Colour Filters for B&W Film - A Test with the Pentax 67
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- Опубликовано: 17 окт 2024
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Using colour filters when shooting black and white film can give you subtle, yet impactful changes that can’t be exactly replicated in post-processing. So in this video, I’m testing out a handful of different filters with the Pentax 67 and Ilford HP5 film to see if any would work well for the environments I shoot in and subjects I focus on. This was a fun test and in the end, I found a few that I’ll definitely use moving forward. Hope this helps ya!
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I may be the opposite in your taste's, I like a little more punch to my images. For my walk around, daily carry I usually glue a yellow filter to my lens - for every film stock. Specifically with Tri-X, though, I am very fond of the orange filter. It gives a very pleasing bump to contrast, utilizing the characteristics of the yellow and red filters. Dark skies, bold contrast and maintains skin tones. For those with darker skin, it also accentuates those tones in a very pleasant way I find.
Tri-x is very much the same as ilford hp5
Orange is next on my list to test.
Interesting! I prefer the look of the world when I have my sunglasses on, with the deep brown lens, I’m curious if the orange filter will create the same colors I see
The classic trio to make traditional grain films look "normal" is yellow (general purpose), yellow-green (outdoor portraits), and orange (haze on distant subjects).
If you are shooting portraits, red is a super filter for skin blemishes, it smooths them out nicely and minimal post work is required. Blue is great too for ginger-haired, freckled model portraits, it really accentuates them and creates a unique look.
When using red filters for female portraits, be careful because it will turn dark red lips to light grey!
I generally ask models to use a dark blue lipstick, which comes out very dark, but looks great.
Back when I used to shoot HP5 I used to leave a yellow filter on at all times as I'd get just enough contrast for pretty much all scenarios. It was my all purpose filter. On days where I had white clouds against blue skies I'd switch to orange or even red if I wanted really dramatic, black skies and a super high contrast look.
There’s definitely a place for the red! On sunny days with puffy clouds in the sky, the red is my favorite for increasing the “drama” of the skies.
The best video on colored filters I've watched.
I shoot a lot of old uncoated lenses. I have found an orange filter is a good balance that works well to amp up the contrast of the normally "muddy" results I get from these old lenses without any filters. Yellow is a close 2nd.
I have a suggestion for your self portraits, it looks like you're using a traditional squeeze ball in your hand. Step on the ball with your heel instead and it will disappear from the shot.
I really like the yellow-green one the most out of all the filters! I like the more ‘white’ tones that come out of it. Lovely video, Kyle. 🙌🏻
have used yellow and red for quite some time, you've opened my eyes to using other filters thank you for this video
You're welcome, Bill. Cheers.
I find the yellow 12 is the best option for me. It really separates the clouds and sky-almost like an orange filter but with the benefit of only 1 stop of adjustment
Depending on what my subject is, I'll use an orange or blue filter as part of my kit as well as the filters you discussed. Once you learn the effects of the various filters you'll achieve better results by using the appropriate filter for the look you want for any given composition and/or subject.
Thank you Kyle, this video has convinced me that i need a set of colored filters for my B&W work. Props to you for always being the research GOAT.
🙌
Using panchromatic film, the medium yellow (K2) filter basically compensates for the uneven tonal response of the film in daylight, slightly altering the overall film response. The dark red (A) filter will greatly darken a blue sky and yield dramatic contrast. With the overcast skies in the video, much of that effect is lost. Once the thrill is over, it tends to be little used unless you want black skies. The medium orange (G) filter is a happy compromise, giving some of the drama and contrast of red without overdoing the effects. (Think, a golden hour filter.) The green filter is excellent for shooting landscapes with darker evergreen trees, as it lightens those greens and gives better tonal contrast among them. In the first 20 years or so of the Pentax 67 system, Pentax sold a limited series of filters for its system lenses, which mounted either with a normal screw thread like filters today, or mounted with a bayonet twist lock system that was really slick. One of their most popular filters from that set was a yellow-green, which was used like a universal filter by many. (Mine was stolen before I got much use of it.)
I did some testing a few years back and decided on yellow/orange (sometimes referred to as dark yellow) and yellow/green filters, depending on what I'm pointing my camera at.
The yellow green seems to work best with lots of leaves and grass in the scene, whilst I tend to use the yellow/orange one for improved sky detail.
Interesting that you preferred the yellow/green too.
I like the experimentation. Really shows the subtle but important differences a color filter can make. A tip for those who want to experiment with their own scenes but aren't willing to burn film in the process is that you can put virtual 'filters' on in post as well. I love the tick box approach in Silver Efex Pro and it helped me learn.
Lots to like in this video - my favorite is the last name. Top drawer, that one.
Haha, agreed, Danny. 😁
Thank you for doing this video. I have been curious about color filters and there are certainly a lot of videos, but your video did one of the best jobs of comparing multiple results together. And, dang, using film, that was a lot of photos...this was an expensive video!
Glad you enjoyed Chad. And yeah, a decent amount of film. I have a lot of HP5 lying around, and I develop myself, so it's not too bad.
Greatly appreciate this video. Thank you very much. I am very happy to be shooting with Pentax 6x7 and this video is perfect for my B&W photography.
You're welcome. Cheers.
I love the red filter for my outdoor work as I tend to like things dark and contrasty.
Yellow-green is my default filter for BW. I went through a similar exercise a long time ago and found that for what I generally photograph, the yellow-green gives me the results I prefer. Red filters are mostly too dramatic for my taste.
One other thing to consider is that the darker filters will allow(or require) wider apertures. Which can reduce depth of focus to better isolate your subjects. This may be more important with 35mm cameras than medium or large format.
Yellow filter and HP5 is my Go To for B&W photography. Just adds a little bump of contrast that I like. Definitely want to try the yellow-green filter now.
Definitely enjoyed the Yellow. I can see myself using it alongside the YG
Using an 80B (for correcting Tungsten in colour), is actually quite cool for Black and White portraits to create grittier images.
Never been so early. Another great video showcasing some fun interesting ideas! Love it man
Cheers, Ray!
Very insightful. Thanks for doing this.
Thanks for this Kyle! I swear you do a new video on exactly what I'm thinking I need to learn about 😂
I'm off to the Isle of Skye and Cairngorms National Park in August and have decided to get some B&W (Likely to be Pan F & HP5) so I can take advantage of the dramatic landscapes!
I also think that the green/yellow was the best middle ground, thanks for the detailed comparison! 🙏
Glad you enjoyed this one!
Thanks! A good video. I have been using filters for about 50 years, because colour was at the beginning much too expensive. It depends greatly where you are when choosing a set of filters. I live in a region where we have lots of bright blue skies. Without a yellow or orange filter, the sky is usually washed out. An alternative can be a pol filter, depending on the type of camera. Complicated with a range finder. Red is too strong for me, so I gave it away. I often have a yellow filter as standard, a must, and an orange one for (against?) extra bright blue skies.
Ever thought of trying out a blue filter as well? It is hard to work with but B&W landscapes with a blue filter can be really atmospheric.
I have one but have never used it. I'll try it out in the future.
Hi Kyle, thank you for putting in the work and sharing your results. I feel like pictures on more sunny conditions are missing to really round up your test. I suspect you’d find the difference filters make are less subtle under a warm late afternoon sun ;)
Hey Nicolas, yes, absolutely. As mentioned in the video, the goal here was to use these with the film I shoot with and in the conditions I shoot most in. But I'm sure I'll do another test at some point under other conditions, just to see the effects and understand them better.
Kyle, my feeling on color filters for B&W film is that you will need test them under a variety of conditions as you shoot because at times, they will accomplish different things that may be important (that you haven't tested before yet). For example, if you are shooting in sunny conditions, you may prefer a different filter. If you are shooting long views with haze or other atmospheric conditions, it may warrrant a differnt filter... additionally, the filters may have slightly different impact if you are shooting on your Rolleiflex because the Rollei is single coated, so inherently lower contrast.
This is all to say, you may be surprised which one you may choose as "the best" because I think it could change with the shooting conditions. I'm a light yellow person as standard go-to, but I bring an orange, green and light red, plus pola. Rarely ever use the red...
Absolutely, I agree with that. This video is very much sharing my results, with the film I shoot almost always with (Ilford HP5), with conditions that I mostly shoot under (overcast, flatter light), at the moment. But I plan on doing more of these tests under some different conditions just for curiosity, and for any situations that may pop up in the future.
Keep up the great work, Kyle. Loving what you are doing with the channel and your photography.
Another great video! For my countryside shoots, the yellow Tiffen never leaves my RB67 (loaded with HP5). Always just seems to work with the English country tones. But this yellow/green one looks really interesting, so now I’m gonna have to pick one of those up and give that a try too. Thanks Kyle!
Cheers. As mentioned, the YG is really nice because of the minimal change in exposure.
The yellow green is a long time forgoten filter, but is a real good filter plus its easy to working on the camera with it attached
reading my mind, Kyle, I've been looking into color filters for my RB for new black and white work. Thank you for making this video! I am curious about how blue filters would affect your BW work. I've played with digital blue filters on BW converted digital files and there's some moments I really enjoy the way it looks -- definitely would be cool to see on actual BW film! I'm personally a fan of red filters on my BW work, but I like that punchy contrast. I used a yellow filter on my F3 for a while and I neglected to compensate for the 1 stop darker image with the filter. Rookie mistake!
Dear Kyle, first of all, thenk you for another cool video. How accurate you was with metering? Maybe some popups was cause you overexpose? To compensate filters darkness
Meter was very straightforward for this. Metered with a incident handheld meter, then adjusted shutter speed in accordance with manufacturers filter factors and then double-checked with the TTL meter. All matched up.
Wow I think I'll definitely be grabbing a green filter for my portraits. Really good test!
Cheers, Jeremy!
Interesting test. I use a yellow filter quite a lot for B&W but have only just got round to buying one for the Rolleiflex 3.5F that I bought in January. Bay 2 filters seem to hard to find at reasonable prices. :) Orange and red can be useful occasionally when you want the dramatic sky look. Never tried a green or yellow/green though.
Because of non-availability of both colour and b&w films I've started shooting a Leica Monochrom (CCD, 1st) almost exclusively. Using filters has been one of my favourites, and one that cannot be replicated in a colour photo by desaturating it. This summer I'll shoot some film again after almost two years, and that'll be 100% b&w. If summer ever comes, it's still snowing...
You can simulate the effect with digital. Edit the colors with HSL sliders. For example reduce blue/aqua luminance to simulate a red filter on skies.
Great video!
I shoot mainly trees. I like bark texture and branch shapes.
My favorite is an orange and a yellow green filters with HP5. If the sky is dominant in the frame, i would use an orange, and I use a yellow green as a general all round filter.
Recently I am interested in a red one since sometimes leaves are too bright for my taste, and this video inspired me to try out a red filter.
Glad you enjoyed. Cheers.
I've been experimenting a little bit as well, although on digital. It might sound useless to most, but I guess I have more of an analog approach and I tend to get the look I want in camera, leaving as little as possible to be done in post, especially for video.
All look good! How do you think these compare to the Fuji film simulations?
Tough to say, Brian. Something to try in the future. I'd expect the Fuji sims to be pretty accurate.
Hey Kyle. Have you tried an orange filter? Am curious to see how it would fit in your test. Love your work. Thanks and cheers.
Not yet, it's next. Cheers!
For me as primarily a Landscaper, the Yellow is the one.
Thanks for another inspiring video! I've seen these side by side comparisons before, but maybe not enough yet to actually use filters more in my work... I found the effects also differ by film stock - my favorite Fomapan 100 can use more yellow or yellow/green than the 400 which seems very sensitive to red all by itself. Maybe I should test that one with a green tone filter to balance it 🤔.
Yellow green was always my go to shooting HP5 and FP4.. not too in your face but a nice overall look... Have to dig it out and shoot some more film.
I often use the yellow because of the contrast boost particularly in the sky. When I try for drama I find the red to be the best. Ansel Adams often used that (as well as a lot of darkroom manipulation to get the stark contrasts he liked). You didn't use the orange but I end up using it more than the red because it adds drama, contrast but not as much as the red but a bit more than the yellow. I'm usually trying to get more contrast in the sky.
I don't do B&W portraits so my favorite color filters for B&W landscape photography are Red and Orange because I like high contract B&W images. But I must say, the Yellow/Green was also nice.
On Fuji, the black and white acros with green filter, is the best for portraits - skin tones
@@mortenthorpe - Good to know.
If you end up picking up that orange filter, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. I'm also curious if you would ever use - maybe not a blue - but a cyan or a blue/green filter?
I'm guessing you probably steered away from those because they are not nearly as contrasty as the ones you showed.
I actually have a blue filter but haven't been that interested in it. Maybe that and the orange will be my next test.
I like the Orange filter for darken sky the way I prefer👍🏻 great channel👍🏻
Great comparison video. Thank you!
You're welcome.
try the red with blue skies and fluffy clouds! stunning results
Thank you Kyle, I enjoy very much your videos. A question: where can I get a cable release as the one you used in your selfies?
Cheers, Carlos. If you good air shutter release a bunch will pop up. They're quite common.
@@KyleMcDougall I found them in B&H. A friend is coming soon, so probably he could bring it. Thanks and regards!
My phone's blue light timer turned on for the evening while watching this. Thought you were playing tricks 😅
I feel for more urban photography, Orange and Red filters tend to really help as the agressive contrast works well with the angular nature of urban environments, while green and yellow filters really work well imho with landscape photography in areas with rolling hills and fields of green grass and yellow rape/wheat/barley.
My must-have filters are yellow and red. I've never tried green or blue. Red brings out more cloud detail than any other color, and I use it for dramatic shots of the sky. Orange is similar but it doesn't give me as much detail and contrast. I don't see enough difference between orange and red to justify using an orange filter. Yellow is just nice, and there doesn't seem to be any huge downside to leaving the yellow filter on my lens most of the time.
Another super video! Thanks!!!
If your main subject is lit in a sunlight, yes, red filter can make some dramatic effects. However, if you have completely overcast situation like in your case, red filter is best left at home. On that notion, orange filter is the best to cut through haze or fog...
#12 Yellow Filter is not a ' medium ' filter. It is what is known as ' minus blue '. The effects of these filters are also much less pronounced under the average UK light, than it would have been if you were shooting in the High Sierras. You should also consider the type of film ( its spectral response curve rather ) when choosing filters. Use #12 with an Orthochromatic film and all you get is a mush of compressed mid tones from green to just yellow. The safest filter to use with the average panchromatic film is actually a yellow/green. It does wonders with outside portraits too.
I have an old Nikon yellow filter that’s more lime green. So you’re saying this would be a good subtle filter for use with a general panchro film, say TriX/HP5 ?
Feel like you’re arguing semantics here a little, no? Sounds to me as if he was saying it was a “medium” effect.
@@ggill1313 No, not semantics. Minus Blue does exactly as it says on the tin. It removes most of the blue light from the scene. Shadows are illuminated by blue light, so in effect the shadow values are reduced to near black, no matter how much exposure is given. Here in the UK, the majority of the time the illumination is by over cast sky, ie., total scatter of the light so the effect of these filters are greatly reduced, but a #12 is not a medium effect yellow filter. I wasn't arguing, just making a correction. Also, a #12 will more or lesss do the same job as a light Orange filter, so it can save an extra stop of exposure. BTW, Wratten#6 is light, #8 is medium,#12 is minus blue, and #15 is deep. I have never found a use for #15, but I know it appeals to some landscape photographers, the ' wannabe Ansel Adams ' brigade.
I use an orange filter and love it
Did you do exposure compensation when putting the film?
As you know with your Fujifilm Cameras they have Acros +R, Acros +Y, and Acros +G film sims. For a future video maybe shoot your GFX using the different color filter sims side by side with your Pentax using Acros film and color filters to see how they differ.
Hey Dan, yep, shoot with those modes often. Maybe I'll do a comparison in the future.
@@KyleMcDougall I really liked this video as color filters are the one thing I haven't tried yet. Keep up the great videos!
How are you shooting yourself with the 67 remotely? Looks like you have a trigger in your hand?
Pneumatic shutter release
@@KyleMcDougall thanks for the response. Also thanks for all the time you spend making these videos.
I’m a recent follower of yours and it’s been great to get a lot of technical information along with thought process and final results. It’s inspired me to shoot more.
I have found Red filters are usually to much for me. I preferably little less with the Orange.
You should try conducting your test with a blue sky because, as they are more or less complementary colors, you will truly see the effect of the various filters.
I found the yellow filter to be quite universal - especially with HP5+. Green (X1) is useful for architecture, as it darkens red tones (red bricks or roof tiles) *and* increases contrast in the sky (also darkens blue); I first thought it to be useful for landscape, but it didn't work out for me. Yellow-green I don't have (or maybe I actually have somewhere, have to look closer), but this video made me curious. Red I don't use, doesn't work for me - but orange is an option for darker sky, without too much darkening of greenery.
I’ve been using the #12 yellow almost like a UV filter. I leave it on my lens all the time.
If we’re using studio lighting with color gel, is the effect the same as color filter?
I can see why you would pick Yellow or Yellow Green for a nice clean photo that is more useable in general, though I quite liked the grittier, more old fashioned look of the Red.
For sure, I can see why some people enjoy Red. In some situations I can see myself gravitating towards it (the first image in the video). But most of the time I like something a little more subtle.
My 67 came with a blue and a green, I have yet to give them a try. The blue apparently 'enhances' mist so Im curious to see how that looks.
I have a blue as well, but it's never interested me. Maybe I'll try it at some point.
@@KyleMcDougall There is plenty of mist/low cloud where I live so if my with-and-without blue filter test is conclusive I'll email you a couple of pics as thanks for your video on the others. I'll be shooting with HP5 also.
Depending on the filter you can have white rose on a dark background to a black rose on a light background
Also worth mentioning that several color filters help cut through haze or fog. It can definitely help increase contrast naturally but also good to be aware of if you want to keep the atmosphere!
Yep, good point Corey. Cheers.
I know this is late but what shutter release cable did you use?
what happens when red and blue filters are combined? does it impact the image's infrared spectrum anyhow?
Going back over 30 yrs, I’ve always used yellow or sometimes an orange filter but red hardly ever as the effect is too strong. But I’ve never seen the yellow-green filter. I must be out of touch as I didn’t know that existing. I’ll now find a yellow-green to give it a go.
Cheers, Brett. Yeah the YG is a good one!
No orange filter !? Was there a reason ? If I was stuck with 2 it would be yellow and orange
That's the next purchase on my list.
Great video
For those coming back to this years later the examples start at 4:25 as follows;
Pass 1
Yellow 4:39
Yellow-Green 4:50
Green 5:00
All above 5:18
Pass 2 5:30
Yellow 5:35
Yellow-Green 5:45
Green 5:54
Red 6:00
All above (bar Red) 6:20
Pass 3
Really helpful video 👍📸
Good stuff.
Muy interesante, excelente prueba.
Kyle, Green for portraits Orange for landscape is my starting point but it changes
Nice. Definitely going to try an orange.
@@KyleMcDougall I really like your stuff here. I hope to bump into you someday in sunny wales. :)
I like scanning as neutral as possible then add my own contrast etc. what difference does it make in the process using these filters?
Hey Paul, I'm with you about scanning neutral, but as you can see in the images, they target specific colours and shift them in density/tone in the final image, which would be tough, or more time intensive to replicate in post.
Where did you find the long cable release?
In a camera bag from a thrift store, haha. But you can find these in a lot of places. They're still sold.
@KyleMcDougall - this may be blasphemy, but if you are not enlarging, with a good scan, could these results not be replicated in Photoshop?
Umm, where are the articles linked that you mentioned?
From the properties of hp5, I’d guess that the red filter has almost no effect… the green has maximum, and the yellow is a nice medium
The red filter will normally have a huge effect on outdoor scenes shot with any panchromatic film, including HP-5+. Think of all filters on the yellow to red spectrum as "minus blue" filters. They filter out wavelengths from the UV and progressively so through the blue as you move to orange then red. If you had blue sky in these video scenes, you'd see them getting progressively darker moving from light yellow to red. Here, the red seems to have little effect because the daylight is overcast. No blue skies to darken compared to the rest of the scene. While there is a lot of "blue" in overcast, it is universally lighting the whole scene, so the red acts more like a neutral density filter than would normally appear.
Have you tried cpl filter for b&w?
Not yet, no.
I like red filter❤
Often, I shoot with an orange filter in order to bump the contrast.
thanks!
Blue filter for people with freckles if you really want to bring the freckles out. I use it with my great niece whose face is filled with beautiful freckles.
😂just throwing it out there but you could look at warming filters for color work or b&w
No emoji stupid tablet....
huh. I was sure the I was gonna like the red filter, but I can see why it wouldn't work for environmental portraits. there is way too much texture in the grass there. draws the eye away from the person
The yellow/green really separated you as the subject.
Can you do more 35mm film work?
6x7 negs are bigger, closest to 4x5"! No difference between formats though! if it works on 6x7, it will be same on 35mm (except easier to carry!).
In general, or for this filter test?