Filter Reviews

This is one the kids and myself have a lot of fun with. Turnyour only child or friends, parents and children into twins. Or havethat large family you always wanted. Invent jokes on the spot. It is avery easy filter to use. You must make sure your cameras can takemultiple exposures first.

Helpful Hints :

Do not forget to setyour camera to Double exposure mode!!!!

An aperture setting of f/8through f/4 is good for wide angle lenses and f/22 through f/8 fortelephoto lenses.

The lighting must be the same for both shots anda tripod is required for best results!!!...

Diffuser filters have very little effect on the sharpness of the image. They merely diffuse highlights, thus reducing contrast. As such, Diffusers can be used to soften a landscape without suppressing detail. They can also soften the skin texture and hide minor flaws. You can take a sharp portrait without emphasizing every pore.

Helpful hints : The effect of the Diffuser filter 083 is minimal and works well for landscape photography, especially when used with Cokin Graduated, Speed, Super Speed or Multi-Image filters. Diffuser No. 084 is more suited for portraits and still life's. For even greater diffusion effects, use the two filters together. Diffusion filters often collect light from outside the image area that can mislead the camera meter and cause it to underexpose. Long focal-length lenses require less diffusion than short ones to achieve the same visual effect

When you use Vari-colour filters you can produce truly bizarre effects, However, read the instructions carefully. Different rotations of the filter will produce very different results. The main possibilities are :

1 Use together with a Neutral or Circular Polarizer (160 164). Depending on the rotation of the Polarizer, you can vary the colors gradually from one extreme to the other. For instance, the red/blue goes from red through every shade of purple to blue.

2 If you have rotated the Polarizer (160 164) (with the Vari-Colour) to achieve a hue between the two colors of the filter, then when you turn the filter holder as a whole, that hue will not change but reflections will alternate between the two colors.

3 If you have already rotated the Vari-Colour and Polarizer (160 164 ) filters for maximum saturation in one or the other color, you can make reflections disappear by rotating the filter holder.

4 Using the Cokin Vari-Colour without the Polarizer (160 164 ), you can color reflecting areas in either color of the filter depending on the filter position, With filter No. 173, for example, the color will be either blue or yellow. The rest of the image will retain the color of the filter itself.

The Cokin Blue filters comprise two major groups : Color conversion (020, 021, and 022) and color compensating filters (023, 024, and 025). Color conversion filters correspond to the Wratten Series 80. They modify artificial light (2800 to 3400 K) for daylight type color film. In addition, they can introduce a deep blue cast to your pictures, thereby adding a touch of mystery. Conversely there are orange color conversion filters to adapt artificial light type film for daylight use (Cokin 029, 030, and 031), There are also weaker orange filters similar to the Blue series (023, 024, and 025) and Warm filters (026, 027, and 028). The color compensating filters subdue or suppress predominantly warm or reddish tinges that appear, for example, just after sunrise or just before sunset. For a more exotic effect, use these filters to give your subjects a bluish tinge, so you create an evening mood in the middle of the day or a presunrise morning light, or by underexposing one or two stops, moonlight.

Add warmth to light and a pleasant tan to your photo. In general, they suppress blue casts on overcast days and on subjects lit by blue sky. These filters correspond to the Wratten Series 81 (81 A, B, C) and complement the Cokin blue filters (023, 024, and 025) which create cooler or bluer tones.

Helpful hints : Do not combine these with other color filters as this will destroy the subtle effects. But you can combine them with optical effects filters, including Pastels, Dreams, Star, Speed, etc.

Add warmth to light and a pleasant tan to your photo. In general, it suppress blue casts on overcast days and on subjects lit by blue sky. The filter correspond to the Wratten Series 81 (81 A, B, C) and complement the Cokin blue filters (023, 024, and 025) which create cooler or bluer tones.

Helpful hints : Do not combine these with other color filters as this will destroy the subtle effects. But you can combine them with optical effects filters, including Pastels, Dreams, Star, Speed, etc.

Star filters are a "must" in your camera bag. They magically produce brilliant stars of light whenever the sun features in a photo. Strong light reflections or artificial lights photographed at night also result in dramatic photos. Depending on the properties of the filter, you get points of light surrounded by 2, 4, 8 or 16 rays.(058, 057, 056, 055) The best effect is achieved against a dark background and with a relatively short exposure. The stars can be positioned as desired by turning the filter. The more powerful and point-shaped the source of light is, the more intense and longer the rays of the star. They also cause a certain degree of contrast reduction. They can additionally be used as soft-focus attachments . The Cokin Star filters can be used with all other Cokin filters

Thanks to the unique Cokin filter holder, you can combine this type of filter with square filters. With a Coupling Ring and another filter holder, you can combine two Cokin Star fiIters to increase the number of sars, although diffusion will be more noticeable.

has a clear spot in the center which has no filter effect. The surrounding area is colorless with diffuser effect.This means that the subject in the center of the picture is reproduced clearly while the surrounding area which is often distracting is changed, usually colored or darkened. The main area of use is for portraits. The transition from subject to background, and also the size of the clear circular area, depend on focal length and aperture. The transition is more gradual when the aperture is opened wider. The circle becomes larger as focal length is increased. The circle becomes larger and less clearly defined if the filter is placed further forward. The distance between your lens and the Center Spot filter can be varied by using the Cokin Modular Hood and a Coupling ring .

Center Spot filters are the perfect solution to the problem of background composition. Whether Surrounding area should be of the same color as the subject or of a contrasting color is a matter of personal taste. When the light source is behind the photographer, the center spot filter appears dense. With backlighting, particularly if the light strikes the filter directly, a soft. And glowing effect is produced. The size of the central area also depends on the groove into which the filter is inserted. Filters 060-068 are recommended for focal lengths between 50 and 250 mm, 070-078 for focal lengths between 20 and 40mm.

The pastel filter can be used to add delicate pastel hues to your subject. All you need is a pleasant subject, a backlit, scene or a simple tree or landscape. You can combine the pastel with the orange filters (029, 030, and 031), with the blue filters (020, 021, 022, 023, 024, and 025) or even with a Cokin Star or Fog, to name a few.

Helpful hints: Experiment First, as exposure is tricky. Check exposure with the filter in position. Then depending on the subject, open the lens a stop or two as tendency toward overexposure is recommend.

This filter should not be inserted into the rear groove but placed far forward. The distance between your lens and the Pastel filter can be varied by using the Cokin Modular Hood and a Coupling ring.