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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

What filters do you consider essential?

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David Mullen ASC said:
The more expensive streak filters embed a cylindrical glass rod or something like that, very thin, and that can be dyed a color. The higher the number, 1mm thru 4mm, the lighter the effect, though it is less about how often or dramatic the streak appears but how large it appears, the 1mm produces a bigger softer blue smear, the 4mm produces a fainter, sharper blue line (most people buy the 2mm apparently). Stan Wallace at the Filter Gallery makes some special-order ones where the blue streak only happens in one area of the filter for those people that only want the effect near the bottom third, let's say, for car headlamps, etc. I'm sure those cost even more.
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Interesting. On another note I watched an episode of "SMASH" tonight. Great work! I really liked what I did with the overall look.

J
 
PatrickFaith said:
When should I buy 4x4 vs 4x5.65 - I normally buy 4x4. When would I ever need a wider one ( does the 6k sensor maybe need the wider one, or anamorphic lenses)?

When googling ... found the answer in reduser : http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?72400-FILTERS-4x4-vs-4x-5-65
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I think David will agree with this but 4x5.65 or Panavision sized are the industry standard. They fit the aspect ratio and are just overall bigger and more useful filters. You can use them on lenses with larger front elements.
 
Phil Holland said:
That will be dependent on you. After speaking with Evin about his experiences for a bit and testing out all the Schneider CTBs I find I use the 1/2 CTB the most. I use this primarily when shooting VFX elements on blue or green screen, but also interiors. Personally I like nice, clean, pristine material. It's not a necessity, but for the work I do I somewhat feel that it is.

Same thoughts about Formatt HMND (Hot Mirror/ND combo filters). You can use Schneider or Tiffen and grade the difference, but Formatt appears to give me a better image. Here's my post comparing the Schneider IRND and the Formatt HMND.





I have done more tests since then and feel particularly towards deeper ND filtration (past 0.9) it becomes more and more important. I recommend and use the Formatts, but the Schnieder IRNDs are again within color correction range for me.

Man. Formatt should send me a full set of 4x5.65s at this point :)
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Hmmm, now I'm up in the air. I was looking at this test (http://gettingelemental.blogspot.com/2011/11/ir-nd-filtration-epic.html) and the Schneiders seemed like the clear winner. Is it easier to black balance or white balance for best results?
 
We recently tested filters from Tiffen and Schneider in various combinations, IRND vs. Hot MIrror, Vs. T1, stacked with ND's and not stacking... I will prepare a nice table and post it on Reduser and CML soon.. One interesting thing I noticed - in pretty much every series the IRND 1.8 was very different from the rest of the IRND's in the same series. While IRND 1.5 andf 2.1 were usually pretty close, the 1.8 has very different IR contamination, as with Tiffen IRND and Scneider Platinum...
It's like as if the 1.8 ND and IR combination is the most challenging for the manufacturers?
So I think I am going to skip that filter from now on... I would carry IRND 1.5 and 2.1 and then stack a regular ND .3 on top of IRND 1.5 if I need to get the exact stop.
 
I have added an 80C filter to my collection sand find I use it on nearly every tungsten green screen shoot. It balances 3200k to 4400k. It helps reducing noise in the blue channel on a 5600k sensor camera when an 80A filter is unnecessary or consumes too much light.
 
Can anyone comment on stacking the filters?
Tiffen's paper says that you shouldn't stack IRND with regular ND's and I remember seeing someone post the opposite here...
My tests showed no problems stacking the regular ND's with IRND's, but why would Tiffen state otherwise?
According to Tiffen, you should always have a Hot Mirror if you are stacking...
Then again, that paper is based on Red One... Does Epic have different IR filter in front of the sensor than Red One?

Cheers!
 
Formatt has a hot mirror / IR 680nm filter combo. Is there any reason to get or not get this filter over the regular hot mirror? Thanks.
 

If I want to use a graduated neutral density filter do I I need to use a Hot Mirror or a True-Cut 750 IR with it?



I guess my question is, will I ever have a need for just a Hot Mirror or a True-Cut 750 IR in my package? , I plan on getting the Platinum IRND Filters as my main everyday set.
 
Dominik Muench said:
I just bought the Schneider RED Essential Kit and a circular Pola. In addition to that I have a Tiffen 1/2 Soft FX filter for those critical closeups that need a bit of smoothing out ;)
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Dominik, Have you received your RED Essentials kit yet and if so how do you like it overall?
 
Check out the Panchros. They are awesome and produce almost no color shift. I think they are the best NDs out. Evin Grant recommends them pretty highly. I have the set and have never looked back. They are a little pricey but if you don't already have NDs it's the way to go.
 
Robino_J said:
Is it okay to stack IR nds? is it better to use 1 strong IR ND and non IR (under .9) if needed?
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This is EXACTLY what I do! I have a 1.2 IR/HotMirror/ND and a 2.1 of the same. If I want a 1.5 or a 1.8, I'm stacking them with "regular filters" BEHIND the IRHMND. The results have been fantastic. I live in Arizona, and you can't shoot outside with anything less than a 1.2 if you don't want to be at F16-22. I had a .3/.6/.9/2.1 "regular" NDs; I'm new to Red (January this year) and on my first BIG shoot for the PGA... I noticed all my blacks were magenta when shooting with my Epic. I had to punt for the day, by dropping down to a .9 from the 2.1 "regular" ND. That worked, just at an F8-F11 all day long. Bought the combos at the suggestion of a friend, and they've been terrific.

Stack 'em up! (Make sure the IRHMND is out "front!")
 
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Ryan Nichols said:
Check out the Panchros. They are awesome and produce almost no color shift. I think they are the best NDs out. Evin Grant recommends them pretty highly. I have the set and have never looked back. They are a little pricey but if you don't already have NDs it's the way to go.
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Ryan, thanks for your info, did you get the the Panchro Budget Kit 4X5.650 ND.3, ND.6, IR+ND .9, 1.2, 1.5 ?
 
That's the kit I have Robert. I've had them over a year and I've never needed any more. I stack the regular NDs behind the IR+NDs sometimes and have never had a problem. You get 7 stops doing that so it should just about cover you for anything. They are made to order I think but if you email Tom he can turn them around pretty fast. I got mine in 3 days I think. The only problem you might have is that the mirror is so nice in them that actors like to contantly check their hair in front of the camera.
 
Robert Cook said:
Dominik, Have you received your RED Essentials kit yet and if so how do you like it overall?
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I just received my RED Essential Kit last week and used the filters for the first time yesterday. No complaints at all. Footage looks amazing. Can't beat the price either... ($599 at filmtools.com)
 
Ryan Nichols said:
The only problem you might have is that the mirror is so nice in them that actors like to constantly check their hair in front of the camera.
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That made me laugh...... I will ck them out, thanks for the feedback.
 
Just an aside for those Mac users (like me) prone to losing posts and messages while writing: keep Text Edit (included free in mac OS's) in your dock, it's a fast way to write, edit, save post ideas for further work.... and then it's just a quick copy and paste to the REDUSER box.
 
Robert Cook said:

If I want to use a graduated neutral density filter do I I need to use a Hot Mirror or a True-Cut 750 IR with it?
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Generally no, unless you are also using a heavy ND along with the grad. Grads are used to tone down bright parts of the frame, so it's unlikely that you'll ever notice IR contamination when using one since IR mostly affects the blacks.

Robert Cook said:

I guess my question is, will I ever have a need for just a Hot Mirror or a True-Cut 750 IR in my package? , I plan on getting the Platinum IRND Filters as my main everyday set.
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You should really test the Platinums to see if they are sufficient before getting an IR. The make of ND will make all the difference. For example, Tiffen IR NDs 1.5 and 1.8 need the 750 on the Epic. But the Platinums might be ok, you'll just have to test.
 
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