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UV Filters & High Contrast Scenes
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Mar 14, 2019 15:42:10   #
dione961
 
Does anyone have a view about UV filters affecting high contrast scenes (eg, black & super-brightly colored clothing on bright white snow)? I have Marumi & Tiffen filters. I'm wondering whether these filters may increase contrast on an already contrasty scene creating over-saturated colors & super-black blacks. If so it seems logical to remove the filters for these types of shots (I only have them on for lens protection). Am I reading this right or.........

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Mar 14, 2019 15:54:07   #
rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin
 
Instead of using a UV filter in your brightly-lit situations - snow, seaside, stage shows under strong lights - you might consider using a good, neutral (no color cast) 3x neutral density filter like one of those from Breakthrough Photography. A 10x ND would be overkill, but a 3x is just right.

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Mar 14, 2019 15:54:54   #
DebAnn Loc: Toronto
 
dione961 wrote:
Does anyone have a view about UV filters affecting high contrast scenes (eg, black & super-brightly colored clothing on bright white snow)? I have Marumi & Tiffen filters. I'm wondering whether these filters may increase contrast on an already contrasty scene creating over-saturated colors & super-black blacks. If so it seems logical to remove the filters for these types of shots (I only have them on for lens protection). Am I reading this right or.........


I would try it out with the UV filters on and compare the results with shots done without them. Then you'd have first-hand knowledge. Other people's tests wouldn't necessarily be the same as your own.

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Mar 14, 2019 16:06:09   #
CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City
 
No, they don't create over-saturated colors nor super-black blacks. Moreover, your digital editor can account for the blackness of blacks and the saturation of colors in the image, if you felt an adjust was needed in the resulting image. This article gives a good demonstration of the visual effects of various types of filters. I live and shoot near and over a Great Lake and have UV filters on most of my lenses and have them on at all times. Note the subtle and real impact of each type of filter in their typical usage situations.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/buying-guide/a-guide-to-filters-for-lenses

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Mar 14, 2019 16:17:18   #
Harry0 Loc: Gardena, Cal
 
It depends. Some UV filters may be hazier, less contrasty, than others.
If you're talking black/white/color in snow, maybe a polarizer might help.
Camera sensors see wider frequencies than we do. Fires at night look weird.
Your brain could be post processing the excess contrast out of your vision, too.
Mine does. My vision is much more vignetted than my camera.
IMNSHO take the best accurate shots you can, then process until you get what you want.

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Mar 14, 2019 16:18:38   #
JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco
 
rjaywallace wrote:
Instead of using a UV filter in your brightly-lit situations - snow, seaside, stage shows under strong lights - you might consider using a good, neutral (no color cast) 3x neutral density filter like one of those from Breakthrough Photography. A 10x ND would be overkill, but a 3x is just right.


A ND filter won't reduce contrast or saturation. It only reduces overall exposure, which isn't usually necessary unless you want slow shutter speeds or wide open apertures in bright sunlight.

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Mar 14, 2019 16:26:32   #
photogeneralist Loc: Lopez Island Washington State
 
In film days UV filters were used to limit the UV rays which are invisible to our eyes but would still expose the film. By lowering the deliterious overexposure, particularly of skies,, the UV filters increased contrast on film. My understanding is that, unlike film, digital sensors are not sensitive to Ultraviolet light wavelengths. If this is true, and you are recording the light on a digital sensor, then filtering out the UV rays that the sensor will ignore anyway, would have no discernible effects. The presence of the uv filter should have no optically advantageous effect. There is a difference of opinion among many photogs about whether the presence of a UV filter really offers worthwhile protection and how important is it's image degradation effect but let's not get into that here. If you can see no difference in IQ, and if you fall into the lens protection belief camp, then keeping or removing the UV filter is a personal choice with no optical consequences.

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Mar 14, 2019 16:31:53   #
rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA
 
dione961 wrote:
Does anyone have a view about UV filters affecting high contrast scenes (eg, black & super-brightly colored clothing on bright white snow)? I have Marumi & Tiffen filters. I'm wondering whether these filters may increase contrast on an already contrasty scene creating over-saturated colors & super-black blacks. If so it seems logical to remove the filters for these types of shots (I only have them on for lens protection). Am I reading this right or.........


As you already have UV filters, why not simply seek out a high contrast scene, shoot with and without filter, and see for yourself how much impact the filter has on the image? There's no experience like first-hand experience!

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Mar 14, 2019 18:47:46   #
User ID
 
rjaywallace wrote:

Instead of using a UV filter in your brightly-lit situations
- snow, seaside, stage shows under strong lights - you
might consider using a good, neutral (no color cast) 3x
neutral density filter like one of those from Breakthrough
Photography. A 10x ND would be overkill, but a 3x is just
right.


Why would you waste all that shutter speed ?

On a tech level, if a filter might cause slight
veiling in bright contrasty conditions, a clear
or UV will be less offensive compared to any
denser filter. The brighter the scene the less
the veiling affects it. Dim the scene and the
veiling is more pronounced. Same as how a
window looks much cleaner when looking out
of it in daylight but after dark you notice it's
streaky of dirty.

If you absolutely hafta discard some light, a
PL filter will be more helpful than an ND cuz
it can be used to block some glare from at
least some surfaces in the scene. If you are
gonna waste some shutter speed, at least it
give back something in return ! A PL costs
about two shutter speeds. Thaz plenty enuf.

.

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Mar 14, 2019 19:49:14   #
dione961
 
CHG_CANON wrote:
No, they don't create over-saturated colors nor super-black blacks. Moreover, your digital editor can account for the blackness of blacks and the saturation of colors in the image, if you felt an adjust was needed in the resulting image. This article gives a good demonstration of the visual effects of various types of filters. I live and shoot near and over a Great Lake and have UV filters on most of my lenses and have them on at all times. Note the subtle and real impact of each type of filter in their typical usage situations.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/buying-guide/a-guide-to-filters-for-lenses
No, they don't create over-saturated colors nor su... (show quote)


Hi Paul - awesome article; thanks for the link. I can see the value in some of the stronger haze filters - traveling on a sailboat, especially.

I did reduce color in many of the Iditarod pics; some of the oranges & reds were practically psychedelic; & the dark blues & blacks were deep, so I reduced shadow there as well to bring out some detail.

So it's down to camera settings. I used Manual for all of the Iditarod, setting aperture & shutter speed; & had ISO set on Auto so I didn't miss too much fiddling with the camera.
Anyhow, I was just trying to work out why my colors were so off. I'll keep researching - but thanks (to you & everyone) - for getting me off the wrong track.

Boy you should see the snow coming down here right now - wow - don't see that in OZ!

D

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Mar 14, 2019 19:54:34   #
dione961
 
rook2c4 wrote:
As you already have UV filters, why not simply seek out a high contrast scene, shoot with and without filter, and see for yourself how much impact the filter has on the image? There's no experience like first-hand experience!


Hi - thanks - just waiting for the snow to let us - it's powering down still, 5 days now & 5 to go, they say.

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Mar 15, 2019 06:36:26   #
billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont
 
dione961 wrote:
Does anyone have a view about UV filters affecting high contrast scenes (eg, black & super-brightly colored clothing on bright white snow)? I have Marumi & Tiffen filters. I'm wondering whether these filters may increase contrast on an already contrasty scene creating over-saturated colors & super-black blacks. If so it seems logical to remove the filters for these types of shots (I only have them on for lens protection). Am I reading this right or.........


Sorry, I do not use any UV filters on my lenses. There has not one been ever made that improves image quality.
That said, I usually use exposure compensation in aperture priority for snow or just shoot manual and adjust until I get the proper exposure. Or, you can read off the palm of your hand and then stop down two stops and go from their.
Or, take a shot of a neutral gray card, that should give you the proper exposure.
Or, use an incident light meter, it is not fooled by high contrast images.

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Mar 15, 2019 07:23:44   #
rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin
 
Response to JohnSwanda and User ID - Winter conditions in northeast Wisconsin where I live are extremely bright, especially given all the snow we have had this year. I have had good results from using a low-level, no color cast Breakthrough Photography ND filter. It reduces glare as well as harsh contrast and saturation without dimming the scene excessively. Suggest you borrow or rent one and try it out. Yes, User ID, you can always go cheaper (the watchword of UHH members), but shelling out some bucks for quality can produce a quality result. Cheers, Ralph

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Mar 15, 2019 07:36:17   #
JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco
 
rjaywallace wrote:
Response to JohnSwanda and User ID - Winter conditions in northeast Wisconsin where I live are extremely bright, especially given all the snow we have had this year. I have had good results from using a low-level, no color cast Breakthrough Photography ND filter. It reduces glare as well as harsh contrast and saturation without dimming the scene excessively. Suggest you borrow or rent one and try it out. Yes, User ID, you can always go cheaper (the watchword of UHH members), but shelling out some bucks for quality can produce a quality result. Cheers, Ralph
Response to JohnSwanda and User ID - Winter condit... (show quote)


I would be interested in seeing some comparison shots with and without the filter, with the exposure compensated. I can't see how an ND filter can reduce contrast or saturation.

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Mar 15, 2019 10:33:49   #
gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast
 
I keep a UV filter on my lenses just to protect the glass. Never had any saturation issues. They seem to be pretty neutral. Intuitively I don’t see how lack of UV light, which we can’t see anyway, would affect anything in the shot.

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