I'm looking for a Peak contrast viewing filter, you know, the little gizmos you look through to preview contrast for B&W scenes. I see B&H will special order them, but I've yet to find someone who has them in stock...any help?

-- Jim Kish (jim@kishbike.com), September 10, 2000

Answers

Kodak used to supply a viewing filter as a gel in 2 or 3 inch squares. I had one once (it's probably still lying around somewhere). All it is is a dark browny-green piece of gel, that takes most of the colour out of a scene. I found it of limited use, (read "useless"). A pair of unfashionably brown tinted sunglasses would do the same thing.

-- Pete Andrews (p.l.andrews@bham.ac.uk), September 11, 2000.

I believe Calumet (Zone VI) sells what you are looking for.

-- mitch rosen (mitchrosen@sprintmail.com), September 11, 2000.

It's a Kodak Wratten # 90 filter. Brownish color that *approximates* the tonal differences seen by B&W film.

1. The cheapest source is to buy a 3x3" or 4x4" gel filter, then mount cut-up pieces in a slide frame of the format you use. I use 35mm, so I got several viewing filters out of a 4x4" piece. You need a slide frame with glass inserts, as the gel is delicate.

2. When you use the filter, bring it up to your eye quickly and view quickly. If you look through it for any extended period of time (like, more than ten seconds) your brain will start interpreting the tones into colors and what you'll see is a brown-tinted mess of colors. If, however, you do it quickly for short periods of time, the filter will allow you to see how the different colors and their lighting will translate into *differences* in monochrome tones.

Zone VI sells these for a good reason. I just doidn't want to pay their price for something I could produce a lot cheaper.

-- Jeff Polaski (polaski@acm.org), September 12, 2000.