Leica Q2 Monochrom - colour filters

[RobM]

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Please excuse the slightly provocative question for a Leica forum:

Why buy Leica colour filters if they are at least twice the price of similar by B+W and others? 

I believe the Q2M works well with colour filters, and would like to have a spectrum of green, orange, yellow and red. That becomes VERY expensive if by Leica. 

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica Q

[Siriusone59]

Mainly just bragging rights.🤭  I would be tempted to buy less expensive ones and then if I decided that lets say a red filter was my thing, I might splurge for the Leica version.

You've already gotten a top of the line camera, I really doubt the lesser brand filter would degrade it noticeably. Provided you stick with a near top of the line filter even if it isn't Leica.

[nwphil]

It's not just the brand - a brand might give you some peace of mind as far as warranty and quality control - with that said, not all b+w filters are good. some lack high quality coatings and not made with schott glass.

$160 for a single 46mm color filter? yeah, I find it too much for what it is. Then again, I splurged in 86m and 95mm zeiss filters....

[Leica28]

I use a variety of filters mainly Heliopan and Schneider, but I have some Tiffen filters that I think are awesome.  Not to mention, there are varying degrees of yellow, orange, green, and red.  

Edited January 12 by Leica28

[nwphil]

Indeed - old tiffen filters are decent. same as some other now considered vintage brands, if you can find them in the wanted size.

For experimenting,  till I decide which one I use/need the most - or if indeed keep on using them sporadically, I got four tiffens (G, R, O, Y), two blues, an uv and a cpl multi-coated from b+w, all for less than a single leica color filter.

yes, all used but like new - just had to toss the cases. Felbay sometimes can be a blessing, not often but it happens

otoh, the Lim's hood for the q2M was a bust 😒

Edited January 12 by nwphil

[Craig Clark]

I have to agree - even after talking with the folks at a Leica store....there seemed to be little gain for the significant increase in price for Leica colored filters. I ended up with a B+W orange and a used tiffen red...both of which I am quite enjoying and have noticed no reduction in image quality.  I just have to remember to take them off when shooting in low light as each does cost a couple of stops..

[RobM]

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Well, I ordered B+W red, orange , and an ND 2 Stop, but they had no yellow or green. I'll get them elsewhere. 

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica Q

[fotomicc]

You can order yellow and green by Fotoimpex in Berlin. They have nearly all filters made by heliopan.

[RobM]

Thanks, but ordering from Germany from the UK post Brexit is expensive and time consuming - Scotland voted to remain in the EU! - so I'll get them closer to home. I hope one day to be a member of the European Union again! 🙂

 

 

[hdmesa]

Just like moving from f/1.2 to f/0.95 there is a staggering premium, the same can be said about filter quality. Both can be argued if they are worth it or not. The only definitive test out there puts the Leica UV at the very top of the heap. Question is, how much are you willing to pay for 99.9% transmission versus 99.7%?

But my anecdotal experience is that B+W filter glass quality does not always stand up to the 45-50mp barrier. On the Canon R5 with the RF 70-200 f/2.8, the B+W clear had a noticeable impact on sharpness at 200mm infinity versus without the filter. I tried three copies (already owned them, and yes, they were all sparkling clean and all were genuine from B&H or Adorama) of the B+W MRC Nano Clear, and none were as sharp as without the filter. I then bought a Zeiss T* UV, and it performed flawlessly, with IQ equal to no filter.

I use the Zeiss T* UV on my Q-P and the Leica UV on my Q2M. I really like the grip-texture on the Leica filter, which makes removing it a breeze. I will be buying the Leica color filters. I mean, the camera is $6K and my AdM case for it cost more than the Leica color filter set anyway. 

I do have the B+W orange and yellow filters arriving today to hold me over until the Leica ones are in stock. It doesn't look like B+W makes a green filter, and their medium red is out of stock everywhere. So for now, I will have the B+W yellow/orange/dark red to work with.

Edited January 12 by hdmesa
percent number correction

[hdmesa]

What I'm itching to try most with the Q2M, though, is my Black Pro Mist 1/4 🙃 alone and in combination with the color filters.

[RobM]

Okay. Well, I'll see how I get on with the B+W. I can always change them later, but I'm not expecting to notice much of a difference unless making a really large print. 

[hdmesa]

8 minutes ago, RobM said:

Okay. Well, I'll see how I get on with the B+W. I can always change them later, but I'm not expecting to notice much of a difference unless making a really large print. 

I'm sure they will work great. I have no complaints about my B+W dark red I've been using, but then again I don't have anything to compare it to. All bets are off when we move from clear and UV filters to color filters – could be the B+W are as good or better than the Leica ones. Since I may end up with a set of both, I may try some casual tests. Variances in the exact color used by each manufacturer will probably have a bigger impact on the final image than the quality of the filter glass.

[RobM]

You should do that test, and I'd be interested in the results.

 

I managed to get the medium red. 

[nwphil]

33 minutes ago, hdmesa said:

What I'm itching to try most with the Q2M, though, is my Black Pro Mist 1/4 🙃 alone and in combination with the color filters.

Mist filter, eh? no idea such thing existed. would be interesting if they had a variable intensity version - I often get a 2 0r 3 plus setting in rainy days outings 🤪

The color density is a big player, and from what I have seen only the blue has indeed somewhat of a standard - like 82A or 80A. The other are what they are or at best medium, deep. Cpls suffer a bit too from a non-standard density - if that is the word. I have seen cpls that are very dark tinted, and worse strongly color casted. ND filters otoh seem to be a bit more reliable, but I can never figure what a ND 3 vs a 6x - just give me stops.

I have an old star effect filer that I have to try on the Q ( might need an step adapter), but I did come out with good results using a +4 diopeter

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica Q

[Leica28]

59 minutes ago, hdmesa said:

What I'm itching to try most with the Q2M, though, is my Black Pro Mist 1/4 🙃 alone and in combination with the color filters.

So am I.  I have several of the Tiffen BPM filters as well as Schneider Hollywood BM filters that I really want to try them for portraits....just have to find the right model.

Edited January 12 by Leica28

[convexferret]

18 hours ago, nwphil said:

Mist filter, eh? no idea such thing existed. would be interesting if they had a variable intensity version - I often get a 2 0r 3 plus setting in rainy days outings 🤪

 

I don't know about others but I use the black promist filters not for the slight softening effects for portraits but for the halation-style glow when shooting against the light. I find that a 1/8 strength is more then enough. Unfortunately they're hard to get in smaller sizes at times.

[PhotoCruiser]

vor 22 Stunden schrieb RobM:

I hope one day to be a member of the European Union again! 🙂

We hope that too!

[T25UFO]

23 hours ago, RobM said:

Well, I ordered B+W red, orange , and an ND 2 Stop, but they had no yellow or green. I'll get them elsewhere. 

Just out of interest, what is the price difference between B+W and Leica?  

I also bought two ND filters (x3 and x10) for my Q2 from Breakthrough Photography.  These are much better than B+W, absolutely neutral with no colour caste.  I bought direct from the US and I think they were priced about £100 each.  Breakthrough now have a UK website, although I haven't used it - they don't stock colour filters.

[RobM]

B+W were £63 each, Leica are £125 each. 

I've never heard of Breakthrough Photography. Thanks for the tip.