Where did all the filters go?

sam_m

sam_m

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Maybe someone can point me to some secret source for b&w contrast filters as they seems damn hard to find these days. I am especially looking for 39, 43 and 46mm yellow/green filters, Hoya X0, B+W 060, #11 etc, no one seems to have much - if any - in stock....
 
Kinda wondering that too. I suspect they are one item that may be a lot cheaper to pick up in the real world, rather than online. By the way, rather than go to the trouble of juggling 3 filter sizes, perhaps it might be easier to get everything in 46mm, and use step up rings for your 39 & 43mm filtered lenses.
 
Thanks Gary, B&H does seem to have the Hoya X0 in 46mm, its the HMC version so that might have to do, but the shipping for one filter is insane, and I just stocked up on film elsewhere so....

Damien, I had been considering step up rings but it mades hoods hard to use. Best thing to do would obviously be to have lenses all the same filter size, but even with unlimited funds (which I don't have!) that's pretty difficult to accomplish.

I have a zm 4.5/21 (46mm), zm 2/35 (43mm) and Leica 2/50 (39mm), if I swapped the Leica 2/50 for the zm 2/50 (43mm) that would help I guess, but then I still have the 21. The voigtlander 4/21 has 39mm threads so that doesn't help unless I keep the 50 and swap the zm 35 for I something...
 
sam_m said:
Thanks Gary, B&H does seem to have the Hoya X0 in 46mm, its the HMC version so that might have to do, but the shipping for one filter is insane, and I just stocked up on film elsewhere so....
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I am actually surprised given how close u are to Japan that filters are so hard to come by..

Gary
 
GaryLH said:
I am actually surprised given how close u are to Japan that filters are so hard to come by..

Gary
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LOL it doesnt quite have any bearing on what is sold here. With the advent of digital cameras, wholesalers tried to expand their markets selling to general electrical goods suppliers that also sell fridges TVs etc. With this saw the demise of all the speciality camera stores in all but a few larger ones that survived in the capital city centres. Basically specialised retail photographics is almost dead here where once you had one in every suburb. The Electrical Good Suppliers have no real photographic knowledge and accessories like filters just simply arent stocked because they dont know what use they have. You can ask ten different questions and the answer you will always get is the megapixel count. Also because their experience post dates any film cameras you can forget anything related to them to be nothing but a mystery. In the end that often leads to ordering overseas off the net. Japan may be close but the language barrier just in reading websites is prohibitive. The USA is the place to find the filter that you want sure but companies like B&H have some strange postage calculator that ridiculously puts postage charges to Australia something near ten times if it was sent from the USA privately. If you are happy to pay a bit more than a Hoya filter though, those sizes 39mm, 43mm are available by mail order through Mainline Photographics here in Sydney. They are agents for B+W Filters . They arent as cheap as in the USA but without the excess postage costs you still end up better off in the end. If you want cheap filters just search that certain auction site using the least postage option and after a while you will find what you want and generally only have to pay 5 dollars for postage in a padded envelope. I was chatting to a forum member here in Australia and he got 24 different series 5.5 filters new in boxes from a private seller in the USA and the postage cost was half what B&H quoted for sending one. You just have to pick your time and seller, its just no longer a case I need a 81A filter for the weekend to pop into the shop and pick one up, you have wait for everything.
 
So from more reading and googling it seems the B+W 060 may have been discontinued, sign of the times I guess.

Thanks for the help and suggestions.
 
Captain said:
The USA is the place to find the filter that you want sure but companies like B&H have some strange postage calculator that ridiculously puts postage charges to Australia something near ten times if it was sent from the USA privately. If you are happy to pay a bit more than a Hoya filter though, those sizes 39mm, 43mm are available by mail order through Mainline Photographics here in Sydney. They are agents for B&W Filters . They arent as cheap as in the USA but without the excess postage costs you still end up better off in the end. If you want cheap filters just search that certain auction site using the least postage option and after a while you will find what you want and generally only have to pay 5 dollars for postage in a padded envelope. I was chatting to a forum member here in Australia and he got 24 different series 5.5 filters new in boxes from a private seller in the USA and the postage cost was half what B&H quoted for sending one. You just have to pick your time and seller, its just no longer a case I need a 81A filter for the weekend to pop into the shop and pick one up, you have wait for everything.
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So sad.. Out of curiosity, did u ever ask "Japan Camera Hunters".. They advertise on rff.. I wonder even with his commission if it is still cheaper.. If u can put together a big enough order....

Gary
 
Try Porters Camera in Ceder Rapids Iowa. Have not delt with them in years but they might have what you are looking for. Another place is KEH on line. Not sure about shipping down under but worst they can say in no.

B2
 
Tried ebay, no luck (unbelievably), KEH has a very small filter section, nothing I want.

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Captain, yes you are spot on about the big electrical retailers having taken over the market, I imagine their service and knowledge is poor but I wouldn't know, I don't shop at such places, the last time (and first time actually) was a couple of years ago buying a flat screen tv which should do me for the next 20 years hopefully. Otherwise I get my knowledge from places like this and make my purchases online - I realise that buying online only perpetuates the downward spiral for small retailers but in the small city I live in it is my only choice. We do actually have TWO places to buy b&w film and chemistry which I find amazing, and I try to support them, but who ever has the deal to import and distribute Ilford, Kodak, Fuji etc in Australia must be making a ridiculous profit as the prices are at least double, often triple, compared to the USA - but the owners of both places (Les Porter photographic and NewDark, if anyone is wondering), are both extremely knowledgable and enthusiastic about anyone buying traditional materials and so a visit is often worth the premium they (have to) charge. Mainline don't have the 060 on their website but I will email and see, but I think it has been discontinued, as I said, so doubtful.

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Gary, I will contact Japan Camera Hunters, maybe they can help. I am off to Spain in three weeks so time is running out to get things by mail before then.

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Thanks Bill, Porter's Camera doesn't have anything except UV's in the sizes I'm looking at, but as a last resort I'll try emailing and see if they have something sitting in drawer collecting dust!
 
I had to order some yellow Heliopan filters through B&H. They were not popular sizes and B+W apparently discontinued them. None are available for BAY II and III for Rolleiflex.
 
sam_m said:
So from more reading and googling it seems the B+W 060 may have been discontinued, sign of the times I guess.
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Heliopan list their yellow-green #11 filter as available only while supplies last, and yellow-green has silently vanished from the Rodenstock catalogue as well. This rather looks as if Hoya and Schott (the two sources for coloured quality optical glass) don't offer yellow/green glass any more. Have the regulations on uranium glass been tightened?
 
Rayt said:
I had to order some yellow Heliopan filters through B&H. They were not popular sizes and B+W apparently discontinued them. None are available for BAY II and III for Rolleiflex.
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Bayonet and series filters as well as "odd sizes" (i.e. anything outside the mainstream DSLR lens sizes) tend to be special order items at the German makers. Which you'll usually have to purchase directly or through a pro shop. Consumer and mail order shops dislike special order items as they have to honour a return policy towards the customer while they cannot return the item to the maker.
 
Sam, just a couple of weeks ago I've ordered heliopan contast filters in various sizes from fotoimpex.de. Yesterday I've got confirmatiom they are shipped.
 
Thanks everyone, I think I will just resign myself to the fact that I won't get them before I leave for Spain but I will still try and order them from fotoimpex.

Schneider's own store only has 060 yellow/green in 62, 72 and 86mm, must be the last of the old stock.
 
What about gelatin filters? If cared for with reasonable care they last forever.

Might try some of the old camera stores here the states. Central Camera or Helix in Chicago, have no clue in NYC these days other than what was mentioned earlier. Try some camera stores in Rochester NY (old home to Kodak).

Need to do some more noodling.

B2
 
mackigator said:
Filters - these guys have everything you could ever need:
http://www.2filter.com/
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Beg to differ..... but thanks for the link!

Seems B+W definitely do not make yellow/green 060 #11, tiffen do, but not smaller than 46mm, Heliopan make it in 39mm but not 43 or 46, at least according to fotoimpex's catalogue, nikon might have once but never these sizes, Hoya might but no one seems to have stock...... oh well! :rolleyes:
 
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