Nokton 35mm f1.2 ND Filter

[martin s]

Hey there,

I had a hard time searching for previous threads since the minimal word length is 3 letters ("ND+Filter"), on the Cosina website it says 52mm, now on ebay there are plenty of those - is it important that it's a high quality one? Which brand should I get? I'm looking for a 3 stop filter, ND8 if I'm correct.

martin

 

[P. Lynn Miller]

Martin,

I would not recommend using a ND filter on the 35/1.2. One of the great strengths of the Nokton 35/1.2 is that it is very, very hard to make it flare. A filter, unless the very best, will reduce its flare resistance greatly.

Why not simply shoot some slow speed film like, Efke 25, Ilford Pan F, etc, instead? Much better method than ND filters. Even in the harsh Australian sunlight at midday, when shooting with Efke 25 in the M5 which has a top-shutter speed of 1/1000sec, I am shooting at f2.8 and as soon as I move into the shade, I am shooting at f1.4 or even f1.2 if I want.

And, yes, the Nokton 35/1.2 takes a 52mm filter. I do use filters on the Nokton, but only B+W brand filters designed for B&W film, such as a red or blue filter when I want to increase contrast, change skin-tones or etc.

Just my thoughts...

 

[mfogiel]

Anyway, the best filters are the B+W MRC (multicoated) ones, I have various nd's for RF cameras and MF too, but I use them rarely. A good alternative, unless you like shooting colour, is a dark red filter with a 3 stop reduction.

 

[martin s]

Alright guys thanks a lot! I'll get a B + W one I think, and maybe some Efke 25. The issue with lower ISO film is the lack of flexibility, with an ND8 I could just use ISO 400 and take the filter off when necessary.

martin

 

[Bruin]

Martin, I do the same--shoot 400 speed film with a polarizer or B&W color filter as my "ND". Sometimes I overexpose by a stop to stay with the aperture I want.

I love B+W filters, but for a ND8 I would get a Hoya HMC. Why? Simply because B+W only single coats their ND8 and stronger ND filters. If you get a ND4, then it's B+W MRC all the way.