Filters and colour cast (Can't find it anywhere)

[SwissJon]

Hi..

I've started looking to use filters, especially ND and ND grads to achieve things that I can't achieve post processing.

I've bought some Cokin P filters very cheaply, and have been disappointed to notice a distinct colour cast on them.. Purplish pink... Further research suggests this is normal for Cokin filters, not just a bad set that I have.. It doesn't matter so much because I can correct it in PP. But when I buy a Neutral Density filter, by definition, it should be neutral.

Now I've seen a lot of comments about B&W and Lee filters, saying they do what they say on the tin and reduce the light evenly accross the spectrum.

But these filters are much more expensive than the Cokin.. I know in photography that you get what you pay for, so maybe I'll end up with Lee eventually, but is there something else in between? Somethign that doesn't have quite the colour issue that I get from Cokin but cheaper than Lee With my budget severely stretched with new lenses, I really don't have the budget for several hundred $ worth of filters too..

Any suggestions, especially those which will fit a Cokin P holder, are warmly welcomed.

Thanks in advance.

[OsmosisStudios]

Set your white balance properly. Put the filters in place, then set a custom WB on the camera. Should solve the problem.

[SwissJon]

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

Set your white balance properly. Put the filters in place, then set a custom WB on the camera. Should solve the problem.

I shoot in RAW, so WB isn't an issue.. But That's not the point.. When I buy a NEUTRAL density filter, I want the entire spectrum to have the same reduction in intensity, so a 3 stop ND filter should reduce blues by 3 stops, greens by 3 stops AND reds by 3 stops..

A colour cast means that the reduction in intensity is uneven accross the spectrum, meaning that I'm either going to have some underexposed areas because they're in the high block spectrum or some over exposed exposed areas in the low block areas. the only way to compensate this is to put a second colour filter or, as you suggest, to alter it post processing.. But I shouldn't HAVE to.

Cokin are renouned for this, I know I'm not alone in this gripe, which is why my question wasn't "How do I compensate for this and still use these horrid filters?", I know how to do that, it was "What filters are there on the market that don't exhibit this behaviour that are cheaper than Lee?" I know Lee filters are truely Neutral, but they're horribly expensive.. I'll get some if I have to, but I was hoping I didn't have to.

Thanks.

[OsmosisStudios]

Then spend the money on expensive filters and stop complaining?

[Krusty79]

I bit the bullet and spent $90 for a Lee .6 graduated ND. I don't notice any color cast. If I had to do it again, I would have bought the 3 step .9 filter because there is usually way more than two stops difference between the bright sky and dark foreground. I might have to buy both now and start stacking them! More $ though

I have not heard of any intermediate brand. I have heard of the issues with Cokin, so I went for the Lee filter first.

[SwissJon]

Thanks Krusty, sounds like a good place to start.. I heard about "Hi-Tech" somewhere along the line.. Ever come across them?

Osmosis.. If you can't answer the question, please don't post anything, if you can, please share it. The question I asked was perfectly legitimate.

[dakwegmo]

Yeah, the Cokin ND and CP filters have awful color casts, they're simply wretched when stacked. Lee and B+W both seem to be in the same ballpark as far as price and actual are neutral density. I think, though, that these brands may be the middle ground between the Cokins and the Singh-Rays.

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by SwissJon

Osmosis.. If you can't answer the question, please don't post anything, if you can, please share it. The question I asked was perfectly legitimate.

I did. My answer was perfectly legitimate. Buy the good ones the first time.

[DravensHalo]

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

I did. My answer was perfectly legitimate. Buy the good ones the first time.

I agree - if you buy something cheap its gonna be a cheap product!!!! so spend a bit more and get soemthign decent first go...

[Krusty79]

I am not familiar with "Hi-Tech" Jon. I have seen other recommendations for Singh-Ray. I believe they cost about the same as Lee. I also read they scratch easily, but I don't have any first hand experience.