Filters for blue light, new trick.

[shred5]

I just learned this from talking to someone. I just bought a camera a while back and I am investing in a macro lens. Well talking to him he mentioned this filter to filter out blue light instead of using white balance.

This is the one he suggested for my camera:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...Line_5207_RedEye_Underwater_Color_Filter.html

There is a whole list of these to do different things.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Underwater-Filters/ci/260/N/4183191446

After hearing this I started thinking..

This allows you to crank up the blue leds so the coral fluoresces and filter out the blue, well actually add red back in. It also says it increases contrast.

Started me wondering about all these unnatural picks out there through a few vendors lately. They say their pics are not altered with Photoshop which technically is true and this is actually what they look like which technicality again is true..

Anyway anyone used this filter? Anyone have pictures with it?
Seems revolutionary for taking pictures of a reef?

I think I might buy one when I get my macro lens.
So hard with leds to get shots under blue.

 

[Steve Ruddy]

I haven't used the filter your talking about but have used the Big Blue, blue/UV blocker on the second link you posted. I use it when I want to show fluorescence. Here is an image using it. You will mostly get green and orange with it. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/my-zoanthid-sp-collection.214196/page-2#post-2763514

 

[SandJ]

I sometimes use my polarized sunglasses as a filter for my camera or iphone. Here is an example of photos taken under extreme blues at a local coral store. Both photos are under the same lights, one is with the polarized sunglasses as a filter. No editing , straight off iphone.

 

[donnievaz]

Yellow file folder tab and iPhone.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/easy-way-to-get-rid-of-blue.251400/#post-2989613

 

[shred5]

Well last night I was playing around with a filter listed above.
I turned up led to almost 80 to 90 percent blue:
I wish I kept it but I took a picture standard lens and no filter and is was blue and you could see almost nothing.
It was like sandj first picture but not as blue.
Well I threw a filter on and this is just with standard lens, pumps on etc, this was not to get a great picture, it was just to see the difference with a filter:

Holy cow what a difference. That is insane and that is what it looks like with about more white than blue. Just a filter did this.
Anyone having a problem with led or blue light get these filters. No need to worry about white balance, no photoshop, no raw. This is how they look. Most color accurate picture I ever took.

Basically with white light I could never capture the fluorescence of the coral.
With Blue light my pictures were way blue and never showed the color of the coral.

I had the same issue with t-5 but not as bad as with led.

I am so impressed.

 

[shred5]

This is the filter I used:

Helix 55mm Marine Tropical Filter F/Blue-Green Salt Waters (removes excess blue)

http://www.helixcamera.com/collecti...-f-blue-green-salt-waters-removes-excess-blue

Only 22.00 but got it off ebay:

 

[shred5]

This is without filter but only about 70 percent blue..

 

[Pruett-nc]

I just use yellow or orange gel filters .

 

[mfinn]

This is the filter I used:

Helix 55mm Marine Tropical Filter F/Blue-Green Salt Waters (removes excess blue)

http://www.helixcamera.com/collecti...-f-blue-green-salt-waters-removes-excess-blue

Only 22.00 but got it off ebay:

Does that filter fit over all makes ( nikon, cannon, etc.) of 55mm lens?

 

[shred5]

Does that filter fit over all makes ( nikon, cannon, etc.) of 55mm lens?

Yes it should, they sell it in different sizes... It fits my Tamron lens 55mm but I use a adapter for my Nikon lens which is 52mm.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I just learned this from talking to someone. I just bought a camera a while back and I am investing in a macro lens. Well talking to him he mentioned this filter to filter out blue light instead of using white balance.

This is the one he suggested for my camera:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...Line_5207_RedEye_Underwater_Color_Filter.html

There is a whole list of these to do different things.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Underwater-Filters/ci/260/N/4183191446

After hearing this I started thinking..

This allows you to crank up the blue leds so the coral fluoresces and filter out the blue, well actually add red back in. It also says it increases contrast.

Started me wondering about all these unnatural picks out there through a few vendors lately. They say their pics are not altered with Photoshop which technically is true and this is actually what they look like which technicality again is true..

Anyway anyone used this filter? Anyone have pictures with it?
Seems revolutionary for taking pictures of a reef?

I think I might buy one when I get my macro lens.
So hard with leds to get shots under blue.

Hey excellent find! If you manipulate the Wb just slightly and use the filter the colors overall will really pop or become super true. Don't be afraid of a lite post processing as in professional film and digital we still have to push the greens slightly and the red and orange as they just aren't there in reef lighting and on reefs in the deep.
Fwiw these filters have been used for decades in underwater photography mainly in the film days.
Nowadays with led the narrow band spectrum esp in the 420 to 450 range is really hard to capture on film or digital. MH and t5 are a little easier as it has a broader spectrum range and usually less in the 420 440 range.

 

[shred5]

Hey excellent find! If you manipulate the Wb just slightly and use the filter the colors overall will really pop or become super true. Don't be afraid of a lite post processing as in professional film and digital we still have to push the greens slightly and the red and orange as they just aren't there in reef lighting and on reefs in the deep.
Fwiw these filters have been used for decades in underwater photography mainly in the film days.
Nowadays with led the narrow band spectrum esp in the 420 to 450 range is really hard to capture on film or digital. MH and t5 are a little easier as it has a broader spectrum range and usually less in the 420 440 range.

Yea that is true about yellow and green and I can actually see it brings the orange and red back, I have a red and a orange coral and they really pop but yea I see is is still lacking some green and yellow..
Good point thank you...

 

[DracoKat]

anyone know if colored cellophane would work just as well? (you know, the ones that are typically wrapped around easter baskets). if I can find red/orange ones, I will give it a shot