SiMPLiFY Posted August 21, 2012 Author Share #61 Posted August 21, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) I'm back on task. Slippery sloped for a week. I'm okay now and back to a leica m2, one film (Tri-X), one lens (35mm Summaron) ...If the aim is to learm more about light, my recommendation would be to add at least one yellow-filter, maybe also yellow-green for portraits. Black-and-White films have different spectral sensitivities and react differently to coloured filters, which would be another reason to stay with one film. Thanks Stephan. I do need to learn more about B&W filters. Yellow: ??? Yellow/Green: Portraits (I've read about actresses wearing green makeup in B&W films. I suppose it is the same principal used in B&W stills.) I think my lens set shares a 42mm sized thread which is good. I definitely need to try some filters soon. My other camera has a cokin p system so I only need one set. If I could get by with one set for B&W that would be great! I should put a request in the "I want to buy" section. I also think I need a hood since flare seems to be an issue. I thought it was my developing process but after a few rolls I am pretty convinced it's a ghost shaped flare not the typical 7 sided shape. I have a cheap snap on but it keeps falling off so I gave up on it. The flare shape only shows up on a couple of frames and it looks like a white ghost shaped like one in the old pac-man video game. I am really interested in dark room and have a tiny one at home. I am developing my own film and plan on making work prints and wasting lots of paper in the process. I think I have developing fairly standardized. I have a long way to go in making a perfect print. I have a lot to learn about contrast, dodging, burning etc ... I think those filters give you darker skies and whiter clouds. I am not sure what they do for people and need to learn about that. I think I'll be much happier with my results if I used the proper filter for the proper conditions. I'll be studying that during my coffee breaks in the coming week. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted August 21, 2012 Posted August 21, 2012 Hi SiMPLiFY, Take a look here The Leica as Teacher. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
StS Posted August 21, 2012 Share #62 Posted August 21, 2012 There are no fixed rules, but I would strongly recommend to try the effects out. Some of my favourite pictures were taken, when I was trying out something, maybe not feeling committed to produce something outstanding relaxes and let's one see opportunities... If filters for your filter thread are not available, one can get adaptor-rings to more common filter-threads (such as the common 49mm, which even fits into a series VII fixture). Just some rough guidelines - Yellow (especially light yellow) filters can be used for almost everything. Classic black and white films are more sensitive in the blue and UV, which gives white skies. A yellow-filter brings back the clouds and structure in the sky. BW400 has a built-in yellow filter, maybe this is the reason, why I like this film. Some portraits work better with yellow, some with yellow-green. Sometimes it helps to look through the filter to see the effect on contrasts. In the beginning, I would try out both. Green filters can be tricky, since they can enhance birth marks. The same for blue-filters, which give dark lips. Thinking about it, this naturally wouldn't apply for green make-up, which should give a lighter skin tone for most films, since they are rather sensitive to green and blue. Orange and red filters can give very dramatic landscapes and dark skies. They typciallly need a lot of exposure compensation. Stefan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
StS Posted August 21, 2012 Share #63 Posted August 21, 2012 ...thinking about it, this could mean very little or quite some money, depending on your access to stores selling used camera equipment. Filters can cost anything between 5 and 150 Euros. So, if access is limited, yellow is probably the most important filter. If available, multi-coated should be preferred. Since lens hoods were mentioned - they help in a lot of situations and never hurt. Stefan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiMPLiFY Posted August 21, 2012 Author Share #64 Posted August 21, 2012 Yes, filters are expensive. That's why I got the Cokin P system for my slr and d-slr. I live in the mountains, very rural (often feels 100 years behind), no camera shops. I am having trouble finding a 42mm to 49mm step up ring. This must no longer be standard in the industry. I have a couple of shops I have ordered from so I will see what is in their inventory. Sometimes if I call on the phone they can locate unusual items that may not be listed on the web-shop. I don't want to put cheap glass on my Leica Lenses and since they all share filter sizes it should be no problem to get a yellow one and a hood to start and collect more from there as I grow and learn. A used set from someone who went digital would be ideal! I hate to shop at the big flea market in the cloud but sometimes ... I must. I have a Leica Manual 14th edition and it has an entire chapter dedicated to filters. I want to start really slowly and methodically testing results along the way. Looking at negatives and prints to see what effect each has on different subjects etc ... I think starting with yellow and a hood for most case scenarios sounds good. I'm pretty freaked out about composing with a wide lens so I don't want to add too much as far as filter exposure compensation and lugging a tripod around. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted August 21, 2012 Share #65 Posted August 21, 2012 [...] From this point - The Zone System as theory kicked in and Leica led me from there. [...] The theory, yes I understand what you mean. In all my life I have never known a 35mm photographer to use the Zone System even when they thought they were - instead they use a modified zone system. An understanding of the theory is good. Just knowing when to under/over-expose and how to develop for that exposure will yield quite good results. To save a lot of disappointment and frustration with the Zone System and 35mm one can adopt a modified system. We should remember some things about Adams' Zone System at the beginning of his formalization of the method materials were not nearly as good as they are today and required calculated use he manipulated prints like crazy to achieve what he wanted he used large format which meant easier custom development for each film and finally, he revisited many of the sites and re-photographed the same thing many, many times until it was what he wanted The ZS does not really fit into the way most 35mm photographers work. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiMPLiFY Posted August 21, 2012 Author Share #66 Posted August 21, 2012 Here is one example of what I think is lens flare. It showed up on one other image on this strip of negatives. This has happened on 2 of the rolls of film I've developed using this 35mm f/2.8 Summaron. Would a lens hood help with this situation? There will usually be trees, mountains, skies in my backgrounds. I also noticed how the clouds are rendered much more detailed in the river reflection than in the sky. I wonder if the river is acting as a sort of "yellow/green filter" and if a filter would have helped render the clouds in the sky more clearly. The book example shows that it will help. he sky was really blue and the clouds were really white on this particular summer day. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiMPLiFY Posted August 21, 2012 Author Share #67 Posted August 21, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) My picture did not attach to the last response. Resized. example of flare? Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/185217-the-leica-as-teacher/?do=findComment&comment=2091999'>More sharing options...
SiMPLiFY Posted August 21, 2012 Author Share #68 Posted August 21, 2012 When I digitize my negatives in Nikon Capture nx2 and convert them to Black and White there is a slider with all of the colors of the filters mentioned. green, yellow, orange, red etc ... I wonder if I played with that slider it would give me a general idea of what that color filter would do in the field on the lens as far as skin tones, skies, clouds, leaves, snow etc ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
StS Posted August 22, 2012 Share #69 Posted August 22, 2012 A lens hood will only help, if the light source itself is not yet in the image. Else, all lenses will show this pattern (modern, multi-coated lenses a bit less). The effect of coloured filters can indeed be tried out very well, when applying a post-processing program with colour manipulation option on a colour digital image followed by a black-and-white conversion. Stefan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddoc2003jp Posted August 22, 2012 Share #70 Posted August 22, 2012 Flare and polarizing effect of a water surface. Very nice! My picture did not attach to the last response. Resized. example of flare? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiMPLiFY Posted August 22, 2012 Author Share #71 Posted August 22, 2012 I did a lot of homework last night. I don't like this photo at all and just put it here so I can be clear about what is going on. At first I thought it was an issue in developing. Then I thought it may be flare but have never seen this pattern of flare before. Rangefinder is very different than slr. I can't see what is in and out of focus or what affect a filter may be having on the film. Steep learning curve ahead. I found hoya (Japan) and b+w (Germany) filters on the big flea market in the sky as well as 3 step up rings from 42mm to 49mm and a 49mm hood with its own cap for less than $100 USD. The filters I have selected are as follows: yellow - exposure compensation (+1 stop) yellow/green - exposure compensation (+2 stops) yellow/orange - exposure compensation (+2 stops) I intend to keep things as simple as possible and think that with these filters I can get a better negative which will allow for more creative opportunities in the darkroom. These filters, from what I have read, will not be as drastic as the green, orange, red but will avail me of enough detail to pull things out by dodging and burning without having to adjust exposure by +4. I have only ever shot Black and White on my N80 and have never used a filter even in my enlarger. Just a test strip and a straight print. I have a lot to learn and now I have the time to learn it. I have used filters for color work. It's different. I have no idea how to use a polarizer on a rangefinder. The viewfinder is just a window so you can't see the effect. This is getting me very confused but it's starting to click. I will consider it later perhaps. Thank you for your assistance. It certainly helped me discover the world of B&W filters and the necessity of a lens hood. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
StS Posted August 23, 2012 Share #72 Posted August 23, 2012 Just to mention, there are special polarizers, which can be flipped between lens and viewfinder. Wishing fun and success for your project. Stefan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
azzo Posted August 23, 2012 Share #73 Posted August 23, 2012 I'm thinking about trying it with an X1 in the spring. B&W JPG straight out of camera. I hate post processing.... ... .. but, you need to post process your images if you want them to look better! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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