#NoFilter is no fun.

While modern technological advances have allowed for a larger range of color shifts and correction in post, filters remain a wonderful and effective option for practically enhancing the image on-set.

In this blog post, we're providing an inside look into our vast selection of filters, as well as showcase the benefit of each filter. After all, why #NoFilter when you can #KnowFilters? Here are…

SIX FILTERS YOU SHOULD KNOW!!!

Pro Mist and Black Pro Mist

Neon light at Nørrebrogade, Copenhagen, shot with the Tiffen Black Pro Mist filter | Kristoffer Troelle

An oldie but goodie, the Pro-Mist Filter reduces the value of the highlights and lowers the overall contrast. The filter notably provides little loss of detail across the image while simultaneously smoothing out and softening facial blemishes. The most pronounced effects of the filter occur with high contrast elements like lights, as the filter produces a soft, dreamy, pastel-like halation to the image.

Similarly, the Black Pro-Mist Filter offers all the benefits of the Pro-Mist filter in a more subtle form: highlight flares are controlled and contrast is lowered.

Rent the Tiffen 4 x 5.65" Black Pro-Mist Filter Here

Color Horizontal Graduated Soft Edge

Enhance your frame with Color Graduated filters! These filters are half-colored/half-clear, with a graduated transition throughout the scene. Available in an array of colors on the Camera Ambassador site, the blending within the horizon line allows for the color transition to subtly accentuate or balance the light intensities within the frame.

The Formatt Hitech 4x5.65" Color Horizontal Graduated Cool Blue 2 Soft Edge Filter, for example, can be used to add blue coloration to the sky in a wide landscape shot.

Rent the Formatt Hitech 4x5.65" Color Horizontal Graduated Cool Blue 2 Soft Edge Filter Here

Split Diopter

Made incredibly popular by movies such as Carrie and Reservoir Dogs, Split Diopters have a celebrated history in cinema. Utilizing a half convex glass, the Split Diopter essentially magnifies and shortens the close-focusing distance for half the frame, such that two objects on different planes can be focused at the same time even with an extremely shallow depth of field. As No Film School notes: “Since our eye doesn't see things in this way naturally, it can be a jarring and disorienting experience when it does. In fact, some shots look almost like two separate images juxtaposed together, which immediately adds a layer of fantasy.”

Rent the Schneider 138mm Split Diopter Filter Here

True-Streak Blue 4MM

One of the most unique filters on this list, the Blue True-Streak Filter has a delicately engineered combination of fine lines etched into the glass. When used perpendicular to a point light source, the filter can create prominent, elongated streaks that are symmetric and extend horizontally from each point light source within the frame. These lines can then be used to intentionally draw attention to a specific part of the frame or to create a visually striking effect.

Rent the Schneider 4x5.65" True-Streak Blue 4MM Filter Here

Classic Soft

Looking for a classic Old-Hollywood close-up look? Classic Soft Filters produce a vintage feel with modern image quality. Utilizing hundreds of Micro Lenslets arrayed within each glass, the camera’s crisp in-focus image is overlaid with a precisely controlled softness, creating the buttery look you want while allowing you to retain full control of the image and focus.

Rent the Schneider 4x5.65" Classic Soft Filter Here

Glimmer Glass and Black Glimmer Glass

“The highlights were perfectly bloomed with the Glimmer Glass #1. Another thing about the Black Glimmer that I love is that it doesn't defocus the eyes. That's where the emotion is," notes Shane Hurlbut, cinematographer for Fathers and Daughters.

The Tiffen 4 x 5.65" Glimmer Glass Filter is a beauty filter that both modifies the appearance of the image while also featuring a sparkling appearance when viewed from the front. The filter itself softens skin details, blemishes, and wrinkles, while also producing glowing highlights and a mild reduction in contrast for a more ethereal appearance. Furthermore, Black Glimmerglass subtly removes harsh sharpness from modern lenses, adding a pleasing overall blending to contrast levels.

Rent the Tiffen 4X5.65" Glimmer Glass and Black Glimmer Glass Filter Here

At Camera Ambassador, we strive to service our clients with the best equipment for their needs. However, we understand that within our inventory of 70+ filters, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by our catalogue. With our limited list in mind, we encourage filmmakers to continue to explore our collection and experiment with our various filter types! 

We know you'll love our filters as much as we do!

For more information on the various filters we carry, please visit our Filters Page!