What is a contrast filter ?

[BADGER.BRAD]

I've seen contrast filters used in dark room videos ( Mainly shoot film like a boss) and wondered what they are and how do they work ?

Cheers.

 

[Asha]

Well they ermm add contrast to any given image depending on which filter you use.

Sorry if that sound like I'm taking the p*** but what else would you expect a contrast filter to do?

I suspect there are / were a whole host of filters available dor darkroom / enlarger use ...Ilford multigrade ones which if like mine are square and gel like of diifering shades ( which varies the amount of contrast that is exposed onto the paper)

 

[BADGER.BRAD]

Sorry Asha I have to admit I could of worded the question better ! What I meant was how are they doing it ? Is it just a case of reducing overaul light or are they filtering certain frequencies of light to reduce or boost the contrast ? Can they be used in colour images ? The reason I ask is I have a Sony A6000 which does not like high contrast images and I wondered if this could be helped by a similar filter, the camera in low to mid contrast truly produces some great images and I'd rather be able to produce the images in camera rather than using a PC later. Black and white would not be a problem of course but how would you do this with colour images.

 

[Asha]

Sorry Asha I have to admit I could of worded the question better ! What I meant was how are they doing it is it just a case of reducing overaul light or are they filtering certain frequencies of light to reduce or boost the contrast ? The reason I ask is I have a Sony A6000 which does not like high contrast images and I wondered if this could be helped by a similar filter, the camera in low to mid contrast truly produces some great images and I'd rather be able to produce the images in camera rather than using a PC later. Black and white would not be a problem of course but how would you do this with colour images.

No need to appologies, if anyone needs to, it's me for my response.

Tbh I'm not going to be able to help much I don't think as you're asking about effects of how such a filter would work on digital format and colour .....Both of which I don't ( or VERY rarely) shoot.

Someone else more intelligent ( that amounts to just about everyone on here I guess! lol) will be along soon to guide you further

 

[Retune]

Coloured filters, which selectively transmit some wavelengths while absorbing others, are used in the darkroom for b&w printing, and on the camera when shooting b&w film. To understand how, see:

https://www.ilfordphoto.com/colour-filters/
https://photography.tutsplus.com/tu...contrast-control-in-the-darkroom--photo-17792

For digital cameras, shooting colour, you would generally only use coloured filters for some cheesy effect (and even then, it's more easily done with an image editor). Here is a Sony A6000 Flickr group:

https://www.flickr.com/groups/2558197@N23/pool/

There are plenty of high contrast images, amongst others. I doubt many (if any) were taken with coloured filters. You might want to get a polariser. But first, make sure you are exposing correctly and look at the camera's built-in functions for adjusting contrast and other properties of the image, e.g.:

https://helpguide.sony.net/gbmig/45349331/v1/en/contents/TP0000518236.html
https://helpguide.sony.net/gbmig/45349331/v1/en/contents/TP0000518346.html
https://helpguide.sony.net/gbmig/45349331/v1/en/cover/level3_18.html

 

[woof woof]

Brad, if this is the same issue you've posted about before (film to digital and lack of DR threads) I don't know if a colour filter is going to help. In fact I suspect not.

If this is the same issue in your place I think I'd Google for example A6000 pictures and see the results other people are getting with the same kit and work out how I need to change my approach to get results I'm happier with. You could also ask for advice in the Sony thread. It's mainly a FF Sony thread but several people who regularly post there have or have had A6xxx cameras and may be able to help you.

 

[BADGER.BRAD]

That makes sense ,I had seen them using them but had never seen the actual thing. I haven't touched the Sony for some time partly as I had lost intrest in it and partly because I haven't had the time to do any photography only trips. The other problem is it has that many setting options that when I do come to use it I've forgotten how to access them ( my memory is really poor due to my fibromyalgia ). At some point I could do with writing down in a little note book some of the settings and how I get to them.