Tiffen #1 Black and White Viewing Filter

Comments about Tiffen #1 Black and White Viewing Filter:

Hold the viewing filter cupped-side to your dominant eye and look briefly at your subject. Remove the filter. Find areas of distinct color in your subject and look with the filter again. If adjacent colors of the same reflectance value merge in the filter (if they appear to be roughly the same level of brightness or darkness), you must use an appropriate color contrast filter over your camera's lens to seperate the colors for your photograph. That's what this filter does; it helps you anticipate what areas of your subject will become blocks of similar gray tones when recorded on B&W panchromatic film such as Kodak Tri-X.

There is a strong color cast in the filter, it does not produce a B&W image for you to view. You must learn to ignore this. Blue appears exceptionally dark in the filter but still, when compared with nearby objects, shows seperation of colors correctly. LED readouts on alarm clocks, etc. dissapear through this filter (red & blue). These are strange limitations of the medium. Nevertheless, Ansel Adams, Fred Picker and the like were correct in their assertion that this device is a valuable aid in visualizing the final image at the exposure stage. Buy the filter now before they dissapear from the market. The Zone VI Studios version is VERY expensive used and doesn't block stray light like the cupped metal Tiffen version does.

I am glad that I purchased this filter and recommend it highly to anyone with a serious interest in B&W fine-art photography.

Comments about Tiffen #1 Black and White Viewing Filter:

The filter comes with a POUCH!!!
When i was browsing the site, i saw that the green filter comes with a bonus pouch, so i said to myself that i'd rather buy a pouch than have a surprise that the filter doesn't come with a pouch...
It has a solid build, top quality provided once again by Tiffen filters. The filter is yellow, witch provides the best view for contrasts.
This product is a bit tricky to use, since you need to understand that this contrast filter help's you see the level of contrast witch will be seen on your film medium (you have to know your film stock well, because some BW films are more contrasty than others witch are more soft in tones ).
I recommend that you do a little research on viewing filters and it's uses before you purchase this product because it takes experience to get the best use out of this product

Comments about Tiffen #1 Black and White Viewing Filter:

Useful for determining whether a scene will work in black and white photography. Takes the colour out of the scene, leaving just the tones.

Comments about Tiffen #1 Black and White Viewing Filter:

The Tiffen Black and White Viewing Filter is very well constructed. It comes with a cord that you can wear around your neck and a pouch to put it all into. When looking through the filter I expected for the filter to remove all of the color and appear like a B&W image…well that is not what it does. It darkens what you look at and gives everything a dark sepia tone. It is also not as bright as I would have liked. The light is reduced by many stops. I hope to be able to get used to this. Time will tell.

Comments about Tiffen #1 Black and White Viewing Filter:

Have begun to use the BW filter to help me see better the distribution of light/shadow in my color digital images

Comments about Tiffen #1 Black and White Viewing Filter:

When I bought this filter three years ago I was under the impression that it would somehow remove colors and stay clear. It doesn't do that. It isn't clear. It colors the view with a dark sepia tint.

After you get used to the tint the contrast range is preserved and that is what you look at. Just ignore the dark sepia.

I really like it. It helps me preview how the film will see the subject and that's what it is designed to do. If I ever lost mine I would definitely buy another one.

Comments about Tiffen #1 Black and White Viewing Filter:

Based on what I read in a book, I was expecting much more from this viewer. It was supposed to help visualize scenes in B&W. All it does is throw a yellow cast--the colors are still there.

Comments about Tiffen #1 Black and White Viewing Filter:

Very easy to use. Lets your eye see with about the same dynamic range as your film or sensor. You can see what will be blown out or black before you click the shutter. Helps you in using the zone system by figuring out where to meter. Great device for saving time little $$

Comments about Tiffen #1 Black and White Viewing Filter:

It takes practice to master this filter but it really helps to construct the scene.

Comments about Tiffen #1 Black and White Viewing Filter:

I was hoping this filter would help me visulize scenes in b&w better. To show the tonal range, etc. It does, but it's not as great as I was hoping it would be.