Schneider 82mm Self-Rotating Rainbow True-Streak Filter

The 82mm Self-Rotating Rainbow True-Streak Filter from Schneider is designed to be used perpendicular to a point light source such as the sun, a light bulb, or a candle. Within the filter's glass is a combination of fine line types whose action is limited to point light sources. Upon those light sources, those lines create the effect of a scene or image that has been recorded with an anamorphic lens and then displayed using a complementary reverse projection lens. This can result in prominent, elongated streaks that are symmetric and extend horizontally from each point light source for the purpose of drawing attention to a specific part of the frame, or to create a visually dramatic effect.

If an image or footage is captured with an anamorphic lens for the primary purpose of obtaining a greater aspect ratio than what is possible when only using spherical lenses on a 35mm format, the direct result will appear compressed and distorted. Projecting this compressed and distorted footage or imagery through a reverse anamorphic projection lens allows elements within the scene to be viewed in their correct proportions. A complementary effect of this process after it is completed is the creation of elongated, blue-colored, horizontally symmetrical highlights from point light sources that can extend through the frame.

Many cinematographers and photographers find this effect desirable, and the Self-Rotating Rainbow True-Streak Filter is intended to allow such highlights to be easily reproduced when using optics that do not have an anamorphic design. Instead of the blue highlights generated when using traditional anamorphic optics that are not designed to suppress streaking, streaks extending from point light sources each assume the characteristics of a continuous spectrum when this Rainbow True-Streak Filter is applied. Elongated streaks from intense light sources may contain up to seven, sequential red, orange, yellow, green, blue, pink, and violet colors. Shorter streaks corresponding to less prominent sources of illumination may display a more limited number of colors, which are determined by their relative position within the frame. True-Streak Filters that are formulated to create only red, orange, yellow, green, blue, pink, violet, or gold banding are also available, as well as Clear True-Streak Filters that can allow existing colors or lack of colors displayed by point light sources to be maintained.

This filter is most effective for pictures where the light source used to generate the streak effect is a highlight with a significant degree of contrast from the rest of the image. It is constructed from water white glass for clarity as well as color fidelity, and features a brass filter ring that can be rotated in order to adjust the overall orientation of the streak effect.