filters on Monochrome

[kengai]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Is it useful to use the coloured filters on Monochrrome 246?
What results do you get?

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[a.noctilux]

If you need a colored filter to enhance some colors to shade of gray, it's useful.

The good news (for me) is with Liveview/EVF of M(typ 246), filter effect can be seen before taking the picture.

I thought that I "know" my filters well, as used on MM1 for a while, some surprises may arise.

I don't have the M246 for long enough to make "in field investigation", I think that the CMOS sensor color sensivity (or maybe it's in-body software)

is not the same as CCD sensor of MM1.

 

I didn't "know" that the greennish filters are so different in shades of gray for same subject : I've tried yellow, mild yellow, mild green, deep green, and yellow-green

as I have them used so far on MM1, and I'm in stage of studying their effects on M246.

Anyway, it promises much fun 😉 to discover further.

[a.noctilux]

In my searchings for M246 + filters , found this thread of "focus shift" with colored filters

so I have some trials/errors to experiment with filters and maybe with different results with different lenses.

[Jeff S]

Just two examples of various discussions.

Jeff

[Trivette]

Examples of how colored filters may enhance a monochrome image:

In monochrome black and white, the red and green colors of a red rose with green leaves may have about the same grey value. A red filter has the effect of making the green leaves have a darker shade of grey than the rose, while a green filter will have the opposite effect. 

Yellow, orange, and red filters will darken a blue sky: yellow is the most subtle, orange will darken more, and red the most.

[AceVentura1986]

I’ve used yellow, orange and red on my M9M. I’ve found, contrary to expectations, the yellow has no effect on exposure while the effect of the orange and red are 0.5 and 1.5 stops, respectively. The visual r salt of using an orange filter is, IMHO, outstanding. I just so love the look on my 50 Summicron that I bought an orange filter for my Nokton as well. Considering the decrease in exposure is only 0.5 stops, I leave it on most of the time.