Colour Filters for Black & White Photography 

The best examples and explanation, thank you

Thank you, very clearly explained. Now all I have to do, is remember which scenario/which filter.

blue filters make shooting in fog stay foggy, as pan cromatic film tends to cut thru fog, reducing drama and mood in fog situations. also, blue filters can be used with daylight film under tungsten lighting to cut yellowness out of image when shooting color film indoors or outdoors at night. does not apply to digital, however.

Wonderful video....Well Done!

Thank you for this brilliant video! It's very clear and well explained, exactly what I was looking for.

Excellent video. Thank you. RS. Canada

Well done, worth to mention specific properties of red filter (how it can false lightmeter reading)

Strong work. Very helpful!

This was incredibly helpful and educational. I've already shot two rolls of Ilford HP5 with a red filter, can't wait to see how it comes out. I now have a better idea of what to expect!

This has to be the most comprehensive and accurate YT discussion of how colored filters work on B&W film and why they do so. One comment on how to adjust exposure for the effect of a filter, the "filter factor". As he notes, you can measure your exposure through the filter while reading your scene, or you can mathematically adjust exposure with the filter factor provided by the filter manufacturer. Generally, reading the scene without the filter, then calculating the filter density adjustment works a bit better. The reason for this distinction is that the light sensitive cells in meters (in-camera or hand-held) do not read all colors with the same sensitivity, meaning that their response to light colors is not linear. Meter makers usually add colored filters to the meter's light path to adjust for non-linearity, but some do better than others. Also, there are several different cell types used, which is another variable. So, one meter will probably give a different exposure recommendation than another when read through the filter, depending on the color of light being measured. All of these modest variables are eliminated by metering exposure without the filter, then dialing in the filter's exposure factor. This can be done by setting an exposure compensation on your camera meter (if available) or just changing the films ISO rating on the meter itself.

Excellent information. Thank you for posting. Nice production as well.

Thank you! It is so much more helpful to understand the how than to just memorize a what and when. I had speculated on using a color wheel but thought it would apply across the whole thing. Seeing the impact limited to that hourglass shaped zone is very helpful. Thanks again.

Thank you very much! The "Color Wheel" is very helpful.

That was so well explained! Thank you for this, you're doing great

Great video.

Great video! Very helpful and easy to understand; I've also looked at your IG, great pictures!

was good, thanks

Very helpful video…well done

Thankyou very informative

Hello. A very helpful video here! I have a question, though. For your green filter, what make and # was it. Or (this will tell me basically the same thing) what was the recommended filter factor (x2, x4, etc.). Thanks!

Great vid! With silver efex pro 2 I used the blue filter a lot for low light inside environmental portrait - logic, turns down the orange of tungsten light. Since the real thing is quite rare and expensive I've tried color gels on my big medium format lenses. I'd say red is overkill for portraits, turning every caucasian skin into a ghost from Ring. But green and blue are fine for my taste - though not as dramatic as my silver efex digital days... BTW have you seen a difference between a true orthochromatic film and the use of a blue filter on regular panchro ?

What about the effects of thèse filters if I shot in colour?

Is it smart to use for video or it’s pointless

Great video. Thanks for posting. I learned a lot. It was pretty entertaining, but a few more jokes would have been a good thing. ;)

This video would have been better if you showed examples right from the beginning