What filters do you need for Red? A beginners' guide.

[Evin Grant]

This is a personal & creative choice but I think for the less experienced here it might be a good idea to give you guys a little primer.

First off are ND filters...
ND filters are neutral density, they allow you to shoot in bright light without stopping down to diffraction limiting apertures like f11 or greater. Basically a set of sunglasses for your camera. The Red has a native sensitivity of ISO 500 which means that if you were to shoot in basic daylight (Sunny 16) conditions a proper exposure would require you to set your lens to f86!
Most lenses don't even go to that aperture but you probably wouldn't want to shoot there anyway becasue of diffraction which can Limit your resolution on digital imaging sensors. ND filters come in stregths from .1 to 1.2, each .1 correspond to 1/3 of an f stop so an ND filter of .9 is a three stop attenuation.

Here is one from Schneider in 4x4".


Here is a list of common ND filter and aperture combinations at 1/48th of a second shutter speed which is equivelent to a 180º shutter in a film camera.
1/48 @ f14 +1.2
1/48 @ f10 +1.2 & .3
1/48 @ f7.2 +1.2 & .6 (Or Pola)
1/48 @ f5 +1.2 & .9

As you can see a minimum of an ND 1.2 and .6 (Or Pola.) is necessary for a reasonable aperture (f7.2) in direct sunlight.

Next would be a Polarizer...
This filter is very useful for a variety of applications. For more technical details about how it works click the Wiki link above. Basically a polarizer allows you to eliminate haze, deepen blue skys and control certian reflections on water, metal and glass. It also acts as a .6 (2 stops) ND filter.

Example:


Graduated Neutral density filters can be usefull as well...
They are basically the same as regular ND filters but only cover half the filter and incorperate either a soft or hard edge transition to clear. By doing this they can help even out the exposure of certain wide landscape type shots that typically have very great differences in exposure from the top to the bottom of the frame.



There are many color versions of the ND grads but they have mostly fallen out of favor these days with the advent of the digital intermediate.

[Mark Thorpe]

Thanks Evin,
Sterling work to date. A great resource.

Cheers,
Mark.

[Shawn Nelson]

Carrying on with filters, this thread http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?t=3910 deals with which brands are good and goes on to talk about what strengths of NDs are ideal and has advanced descriptions of qualities of NDs.

[Jaime Vallés]

Thanks for the info, Evin. ND's and a polarizer are must-haves for this camera. I need to get some myself. ;)

[WAYNE GLOVER]

This is a personal & creative choice but I think for the less experienced here it might be a good idea to give you guys a little primer.

First off are ND filters...
ND filters are neutral density, they allow you to shoot in bright light without stopping down to diffraction limiting apertures like f11 or greater. Basically a set of sunglasses for your camera. The Red has a native sensitivity of ISO 500 which means that if you were to shoot in basic daylight (Sunny 16) conditions a proper exposure would require you to set your lens to f86!
Most lenses don't even go to that aperture but you probably wouldn't want to shoot there anyway becasue of diffraction which can Limit your resolution on digital imaging sensors. ND filters come in stregths from .1 to 1.2, each .1 correspond to 1/3 of an f stop so an ND filter of .9 is a three stop attenuation.

Here is one from Schneider in 4x4".


Here is a list of common ND filter and aperture combinations at 1/48th of a second shutter speed which is equivelent to a 180º shutter in a film camera.
1/48 @ f14 +1.2
1/48 @ f10 +1.2 & .3
1/48 @ f7.2 +1.2 & .6 (Or Pola)
1/48 @ f5 +1.2 & .9

As you can see a minimum of an ND 1.2 and .6 (Or Pola.) is necessary for a reasonable aperture (f7.2) in direct sunlight.

Next would be a Polarizer...
This filter is very useful for a variety of applications. For more technical details about how it works click the Wiki link above. Basically a polarizer allows you to eliminate haze, deepen blue skys and control certian reflections on water, metal and glass. It also acts as a .6 (2 stops) ND filter.

Example:


Graduated Neutral density filters can be usefull as well...
They are basically the same as regular ND filters but only cover half the filter and incorperate either a soft or hard edge transition to clear. By doing this they can help even out the exposure of certain wide landscape type shots that typically have very great differences in exposure from the top to the bottom of the frame.



There are many color versions of the ND grads but they have mostly fallen out of favor these days with the advent of the digital intermediate.

What about soft focus filters which erase wrinkles?
I understand Tiffin is coming out, or has already come out with a sizable offering of software filters for use in post, but can you erase things like wrinkles in post using software?

[Uli Plank]

Sure you can do that it post, and you can limit the effect to skin color. Since you have far more control over the effect while color grading, it's not really advisable to get rid of detail while shooting…

[bellaing]

Did anyone work with a white frost or black frost on a Red lens ?

It might be interesting to brake the "sharpness" of digital imaging in high light, for instance.

[Brook Willard]

The "sharpness" you speak of is not inherent to a digital image - it is inherent to over-sharpened HD. Since there is no sharpening in the RED, there is no sharpness to fight against.

I've found that diffusion is effectively useless in front of the RED.

[Alexander Nikishin]

I've found that diffusion is effectively useless in front of the RED.

Not true Brook, white promist does have its uses on RED....

http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?t=7873

It's a matter of taste.

[alex boom jedi master sr.]

Would a filter kit like this be a smart beginning set to go with?

http://www.schneideroptics.com/ecomm...=1410&IID=6270

Thanks in advance