Sam wrote in reply to Richard:
>The only thing Impressive about Nikon filters is the price. they are
made just like any Tiffen or other filter. The ONLY filter to own is a
B&W filter made in Germany.>
I wonder what the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences was
thinking
when they gave Tiffen The Academy Award for technical achivement.
Thier
filters go in front of Panavision & Zeiss lens. I don't see to many
cinematographers on the sets I work on complain. Sorry about the
non-Nikon issue.
Sam,
I hate to do this, but I must point out that motion picture images are
no where near as critical, in terms of sharpness, as still pictures.
Why? Since the image is moving, you could never see the ultimate
sharpness.
As coroboration, I would lke to point out that motion picture cameras
feature lenses with zoom ratios unheard of in still work. Why? Because
it is easier to make a lens with a wider zoom ratio if it's sharpness
is not as critical.
In fact, I recently ran into a web site where a guy had gone out and
bought filters from all the major brands (Nikon, B&W, Heliopan,
Tiffen, Hoya, etc.), as well as some no-name brands.
He then, using the same tripod mounted camera and lens, carefully took
pictures of a test target. Tested a uv/haze/skylight from each brand,
and a Polarizer from most. The gentleman was German and sounded most
methodical and exacting.
His results:
Nikon number 1 (best)
B&W number 2
gap
Heliopan number 3
gap
Tiffen number 4
BIG gap
All the rest
He was particularly impressed with the Nikon polarizer. It was a
neutral gray, while all of the others had a tint. Also, Nikon
polarizers are 'oversized', meaning the front mount is larger than the
rear, to prevent vignetting with wide angle lenses.
Also note that Nikon and B&W are the only brands that always use brass
rings, which lessen the chance of the filter sticking in the lens
mount.
Lastly, Nikon filters are not glued in, but sit under a retaining
ring. This allows the frame (metal) to expand and contract as
temperature changes. Glass expands very little, by comparison.
After reading his report, I am sticking to Nikon and or B&W, at least
for still work.
Colin
