Which filter for seacoast travel (BW)

[tho60]

Dear Buddies,

BW films usually require filters for proper colour and tone rendering. What kind of filter do you recommend for a beutiful sea /island trip in Croatia?

The common answer would be a dark yellow/orange filter. However, these make the blue sea black, without tone range.

Thank you, Thomas

 

[daveleo]

I always try to have a polariser with me when I'm photographing water and sky/water scenes.

 

[02Pilot]

Depends what sort of a look you want. When I did that trip two years ago (Dubrovnik-Korcula-Hvar-Lastovo-Mljet-Sipan-Dubrovnik), I used no filter at all with Tri-X, but I prefer the softer look of haze in the distance, and didn't mind that the sky was a bit light. The terrain and water rendered quite nicely, which is really what I was after.

 

[mfogiel]

Light yellow filter should be ideal.

 

[tho60]

Polariser filter would be good, but it fits an SLR camera rather a rangefinder. Without filter, how can you render the clouds properly?

 

[Ko.Fe.]

To me filters are for enchantment.
If it is bright day with some clouds, measure sky, measure ground and take it within the middle.
If you have deep shadows on the ground and bright sky filters are not going to help.
I like 400 at 200 with filter, which brings it to 100. Easy to think in tricky exposure situations and it takes care of tones better.

 

[02Pilot]

I don't think I saw any clouds when I was there. Seriously. Yes, if you have clouds and you want to render them distinctly, you'll have to use something - the light yellow suggested above should work, or maybe light yellow-green or light orange. Another option is a film like TMax, which seems to be less blue-sensitive than most and renders skies a bit darker by itself.

 

[adresaba]

This is with red filter taken at beautiful island of Krk (Croatia)

 

[narsuitus]

Polariser filter would be good, but it fits an SLR camera rather a rangefinder.

Why would a polarizing filter not fit a digital rangefinder?

 

[daveleo]

Why would a polarizing filter not fit a digital rangefinder?

tho60 is using, I believe, a film rangefinder camera (no EVF).
Using a polariser / rangefinder setup does get tricky. It's not impossible, but it is clumsy (if you are in a hurry to make the picture).

 

[Rob-F]

I am generally inclined to use a yellow filter, such as a K2 (Kodak Wratten #8) to limit my light loss to one stop, unless there is an awfully good reason to use a stronger filter. My next step is a K3 (Wratten #9), which is a stronger yellow. And that's usually as far as I will go. I carry orange filters for a couple of my lenses, but will rarely use them unless I want deliberate drama. Orange and red filters can lead to an obviously over-filtered look. For the sea, sky, and clouds shots I would go as far as the strong yellow (K3 or #9) and no more.

I have found that when I use Ilford Delta films, I can get a natural look in the sky with no more than a UV or skylight filter. These films have a reduced blue sensitivity that renders the sky, not dramatically, but pretty naturally. If I want to strengthen that effect, I will use the equivalent of a K1 (Wratten #6), such as the very light yellow filter supplied by Hasselblad. For hand-held shooting, this lets me keep my shutter speed up higher.

 

[richard_l]

tho60 is using, I believe, a film rangefinder camera (no EVF).
Using a polariser / rangefinder setup does get tricky. It's not impossible, but it is clumsy (if you are in a hurry to make the picture).

For a rangefinder, I use two identical polarizers, one for the lens, the other to look through and rotate to get the proper effect, then transfer the setting to the one on the lens. It's a slight hassle but worth it in some cases.

 

[tho60]

Thank you very much for your tips. Currently I use Agfa APX 100 new emulsion and Fomapan 100 & 200 budget films. They are prone to "leave out" the most of clouds without filter. Thats why I asked your opinion.