Best price for ND filter for Noctilux

eleskin

Well-known
Local time
3:07 AM
Joined
Feb 5, 2008
Messages
1,080
I can now see the need for a neutral density filter for my Noctilux (late 1990's version) and am wondering which source has the best price for this (I want a decent filter, but certainly do not want to over pay).
 
if you have spent the money for a noctilux, you might as well go with a high end filter, like the B+W, which would probably cost about 40 to 50 bucks.

another thing to consider, depending on whether you shoot black and white or color, and how many stops you need to knock off, would be to buy colored filters, which knock off stops as well as give different effects to your shots in black and white.

also, i assume you want nd filters to be able to use large apertures in brighter light. have you tried an ISO 25 film? On a bright day, with ISO 25 film, f/1 at 1/1000 would be pretty close.
 
Last edited:
(I want a decent filter, but certainly do not want to over pay).

After paying for a Noctilux, overpaying for a filter seems hard to do.

The 60mm filter size makes it uncommon. Multicoated B+W or Hoya filters will be costly (around $50-$60 or so) but you don't buy a Noctilux to strap a blackened piece of transparent plastic in front of it.

Instead, you might also think of buying into a drop-in square filter system that you can use with multiple cameras and lenses. Makes more sense IMHO than buying into an uncommon filter size just for the Noctilux. Cokin are the cheapest option here, but some of their filters (specialle the polarizers) can have color casts. Lee and Singh-Ray filters have an excellent reputation.
 
Last edited:
I bought one for my Noctilux (E60 version), used from BH Photo. It was about $85 + shipping cost to Japan. After having it used once, never again ... Vignetting gets much worse with a ND filter (my one is a ND8) and I found it much better to use low ISO film or stop the lens down than trying to desperately shot at f/1.0 during during daytime.... A yellow or orange filter (for BW) makes much more sense for me when using the Noctilux. That lens is not really a high contrast lens and these filters help a lot. Just my two cents of course ...
 
I also heard that there is Vignetting issue on a Noctilux with ND filter. That's why i still haven't bought one.

Hope some others can share their experience.
 
Does anyone do a 60mm centre grad? Someone must.

Even so, I can't see how any ND is going to make vignetting worse.

Cheers,

R.
 
I have an E58 and got my ND from B&H. Can't remember how much I paid for it but it was a lot less than $60. One of the reasons I waited for an E58 actually; cheaper filters. Yes it vignettes but the lens vignettes anyway. Can't say that I've noticed much difference ND on or off but the E58 vignettes a bit more than the E60 anyway I think.
 
Back
Top Bottom