filter.

I get this question often from customers. If you are using a matte box or even if not, our 4x4 starter kit is the most popular filters that should be used with HDV recording. Most, but not all, other effects you can do faster or more reliably in post. Linked below is the kit and our instructional video on filter use. You can also buy the filters in this kit in a 77mm screw-in size as well but for a slightly different price.

http://www.schneideroptics.com/Ecomm....aspx?CID=1431

http://www.schneideroptics.com/century/filters/dvd.htm

Ryan Avery
Schneider Optics

Ryan, thanks for the links. Can you also link the 77 mm filters? Thanks!

No Problem. You can pick these up at any of the sponsor dealers on this site. I believe that Abel Cine Tech should have these all in stock at a fair price. These are list prices so the dealer will be able to give you a better price.

ND0.6 77mm Graduated:
http://www.schneideroptics.com/ecomm...D=679&IID=3258

ND0.6 77mm Solid:
http://www.schneideroptics.com/ecomm...D=679&IID=3260

Polarizer:
http://www.schneideroptics.com/ecomm...D=680&IID=3264

Black Frost 1/2:
Stock Code = 68-083277. List Price $160.

Skintone enchancer:
Stock Code = 68-108177. List Price $160.

UV Filter for protection of lens:
http://www.schneideroptics.com/ecomm...D=681&IID=3234

Ryan Avery
Schneider Optics

Ryan,

Just out of interest - do any of these fit under the lens hood on the EX1?

Also how do you ensure the horizon line is correct on the grad ND - does it rotate?

Thanks in advance,

Ryan,

I really wish you guys would make a 102mm polariser for the frount of the upcoming 1.6x extender - i shoot 95% outside location on a beaches and by the ocean - having a mattebox is a no go for me - apart from the weight and setting up time the main problem is that it adds volume / bulk to my camera which means more wind resistance and therefore more vibration - shooting at full zoom in the wind is hard enough as it is. Then there is the point about it won't fit under my rain cover and is therefore exposed to sea air.

We do manufacture a 102mm polarizer. Our stock code is 68-013002. List price is $350.00 but dealers will sell it for less. I doubt any of the sponsor dealers will have this in stock but you can order it from them at a good price and then we will ship it out. The only catch with this polarizer is that we had to make it for both our tele-converters and our wide angles that take the same thread. Therefore, we had to keep the ring thickness in mind to avoid vignette on the wide angle. This meant that we had to make the polarizer without a rotating element. The polarizer is still perfectly useable. We made the threads much deeper than normal and thus you can thread it in and rotate it by screwing the filter on and off. Considering most polarization requires a 1/2 turn at most, this is not a major issue and I have never heard of a user screwing it off completely.

This polarizer is made with our Tru-Pol technology that is 12 times more effective than the best polarizer from any other brand. It features an extinction ratio of 374 vs other brands that top out around 32. This means that you can more effectively polarize the light at any angle from the light source instead of a very limited range. This creates better color saturation and reduction of highlights and reflections at almost any angle where with other polarizers you have to be mindful of the angle of the light source to your optical axis.

Ryan Avery
Schneider Optics

Yes our UV and ND filters fit under the hood of the EX1. The polarizer does not but we do sell a slim polarizer that does. The polarizer can be hard to rotate in the hood anyway so I recommend shooting a polarizer without the hood. This creates easier use of the polarizer and a polarizer will naturally reduce some but not all incidence of flare due the nature of the filter. The ND filter features a rotating ring so you can adjust the horizon line by rotating ant tilting the camera. If you wish to maintain a certain angle of optical axis then you will need to buy a matte box with 4x4 or similar sized filters to be able to move the horizon line up and down without tilting the camera.

Ryan Avery
Schneider Optics

Is your 77mm polarizer a "Tru-Pol" unit, Ryan?

Carroll Lam

I'm quite annoyed that the hood makes it impossible to use a polarizer.
Now I have to buy a shade as well and the ones that I've seen available are nowhere near as good as the shade in the camera. On the HVX you can still turn a polarizer with the hood on. Just another example of not consulting real camerapeople when they design these things.

The 77mm is available in our B+W brand or our Schneider Tru-Pol brand. Both are essentially the same laminate and feature a very high extinction ratio. We manufacture the Tru-Pol brand to differentiate the market here in the US for our Schneider Motion Picture and Television Filters. Both are excellent so the major difference in a screw in filter only is that the Schneider Tru-Pol is an aluminum ring and the B+W filter is a brass ring which is easier to mount on the camera and features a better lubrication. This is not an issue with Square or 4x5.65 filters as they have no ring and therefore are only branded Schneider.

Ryan Avery
Schneider Optics

Thanks for the info, Ryan!

Carroll Lam

B+W slim polarizer fits under the hood
 

I use a B+W slim polarizer with my EX1. It fits well under the hood. You can't easily rotate the filter with the hood on, but it's not much effort to reattach the hood.
Clark

I own and use the Schneider Optics (B+W)
ND 0.6 77mm Graduated
ND 0.6 77mm Solid
Polarizer Multi coated (no big deal with hood on/off)
UV haze
Clear glass
And all are great filters.

To be honest not rotating is not ideal. I will worry about it vibrating in the wind. Its an expensive part.

77 mm UV filter on with supplied matt Box?
 

The Matt box that comes with the camera prevents putting a UV protection 77 mm filter on.
Any clues how to solve this?
Looks like I have to buy a Matt Box, any recommendations?
Sony should have provided a better designed Matt Box that is more deeper.

Thanks
Peter

This is the same annoyance I had with the FX1. Bought the Sony filter pack only to find you can only use one filter at a time and then the hood makes them inaccessible for rotation. THIS TIME I GOT A MATTE BOX! I really believe, as much as I hate the extra cost and throwing the EX1's hood away that you really do need a matte box. CaVision with moderate set of filters about $900. Rails $200 extra but its a light box and I don't think rails are needed.

Chrosziel mattbox - secret - 2nd rotating filter holder!
 

I just got Chrosziel's mattbox for the EX1 along with Zacuto's rail system. I have figured out how to get an extra rotating filter holder out of the 2 stage - 1 fixed and 1 rotating 4x4 holder. The SECRET - the step down ring can hold a 82mm pola - with 2 strips of gaffers tape around it - so it sits snug in the ring. Also, the ring has a small bevel, so once it is screwed into the mattbox - it is secure, all you need to do is unscrew 45-90% to adjust the pola.

In front of that I have my normal .6 ND grad that I can rotate plus a 3rd fixed stage. It's a bit expensive - but it looks and works great!

Peter not true if you get the right filter B+W 77 mm UV 010 it works fine. Also if you want clear glass get the b+W 77 mm 007 which also works fine with the stock lens hood. So if you want to go this way you can.

But a Matte Box will offer a lot more options.

This is true. I have the B+W UV/Haze slim filter and it fits under the EX1's bayonet for the standard hood and a matte box that uses the same fitting.

I yet to see one vibrate in the wind. You are only talking about a 1/4 to 1/2 turn on the Polarizer. Trust me we would prefer to have it rotate but the ring heigth doesn't allow this at the cost we needed to hit for marketability.

Ryan Avery
Schneider Optics

I feel no need to upgrade from the Formatt 500 mattebox, I really only put ND grads in front, but it does have a rotating slot for 4X4 pols. I like how light it is as I fly with a merlin/vest/arm combo a good deal of the time.

see my post in the steadicam forum about the EX1 and merlin for a pic.
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...052#post820052

Hi ryan, after being reassured that it wont vibrate in the wind I tried to find one of the 102mm polarizing filters and the only place i could find online is selling them for more than your list price. Any ideas where I can get one for a decent price?

I can't find them on your website either... The only place I found was on a pdf document (http://www.schneideroptics.com/pdfs/...CPO_PL_LOW.pdf) and that says its a rotating filter ;)

I am working on our website issues with the listing of this filter. It is possible that the place you called was quoting you based on our 2008 pricing which had a moderate price increase. Please call Joe at Abel Cine Tech Los Angeles and he should be able to give you a good price. 2008 List price is $360.00 but Joe should be able to give you a good deal. B&H should also have a good price on this if you check with them. Our stock code is 68-013002.

Ryan Avery
Schneider Optics