Yellow Filter Portraits
Yellow filter portraits – black and white photography
Now I am back to film photography it was time to stock up on the essentials. For black and white film portraits this can include coloured filters. I already had a 52mm yellow filter which I use on some of my lenses via step rings such as on the Zeiss ZM Sonnar 50mm 1.5.
39mm Leica Yellow Filter
That said for 39mm lenses such as my Leica Summicron 50mm f2 v5, Voigtlander Color Skopar 35mm f2.5 and Leica Elmar 135mm f4 it seems a shame to stick a fat 52mm filter on the nice narrow E39 thread so I ordered myself a yellow Leica 39mm filter. This will live mostly on the Cron 50 on my M3. That’s the plan. (Not Leica brand as too expensive but most people know 39mm as Leica fit).
Yellow Filter Leica Lenses
The other lens that I wanted a yellow filter for was my Leica Noctilux 50mm f1.0 v2 that is currently taking a break. The Nocti has an E60 filter size so I bought a 60mm deep yellow filter for that lens too. I am also looking forward to shooting some slow film with the Noctilux, ISO 25 and ISO 50 speed films such as Ilford Pan F. That’s another project in the ever growing pipeline!
Filter Step Rings
Lastly, my Fuji GF670 has a maximum shutter speed of 1/500 so I often have to stop down the lens losing potential nice bokeh. To fix the issue I bought a 58mm-60mm step ring and will then use the Heliopan E60 ND filters I use with the Noctilux. It is worth noting you cannot fold the GF 670 with a filter attached the the 58mm thread but I would only use it when needed and then keep it open for that portrait shoot session.
Yellow Filter + Digital Leica M9
I even tried a yellow filter on a digital Leica M9 camera! –
DIY Step Ring
I have even attached a 40.5mm yellow filter to my 41.5mm filter thread 1950s Leica Summarit 50mm f1.5 lens with masking tape as 41.5mm filters are less easy to find and I already had the 40.5mm filter!
Yellow Filter + Hasselblad Camera
Using a yellow filter with a Hasselblad 501C film camera
Yellow Filter Landscape
Hi Matt, I usually have a yellow filter permanently attached to my cron (unless I’m shooting Portra of course :)) I also have a 3 stop ND filter because I like wide open portraits too. That what one of the reasons I was thinking of adding other E39 lenses in future to avoid different lens sizes. Can’t get a Nocti in E39 tho :))
Haha a E39 Nocti would be killer!! I’ve been bad at using yellow filters TBH as try to juggle M9 and say M2 with one 50mm shared for a day trip so ended up leaving coloured filters off far to often. Times are changing though so it will be a regular attachment soon! 🙂 Cheers mate