Ultracontrast Filter Test (images)

Hunter Hampton

Hunter Hampton

Carbonite Member
Tiffen Ultra contrast filter test:

Camera: GH2
WB: Daylight preset
Nikkon 35mm f1.8 @ ~5.6

Scene file:
smooth
-2 contrast
0 saturation
0 noise reduction


NO FILTER:
no%20filter.jpg


1/4 ULTRACONTRAST:
1:4.jpg


1/2 ULTRACONTRAST:
1:2.jpg


1 ULTRACONTRAST:
1.jpg


2 ULTRACONTRAST:
2.jpg


ENJOY.
 
alrighty :)
thanks for the efforts in the horrible weather.

a few questions for you:
wow.. i find even the 1/4 quite enough for helping when in need and not turn the footage too weird.
what's your input?
how does it look on recorded footage?
i mean, there's a big change from no filter to 1/4, which looks as quite enough.
the higher numbers look like they could damage the quality in some way.
also from seeing MTS footage, do you think the filter could be really usable on occasion and remain unnoticeable in term of quality ?

thanks again.
 
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Just to be a cussed old git I prefer the one without filter. It may be the web compression but I'm not seeing any more detail in the shadows, they just have a rather unpleasant "milky" look. Perhaps grading would bring more back.
Dave
 
Thats exactly it David, it doesnt add more range, an ultracon mostly just raises up the black- good if you want a low contrast look, but with a dslr codec- its probably better just to shoot for the final look you want.
 
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Wow! As usual, hunter, thanks! This was well needed within the community as it's difficult to attain test samples anywhere for these. I agree, these get much stronger than I was expecting. And I wasn't looking to extend my latitude, merely use these to artistic effect.

hunter, do you use the Tiffen DFX plug-in for After Effects? I may purchase it in the future and provide my own samples as to its software equivalent of these filters.
 
Vcassel- I havent used the DFX plugin- my gut feeling is it would still be better to use an actual filter infront of the lens- but maybe its worth a try- can you download a demo and try it first?
 
hunter richards said:
Vcassel- I havent used the DFX plugin- my gut feeling is it would still be better to use an actual filter infront of the lens- but maybe its worth a try- can you download a demo and try it first?
Click to expand...

Good idea! Downloading now. I'll try and post my results later today.
 
hunter, hope you don't mind that I used your same image for quality control...

Original (no filter):
View attachment 28112
Tiffen DFX Ultra Contrast filter:
View attachment 28111

So a slight change at the filter's default settings.

What's interesting about the Ultra Contrast filter in the Tiffen DFX plug-in is that you can't specify 1/4, 1/2, 1, etc. The controls are: View - output, shadows, highlights, original; Shadows - dials for shadows, position, and range; Highlights - dials for highlights, position, and range; and a button for Force 16-bit processing.

Don't know how to get similar results to the different powered filters, but I'll continue to play around with it.
 
I think the plug-in's default settings are probably closer to what you'd get from a 1/8 Ultra Contrast.
 
nice one cassel.. looks better than the real filter, but can you try and upload some footage? it would really help :)
 
Hunter, I think the 1/4 or 1/2 (at most) UltraContrast is all one needs. It does bring out some detail in the dark. I think it's a good idea to give these cameras a little help in that area. This way one can dial back down the image in post without worrying about issues of mud in underexposed areas.
 
yea but Ian, look at vcassel's software test. well i need to see real recorded footage but it seems that on the software dfx you can really see the tree details where they were once black, and on Hunters lens 1/4 filter they just remain undetailed and grey.
again, it's just a software trick and maybe watching real footage will reveal the "post ugliness.
besides, Hunter himself saying from first hand, the filter doesn't really reveal any details that are black..

* forgot to mention that this software dfx better be REALLLLY good cause it costs 600$, and
i'll use it mostly for this only filter.
 
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Hunter! Thanks for this.

Can you do a version in dark forest cover with the sun in the shot???

Pretty please?
 
Regarding the tiffen software, $600 would be better put towards divinchi resolve- I don't see why couldn't get the same effect as the dfx software, probably faster too. Thanks for showing what it does though.
 
hunter richards said:
Regarding the tiffen software, $600 would be better put towards divinchi resolve- I don't see why couldn't get the same effect as the dfx software, probably faster too. Thanks for showing what it does though.
Click to expand...

Heard of Davinci, but I've been so far unaware of their products. Looking at their site, is Resolve sold as both hardware/software?

Here's a before and after image gallery of all the filters in Tiffen DFX. Just click the little arrow to the right to move forward through them. There are a handful there that seem to dial back contrast and recover detail--Ambient Light, Black Pro-mist, etc. I'm still on the fence about purchasing it. I only have experience with polarizers and NDs, but I've built up a long wishlist of other filters I'd love to work with. If it works as well as some have been saying, then there really shouldn't be much discernible difference between the physical filters and the virtual ones. In the end I would probably actually save a little bit.
 
DaVinchi is the color workhorse of the commercial and feature world- up until recently it was extremely expensive to buy a license but black magic designs recently acquired Davinchi and realized a mac version of it instead of just linux- and its only $999 now for the software (it was $$,$$$ before).
So yeah, get Resolve and a small panel like a tangent wave, and with some practice you can practically do anything you want color-wise. Including mimicking filters.
 
Wow vcassel, that software filter before and after just blew my mind!!! I can't believe how much I prefer the look in that example vs the filters hunter demonstrates. I was really going into this expecting the opposite. The price however has left my cold on the whole thing.
 
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