Yellow filters and the Monochrom

[james.liam]

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On high-contrast, modern lenses like the 21 SEM, ZM 2,8/35, and 50 APO are yellow filters really needed (aside from darkening the sky)?

Is a light yellow filter thus preferable to a medium in order to limit light loss?

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[rpittal]

out of habit, I guess, I use K2 yellow filters on all lenses on the M246 (1 stop light loss) when outdoors. Helps tone the sky slightly, and gives me a jump in ACR so I don't need such extreme slider use. Use orange filters when shooting western red rocks and seldom will use red when desperate for sky details on moderately thick overcast days. Greens are hard to come by, but folks recommend them for skin tones, but I have never bothered with those.

[Chuck Albertson]

I use K2 filters on all my lenses on the MM1. Its sensor responds very much like panchromatic b&w film, and the yellow filter serves to correct the tones of colors that have similar brightness values (red and green, for example). I find a K2 eats up about 2/3 of a stop, but do your own tests.

[Kwesi]

A light yellow(heliopan #5) works well with the current versions of 28/2, 35/2 and 50/1.4 ASPH lenses. When used with typ 246 monochrome.

[james.liam]

Forgive my ignorance but is a K2 synonymous with a medium yellow? I have a few slower lenses and I wanted to maintain the color separation aspect of the yellow without further impairing the light transmission.

 

Thanks ‘Kwesi’, I have ordered up a Heliopan light yellow (#5). They seem to be the only ones making that now. All others are darker (22).

Edited January 27, 2018 by james.liam

[Pjay]

Interesting that B&H describe the Heliopan #5 light yellow as requiring an increase of 0.5 - 1.0 stop, and the B+W 022M filter ('standard' yellow filter) as requiring an increase of one stop even though it is considerably darker yellow, more a medium yellow.  I've ordered the latter in 43mm for the Summilux 50 on both M246 and M6 with B&W film.

[james.liam]

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Ive used a medium yellow B+W on a ZM 35C and it seemed a bit much in contrast and light loss.

[Chuck Albertson]

Forgive my ignorance but is a K2 synonymous with a medium yellow? I have a few slower lenses and I wanted to maintain the color separation aspect of the yellow without further impairing the light transmission.

 

Thanks ‘Kwesi’, I have ordered up a Heliopan light yellow (#5). They seem to be the only ones making that now. All others are darker (22).

Dated myself with that one. A K2 is a medium yellow filter, a/k/a B+W 022, Wratten No.8 and doubtless a few other equivalents I'm not aware of.

[coupdefoudre]

I use a Wratten #8 Yellow on my Rigid 50mm for the M246. It does a good job of adding just the right amount of filtering I need.