Excellent explanation of using color filters with digital photography for better B&W photographs. Sometimes analog is better and on other option to use and learn.
This was very informative, I never realized what a difference using an actual red filter will do in comparison to its digital counterpart… I’ve never owned any filters due to my ignorance of their use. Guess I’m going to have to do some learning on the subject… Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
The Color/Mono wheel on the Olympus Pen-F is amazing - allowing you to do in camera, and see the results onscreen or in the viewfinder, what most people do in post. The Pen-F allows you to adjust the intensity of the yellow/orange/red/green filters (light to dark)... something you can not do with a physical filter on the lens. Plus the wheel in the Pen-F gives you access to ANY color filter of your choice, not just limited to the normal 4 colors.
Very good info! I understand that pure black and white cameras such as Leica's M10 model also benefits from using an analogue red filter. It cannot be adjusted on that camera digitally, I believe. I love shooting black and white occasionally. Some photos are just begging to be black and white, LOL! Thanks for this video!
It is hard to believe that, with all the options of post-processing, physical filters can still make a difference. But I still got a bunch of that cokin stuff, so I'll give it a try.
I think it's the on-off nature of digital. Where the red color ends it's a sharp line. But even so, you would think someone made a proper digital filter.
The color of the filter makes that one brighter and also makes darker the opposite was news to me, very helpful, so I learned something thanks to your video. Thank you very much!
The digital vs the analog filter comparison was enlightening. I previously thought there was no need for color filters because it could be done in post but apparently there is.
I have a suspicion that the difference in the digital and analogue filter might be at least partly due to the bayer array on our sensors, since pure RGB information isn’t recorded for every pixel. It would be interesting to see if an image shot in high resolution mode would eliminate that difference between digital and analog filters, given that the pixel shifting allows for full RGB information on every pixel.
One colour filter for digital B&W that I use for my landscape photograph is a yellow/green or ‘panchromatic’ filter - very useful for separating subtle shades of foliage while keeping delicate cloud definition. An understated filter well worth exploring. I prefer to do all my heavy lifting in camera, and try to keep post to a minimum.
Back in my days of film photography I shot lots of B&W with and without filters and I still own an ancient Leica iiif with a full set of filters less a polarizer. I started watching your posts because of a variety of reasons, but mostly as I am looking at a move to micro four-thirds.
I'm glad to learn, I'm not the only one to use Cokin A filters on a digital camera. The topic was highly needed to be presented, but not new to me. Anyway: thumbs up! Keep on rolling!
Thanks for the video; such a revelation. I still have a lot of Cokin filters from my film days back in the 1980's. Will have to dust them off and try on my digital camera,
I usually use Filters with lower influence to color spectrum. Sometime analogue sometimes in post process of the raw with preference to rawtherapee software. The yellow filter is well known from old analogue photography. And it is very helpful to simulate a post processing in the camera. If there is enough light an analogue filter should not be necessary.
thank you for this informative video, recently i have become very interested in B& W photography with my lumix G9 so this video has encouraged me to explore the potential of digital fillers,thanks very much.....zen billings
I used colored filters when I shot film but there are differences between the way an emulsion and Bayar array pixel react to light. I tried using analog filters with digital but I've had better luck using "digital filters" in post (generally Silver Efex Pro, where you can precisely control the hue and intensity to get the desired look). I've never seen the "ugly/harsh" effect you describe (and I've shot a lot of pictures of trees with blue skies), plus if I use an analog filter, I'm stuck with a tinted image. Maybe Lightroom/PhotoShop simply doesn't handle filters as well as DxO (I've used Adobe and much prefer DxO)... I guess it depends on your workflow/preferences. In any case, as you imply, if you don't shoot RAW, then why bother with post anyway? Great hoodie!
Very helpful and informative video! Thank you. Generally speaking I’m of the school of getting right in camera when it comes to filters. I’m a hobbyist landscape photographer and find that using analog filters more enjoyable than bracketing and exposure blending in post. Will do the same if I end up doing B&W photography. If I may ask Sulanto to give us your thoughts on HDR photography for landscape. It’d be interesting listening to your experience. Thanks.
@@mattisulanto A tricky subject. I use HDR for every single picture that I make, and non of my work looks like HDR. It looks convincingly like analog film.
I did not know that Panasonic has grain available in monochrome custom profiles until recently. Now it's time to start playing. Does anyone have any good recipes ?
I know I am off topic, but can you make a video about the effect of protective filter use, either UV or clear filter. I always use UV filters to protect my lenses, but I am worried that it can cause flares or some bad side effect. I wonder if it is not better to use only the lens + lens hood (I watched your video about the use of lens hood). Thanks.
So red digital filter produces unpleasant patches on those particular tree branches but not orange or yellow digital filters? And red digital filters are safe for architectural photography? These questions are important to me, since I use the digital filters in my LX100II. Hope you’ll answer. Thanks!
The point of this video was to show that traditional filters still have some use. I think you have to try and see what happens when you use that digital red filter for your photography. Please, experiment a little and see for yourself.
Great video as always!! Enjoying my G9 in B/W but I have a question. I also have Cokin filters from when I shot film but I was wondering if I would degrade the images by using them? Let me explain... If I spent good money on quality fast glass for my G9 so wouldn't it be counterproductive to put a piece a plastic in front of it? B/W or color for that matter. What's your opinion? ( Not that I want to spend a fortune on high priced filters ) Thank you
Thanks, I will make a test shot to check for artifacts. They are really ugly! 😱 I will then use SilverEfex Pro and the digital red filter to see what happens and if it is any better than Adobe’s preset.
Matti; I am curious on your thoughts on the following: As camera were developed historically, the initial cameras produced pictures in B&W, as a result there are photographers that today shoot in B&W for that unique view. So the question if the first cameras had been capable to shoot pictures in full color would photographers have ever taken pictures in B&W?
That's a good question and I think I contemplated it a bit in one of my videos. I suspect, that B&W would have a lot less significant part in photography, if color would have been possible right at the beginning. Here is the video in which I think I touched that topic: th-cam.com/video/ofBzZvPGff4/w-d-xo.html
Well, Windows are not that friendly in this respect. I am also a Mac user but I am temporarily using PC for postprocessing. If you have Windows 10, then it shouldn’t be a problem. The software recognizes RAW from Lumix and displays a message that you need to fetch an extra application (for free). Then things go automatically. Please check your version. Hope this help.
Go to the Microsoft store and look for the raw codec. Once installed you will be able to view those raw Panasonic thumbnails just like you see jpgs. Hope that helps.
Finally someone talks about this. Thanks for explaining color filters in B&W!
Thanks for watching.
Excellent explanation of using color filters with digital photography for better B&W photographs. Sometimes analog is better and on other option to use and learn.
Thank you so much.
This was very informative, I never realized what a difference using an actual red filter will do in comparison to its digital counterpart…
I’ve never owned any filters due to my ignorance of their use. Guess I’m going to have to do some learning on the subject…
Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
The Color/Mono wheel on the Olympus Pen-F is amazing - allowing you to do in camera, and see the results onscreen or in the viewfinder, what most people do in post. The Pen-F allows you to adjust the intensity of the yellow/orange/red/green filters (light to dark)... something you can not do with a physical filter on the lens. Plus the wheel in the Pen-F gives you access to ANY color filter of your choice, not just limited to the normal 4 colors.
Very good info! I understand that pure black and white cameras such as Leica's M10 model also benefits from using an analogue red filter. It cannot be adjusted on that camera digitally, I believe. I love shooting black and white occasionally. Some photos are just begging to be black and white, LOL! Thanks for this video!
Thanks. Yes, monochrome cameras need analog filters, because they don't record color data.
It is hard to believe that, with all the options of post-processing, physical filters can still make a difference. But I still got a bunch of that cokin stuff, so I'll give it a try.
I think it's the on-off nature of digital. Where the red color ends it's a sharp line. But even so, you would think someone made a proper digital filter.
The color of the filter makes that one brighter and also makes darker the opposite was news to me, very helpful, so I learned something thanks to your video. Thank you very much!
Glad it was helpful!
The digital vs the analog filter comparison was enlightening. I previously thought there was no need for color filters because it could be done in post but apparently there is.
I have a suspicion that the difference in the digital and analogue filter might be at least partly due to the bayer array on our sensors, since pure RGB information isn’t recorded for every pixel. It would be interesting to see if an image shot in high resolution mode would eliminate that difference between digital and analog filters, given that the pixel shifting allows for full RGB information on every pixel.
Very helpful on B&W filters. Thanks, Sulanto!
Thanks.
One colour filter for digital B&W that I use for my landscape photograph is a yellow/green or ‘panchromatic’ filter - very useful for separating subtle shades of foliage while keeping delicate cloud definition. An understated filter well worth exploring. I prefer to do all my heavy lifting in camera, and try to keep post to a minimum.
Thanks for sharing.
Back in my days of film photography I shot lots of B&W with and without filters and I still own an ancient Leica iiif with a full set of filters less a polarizer. I started watching your posts because of a variety of reasons, but mostly as I am looking at a move to micro four-thirds.
Thanks for watching and sharing😀
I'm glad to learn, I'm not the only one to use Cokin A filters on a digital camera. The topic was highly needed to be presented, but not new to me. Anyway: thumbs up! Keep on rolling!
Thanks.
Thanks for the video; such a revelation. I still have a lot of Cokin filters from my film days back in the 1980's. Will have to dust them off and try on my digital camera,
Thank you for watching.
A very interesting and important topic. Thank you Matti and Happy Easter!!
Thanks and happy Easter to you too.
Excellent!
Many thanks!
I usually use Filters with lower influence to color spectrum. Sometime analogue sometimes in post process of the raw with preference to rawtherapee software. The yellow filter is well known from old analogue photography. And it is very helpful to simulate a post processing in the camera. If there is enough light an analogue filter should not be necessary.
Thanks for sharing!
7:55 THAT depends of which software you use !
that is very TRUE😀
thank you for this informative video, recently i have become very interested in B& W photography with my lumix G9 so this video has encouraged me to explore the potential of digital fillers,thanks very much.....zen billings
Thanks. B&W is an interesting world and I hope you'll have a lots of fun.
I used colored filters when I shot film but there are differences between the way an emulsion and Bayar array pixel react to light. I tried using analog filters with digital but I've had better luck using "digital filters" in post (generally Silver Efex Pro, where you can precisely control the hue and intensity to get the desired look). I've never seen the "ugly/harsh" effect you describe (and I've shot a lot of pictures of trees with blue skies), plus if I use an analog filter, I'm stuck with a tinted image. Maybe Lightroom/PhotoShop simply doesn't handle filters as well as DxO (I've used Adobe and much prefer DxO)... I guess it depends on your workflow/preferences. In any case, as you imply, if you don't shoot RAW, then why bother with post anyway? Great hoodie!
Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for explaining it. Can you touch on shooting human subjects when it comes to BW and color filters? Again thanks
Thanks. Portraits with color filter would be a good topic, but I'll save it for later, because of the current pandemic situation.
Very helpful and informative video! Thank you. Generally speaking I’m of the school of getting right in camera when it comes to filters. I’m a hobbyist landscape photographer and find that using analog filters more enjoyable than bracketing and exposure blending in post. Will do the same if I end up doing B&W photography. If I may ask Sulanto to give us your thoughts on HDR photography for landscape. It’d be interesting listening to your experience. Thanks.
Thanks. I'm not a big fan of HDR, but I might cover it a bit in the future.
@@mattisulanto thanks.
@@mattisulanto A tricky subject. I use HDR for every single picture that I make, and non of my work looks like HDR. It looks convincingly like analog film.
I did not know that Panasonic has grain available in monochrome custom profiles until recently. Now it's time to start playing. Does anyone have any good recipes ?
Great video. Thank you !
Thank you too!
I know I am off topic, but can you make a video about the effect of protective filter use, either UV or clear filter. I always use UV filters to protect my lenses, but I am worried that it can cause flares or some bad side effect. I wonder if it is not better to use only the lens + lens hood (I watched your video about the use of lens hood). Thanks.
I'll think about that for the future.
So red digital filter produces unpleasant patches on those particular tree branches but not orange or yellow digital filters? And red digital filters are safe for architectural photography? These questions are important to me, since I use the digital filters in my LX100II. Hope you’ll answer. Thanks!
The point of this video was to show that traditional filters still have some use. I think you have to try and see what happens when you use that digital red filter for your photography. Please, experiment a little and see for yourself.
Great video as always!! Enjoying my G9 in
B/W but I have a question. I also have Cokin filters from when I shot film but I was wondering if I would degrade the images by using them? Let me explain...
If I spent good money on quality fast glass for my G9 so wouldn't it be counterproductive to put a piece a plastic in front of it? B/W or color for that matter.
What's your opinion?
( Not that I want to spend a fortune on high priced filters )
Thank you
You have to try and see now bad those plastic filters are.
Thanks, I will make a test shot to check for artifacts. They are really ugly! 😱
I will then use SilverEfex Pro and the digital red filter to see what happens and if it is any better than Adobe’s preset.
Matti; I am curious on your thoughts on the following: As camera were developed historically, the initial cameras produced pictures in B&W, as a result there are photographers that today shoot in B&W for that unique view. So the question if the first cameras had been capable to shoot pictures in full color would photographers have ever taken pictures in B&W?
That's a good question and I think I contemplated it a bit in one of my videos. I suspect, that B&W would have a lot less significant part in photography, if color would have been possible right at the beginning. Here is the video in which I think I touched that topic: th-cam.com/video/ofBzZvPGff4/w-d-xo.html
Thanks; interesting thought to consider.
@@Bakin It sure is interesting.
Do you know how to make Panasonic RAWs thumbnails works on Windows? (I mean icons on the files)
I'm a Mac user and therefore I have no idea how Windows works😀 I'm really sorry.
@@mattisulanto Do you have preview icons for RAW?
@@rendermanpro I have, but for some reason, not for every RAW file.
Well, Windows are not that friendly in this respect. I am also a Mac user but I am temporarily using PC for postprocessing. If you have Windows 10, then it shouldn’t be a problem. The software recognizes RAW from Lumix and displays a message that you need to fetch an extra application (for free). Then things go automatically. Please check your version. Hope this help.
Go to the Microsoft store and look for the raw codec. Once installed you will be able to view those raw Panasonic thumbnails just like you see jpgs. Hope that helps.
Do people really shoot BW jpegs?
Some people even buy dedicated B&W cameras.