Looking for a good contrast reducer filter

A

Antoine_Fabi

Well-known member
Hi,

What is the best professional filter to reduce contrast, that does not produce milky shadows or diffusion ?

thanks
 
A fog filter can reduce contrast, but I think the Tiffen contrast control filters is what you are asking about.

This is from thier website:

"Contrast Control Filters
There are many situations, such as bright sunlit exteriors, where proper contrast is difficult to maintain. Exposing for either highlights or shadows will leave the other severely under or over exposed. Tiffen Low Contrast filters create a small amount of "localized" flare near highlight areas within the image. This reduces contrast by lightening nearby shadow areas, leaving highlights almost unchanged. Tiffen Soft Contrast filters include a light absorbing element in the filter which, without exposure compensation, will reduce contrast by also darkening highlights. Use this latter filter when lighter shadows are not desired. In both cases, the mild flare produced from bright highlights is sometimes used as a lighting effect.
Another, more recently developed type of filter reduces contrast without any localized flare. The Tiffen Ultra Contrast filter series uses the surrounding ambient light, not just light in the image area, to evenly lighten shadows throughout. Use it where contrast control is needed without any other effect on sharpness or highlight flare being apparent."


Here is a link to the screw on contrast filters:
http://www.tiffen.com/results.html?search_type_no=369&tablename=filters&family=Tiffen+Filters&search_filter_format=Screw-In


Here is a link to larger format contrast filters:
http://www.tiffen.com/results.html?search_type_no=369&tablename=filters&family=Tiffen+Filters&search_filter_format=Larger+Format

-Best of luck, I hope this helps
 
thanks guys.

I already use "Ultra Contrast" and "Soft Contrast" filters.

I want to add more contrast reducer filters to my equipment.
 
Hmmm, are Soft Contrast filters stackable?

Other than that, I would recomend adding fill light in your shadows or blocking light in your highlights.
 
Last edited:
Evin,

what grade do you recommend ?

I want to avoid highlight clipping without any (if possible) softening effect.

thanks
 
I would love to see a couple of frame grabs of any of these filters (Tiffen Soft Contrast or Ultra Contrast, Schneider DigiCon) employed to their best effect. I found an old DVX thread in whichframe grabs with/without a Low Contrast had been posted - http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=18924&page=3 - but the images are long gone. Any pointers, or does snyone have something they can post? Thanx!
 
This is something I've also always been wondering about. I'd love to see some comparison frames. If these filters do as they claim and "decrease" contrast, isn't that like increasing your perceptual latitude? If so, why isn't absolutely everyone using these all the time?
 
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