Cheap ND for B&W?

[PaulC]

I want to get some ND filters for my Crown Graphic 4x5. I know that the colour cast of cheap filters doesn't matter for B&W and I wonder how important other factors might be in shooting large format. Would using a set of cheap Chinese filters cause any noticeable degradation on such a large negative? I assume lots of buyers stick these (49mm) filters on 35mm format cameras and find them OK, and I suspect any defects would be far more obvious in that format than in 4x5 - or maybe the defects also get magnified as the size increases, I'm not clear about that.

Any advice?

[Fotoguy20d]

I'd suggest staying away from them - you're using a good lens and good film so why use poor optics in the chain? I bought one of those chinese cokin-like GND filters - caused a noticeable rainbow like effect, seemingly it acted as a prism of sorts, across the sky. I ended up buying much nicer ones made by a company in the UK.

Dan

[PaulC]

Hmm. Ok, so what brands are suitable (I'm thinking mainly of solid ND rather than grads ... do square grads even work very well on a lens with a 49mm filter size? An Ysarex 150, as it happens. I've got Lee ND grads but they look ridiculously unworkable next to such a lens).

[Fotoguy20d]

On a very small lens, if the grad is very soft it might not do much for you. You could use a hard grad then.

I believe this is the one I have. I have the .9 and .6. From a quick look, they also make hard grad ones. Are you also using yellow/red/green filters or a polarizer? If so, you probably don't need too dark an ND. A 49mm Hoya ND filter from Adorama is only $18 - I think it'll still be much better than the resin ones.

Dan

[PaulC]

Yes, I've got a huge assortment of old red, yellow, orange and polarising filters (along with soft focus etc) in all sorts of sizes that I picked up for $20 or so , mostly Hoya, Vivitar or Tiffin, but nothing in ND. I guess the previous owner did weddings, events and suchlike, rather than landscapes and other scenes where he wanted motion blur.

[Fotoguy20d]

I find I often don't need the ND for B&W. A polarizer is good for 2-3 stops, and a red or yellow another 2. Of course, I often shoot very slow film (or paper - ASA 3) which helps. If you're already using other filters, you might want to stick with a thread on filter rather than the square ones - I find it awkward to use both. Also, the square holder doesn't allow the use of a hood (could be argued that it's a hood of sorts but I don't think so).

Dan

[Newt_on_Swings]

A strip of developed 120 film could be they cheapest diy ND filter option. It fits a 52mm filter with room to spare on the sides. If you can stretch it taught over a filter, or cut it precisely and drop it into a UV filter, it would work fine. Double layer it for a darker ND effect.

[Brian Legge]

You can probably pick up a Hoya ND filter for $10-20 on ebay.

I wouldn't personally use a colored filter as purely an ND though they too are very useful.

[2F/2F]

A cheap (and good) way would be to get an old adapter ring for Series filters. You can find Series filters for close to nothing, and IME they are very well-built filters that should still work today. Series VI will cover many press camera lenses, and will also give you the widest selection of filters on the used market.

[PaulC]

I've gone with Hoya. As well as the 48mm-thread Ysarex I've got a Xenar with a Series VI holder, so I'll keep an eye out for filters to fit that and I could experiment with exposed film (but I guess the filter factor would be quite variable for that).