Skylight 1A Filters from film camera lenses?

[gryffinwings]

I've gotten a few of these on lens on some old film cameras that I have purchased and I was wondering what these due in regards to film. Are they worth using?

 

[ac12]

Skylight is used to cut some of the blue UV light, so the film does not have a bluish cast. This was more critical for slide film than print. With prints, some color correction can be adjusted in printing. With slides, what you shoot is it, so you have to do all your color correction on the camera.

In SD, you may/probably have enough UV light from the sun that it may make a difference with color film, to cut some of the blue UV haze. Similarly if you were in Denver, you would have more UV due to the altitude.

Strong debate for and against filters as protection.

• The coating on most of the older lenses are not as hard/durable as some of the new/current coatings, so they are more easily scratched. So a filter helps to protect the front element, and reduce cleaning of the element.
  
• I like filters to keep fingers off the front of my lens. It is amazing how often the front element or filter gets fingerprints on it. But a lens hood is my 1st line of defense against fingers, the filter is my 2nd line of defense. Small kids and greasy fingers are hell on camera gear.
  
• If you shoot by the ocean, I prefer to use a filter, so I don't worry about wiping the ocean spray off my filter. Salt spray is nasty stuff.

 

[greybeard]

Optically I don't think they do much if anything for digital and the cheaper uncoated ones can distort and add reflections you don't want. I keep a clear UV filter, either B+W or Hoya, on all of my lenses but just for peace of mind, I've never damaged a filter let alone the front lens element.

 

[petrochemist]

Skylight filters are slightly more aggressive UV filters, (blocking a bit more). With film the difference between UV & skylight would usually not be noticeable.
Neither have much benefit for digital except in harsh conditions (salt spray etc)

 

[webestang64]

Filter guide..........


https://tiffen.com/tiffen-filters/

 

[pendennis]

FWIW, the skylight filters were my "correction" filter for Ektachrome. EK was heavily biased toward blue, so I always used one to combat that. The skin tones were quite a bit more pleasing. In today's environment, they're mostly unneeded.

 

[gryffinwings]

Just so everyone knows, I am shooting film.

 

[petrochemist]

Just so everyone knows, I am shooting film.

Then UV & skylight filters can make more sense - even though many modern lenses block practically all UV anyway.
Film in general is more sensitive to UV & blue light than the rest of the visible spectrum (they're more energetic).
There are plenty of used examples of both types available - get a couple & see what works best for you, with your favorite films & your lenses/shooting locations etc.
When you know this you can pay out for a better quality filter if you feel the used ones aren't up to the mark.

 

[gryffinwings]

Just so everyone knows, I am shooting film.

Then UV & skylight filters can make more sense - even though many modern lenses block practically all UV anyway.
Film in general is more sensitive to UV & blue light than the rest of the visible spectrum (they're more energetic).
There are plenty of used examples of both types available - get a couple & see what works best for you, with your favorite films & your lenses/shooting locations etc.
When you know this you can pay out for a better quality filter if you feel the used ones aren't up to the mark.

It's all good to explain it in a technical sense, but how you explained it doesn't make enough sense to me, could you please explain what effect of having a UV filter vs no filter on a film camera lens would have, what visually different between the two?

Thanks for taking the time to explain so far.

 

[ac12]

Just so everyone knows, I am shooting film.

Then UV & skylight filters can make more sense - even though many modern lenses block practically all UV anyway.
Film in general is more sensitive to UV & blue light than the rest of the visible spectrum (they're more energetic).
There are plenty of used examples of both types available - get a couple & see what works best for you, with your favorite films & your lenses/shooting locations etc.
When you know this you can pay out for a better quality filter if you feel the used ones aren't up to the mark.

It's all good to explain it in a technical sense, but how you explained it doesn't make enough sense to me, could you please explain what effect of having a UV filter vs no filter on a film camera lens would have, what visually different between the two?

Thanks for taking the time to explain so far.

Go to the filter sites. They sometimes have images showing with and without the skylight filter.

As has been said, the UV light will create a bluish cast on the image. The longer the shot, the more UV light in the image, and the bluer the image. This is one reason why mountains in the distance have a bluish cast. You are looking through more air, and the particles in the air are reflecting the UV light from the sun.

Depending on what and where you shoot it may be difficult to see any difference. It all depends on how much UV light is in the image. On the clear air SD beach you have more UV light than under the LA smog.

 

[petrochemist]

Just so everyone knows, I am shooting film.

Then UV & skylight filters can make more sense - even though many modern lenses block practically all UV anyway.
Film in general is more sensitive to UV & blue light than the rest of the visible spectrum (they're more energetic).
There are plenty of used examples of both types available - get a couple & see what works best for you, with your favorite films & your lenses/shooting locations etc.
When you know this you can pay out for a better quality filter if you feel the used ones aren't up to the mark.

It's all good to explain it in a technical sense, but how you explained it doesn't make enough sense to me, could you please explain what effect of having a UV filter vs no filter on a film camera lens would have, what visually different between the two?

Thanks for taking the time to explain so far.

Film typically see's wavelengths at the UV end that our eyes don't.

Shorter wavelengths are scattered more than longer ones so UV is scattered more than visual light. This can produce an overall blue haze in photos. It is most noticeable over long distances & at higher altitudes.

When this happens a UV filter can reduce the haze, & a skylight will typically reduce it a bit more.

Is that any clearer?

 

[gryffinwings]

Just so everyone knows, I am shooting film.

Then UV & skylight filters can make more sense - even though many modern lenses block practically all UV anyway.
Film in general is more sensitive to UV & blue light than the rest of the visible spectrum (they're more energetic).
There are plenty of used examples of both types available - get a couple & see what works best for you, with your favorite films & your lenses/shooting locations etc.
When you know this you can pay out for a better quality filter if you feel the used ones aren't up to the mark.

It's all good to explain it in a technical sense, but how you explained it doesn't make enough sense to me, could you please explain what effect of having a UV filter vs no filter on a film camera lens would have, what visually different between the two?

Thanks for taking the time to explain so far.

Film typically see's wavelengths at the UV end that our eyes don't.

Shorter wavelengths are scattered more than longer ones so UV is scattered more than visual light. This can produce an overall blue haze in photos. It is most noticeable over long distances & at higher altitudes.

When this happens a UV filter can reduce the haze, & a skylight will typically reduce it a bit more.

Is that any clearer?

Much easier to understand, thank you so much!