New Schneider Platinum 1/2 Stop IR for CMOS Sensors

[Ryan Avery]

Originally Posted by Chad Johnson

I'm interested in any test results as well. I realize no solution is perfect short of the camera makers getting it right the first time. But there may be trade-offs to weigh between the top IR contenders that blur the line as to which filter is best for a particular shooter's needs.

Is there any chance there might be a return policy that might allow a return after we try for ourselves if it doesn't work for us as well as a 486 or a T1?

Thanks

Chad

Chad,

Schneider offers a 14 day return policy on this offer. We will wait until outside the return policy before we credit the value of the trade-in offer so everything is simple as possible.

Ryan Avery
Schneider Optics

[Ryan Avery]

Originally Posted by Chad Johnson

Then why does it cost 250.00 to coat a 77mm piece of glass from Schneider, but only 75.00 for Teffin?

I cannot speak to our competition's manufacturing processes but I can tell you that most of thier filter line is made from Soda Lime glass which is the same stuff that is in regular window panes in a house or untempered auto glass.

Schneider users water-white Schott glass from Germany and is of the highest optical quality. Also the dye that we use in this filter to avoid the green shift in the final image is much more expensive than the dye Tiffen uses. Make no mistake; this filter is not the same as the T1.

Ryan Avery
Schneider Optics

[Ryan Avery]

Originally Posted by Brent Ethington

Ryan,

Thanks for the trade-in offer! nice to see that Schneider believes in their products

Can you clarify your comment about the coming "Platinum IRND" filters: are the April filters combined IR and ND, or will they include a new/improved IR (no ND) that doesn't have the color cast that the pending IR one does?

Brent,

The new Platinum IRND filters coming in April do not have the color cast that the Platinum IR 1/2 Stop. They are truly neutral grey, feature no color cast, and we believe work on all cameras digital or film.

Ryan Avery
Schneider Optics

[Ryan Avery]

Originally Posted by Ed Przyzycki

I felt I had to take a minute and send a small kudos to Ryan at Schneider Optics.

Honestly, I have not purchased an IR filter (yet) for my EX-3. But, I appreciate the fact that a representative from Schneider reads the threads, hears about potential issues, and tries to present potential solutions.

Obviously, increasing sales for their company is a desired outcome - but having a rep take time to answer basic questions and present information (albeit naturally biased in some cases) only allows us all to make better informed decisions.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and they are all welcome from my perspective. That's what makes me better informed when I decide on a purchase.

So whether we each may believe one particular filter (or accessory for that matter) is priced too high, too low, or performs great - or very poorly based on our needs - it's great that there are some companies out there who are still willing to find ways to better understand and serve their customers by reading and addressing our comments as best as possible.

Ed,

Thanks. If nothing else, we hope to understand what everybody is using and how we can better help everybody who uses our products.

Ryan Avery
Schneider Optics

[Ryan Avery]

Originally Posted by Bob Grant

I'm extremely happy with my 486, I see no advantage to this new filter. The T1 was a waste of money. Does this new filter offer anything better than the T1, I'm concerned that as it's a dye based filter it will have much the same issues.

Can we please get a spectrograph of this filter, they're the only way to know what a filter is doing.

I do not have a spectrograph available for public release yet but we will have satisfying user reviews soon.

We will do our best to present all the facts about this filter.

Ryan Avery
Schneider Optics

[Ryan Avery]

Originally Posted by Steve Browne

Hi Ryan

Good to hear you're trying to improve the EX series of cameras.

Personally I have an EX3 and I really like the colour it gives to the skin tones - the subtle red hues and depth in the faces. I agree with Sony - it is a feature! Its just a pity of the effect it has with synthetic black

Recently I used the 486 filter because of a black / magenta t-shirt. Yes it cured that but at the expense of making the faces more yellow and loose a lot of their life. In reality this person had a bit more pink to her complexion.
I think one of the reason I like the EX3 is that the skin tones look so life like and radiant

So my wish for this new filter is that it cuts off less of the IR red than the 486, but still makes black, black.
With the new Platinum range coming in April will there be different degrees of IR cut that we can use?

Steve,

The new Platinum IR range of filters uses an exclusing formulation of dyes that do not require multiple IR cut ranges. We are confident that this filter series absorbs at all the appropriate ranges for most if not all digital cinema and HDV cameras in current manufacture.

Ryan Avery
Schneider Optics

[Docea Marius]

Hello, this filter produces vignetting as 486?
Thanks

[Leonard Levy]

Sounds like just what I asked for from Santa. I'm eager to test this out.

There would be no point in this filter if it vignetted like the 486. Schneider already makes the 486 - why bother with a duplicate.

[Brent Ethington]

Originally Posted by Ryan Avery

Brent,

The new Platinum IRND filters coming in April do not have the color cast that the Platinum IR 1/2 Stop. They are truly neutral grey, feature no color cast, and we believe work on all cameras digital or film.

Ryan Avery
Schneider Optics

Hi Ryan,

Forgive me if I'm just being dense, but...

1) is the filter coming in April the same as the one coming now, but without the color cast problems?

2) does the filter coming in April have ND on top of the IR filter, so it's different than the one coming now (just IR)?

3) probably answered by the above questions, but if the one coming in April doesn't have the color cast problems, why not wait until April to buy one?

Brent

[Leonard Levy]

Ryan,

Are you planning to also have a line of ND platinum and related question, will one platinum filter coupled with a range of ND's handle the IR problem over a range of normal ND filters?

My own observations indicated that the ND IR/Far red issues have greater complications.
When testing with Art I noticed many high quality ND filters ( yours, Formatt and Tiffen - both IR ND and normal ND filters) all showed Red contamination to my Naked Eye as well as to the camera! Oddly some other ND brands did not (my own Heliopan and B+W)

In addition I found that many internal ND's on both Sony and Panasonic cameras did not have red contamination, but on the same cameras shooting through the above mentioned external ND's did show contamination. So those internal filters are apparently doing something right.

Lenny

[Ryan Avery]

Originally Posted by Brent Ethington

Hi Ryan,

Forgive me if I'm just being dense, but...

1) is the filter coming in April the same as the one coming now, but without the color cast problems?

2) does the filter coming in April have ND on top of the IR filter, so it's different than the one coming now (just IR)?

3) probably answered by the above questions, but if the one coming in April doesn't have the color cast problems, why not wait until April to buy one?

Brent

The Platinum IRND filters coming in April do not have color cast and will be available in ND.3 to ND1.2 with other densities coming later.

The Platinum IRND filters coming April are ND combined with the current 1/2 stop IR but everything is balanced out so again no color cast.

The reason you would want the 1/2 stop available now is if you can't afford to lose 1 stop or more. If you can afford to lose 1 stop, then the Platinum IRND filters will be the best option because no white balance will be required.

Ryan Avery
Schneider Optics

[Ryan Avery]

Originally Posted by Leonard Levy

Ryan,

Are you planning to also have a line of ND platinum and related question, will one platinum filter coupled with a range of ND's handle the IR problem over a range of normal ND filters?

My own observations indicated that the ND IR/Far red issues have greater complications.
When testing with Art I noticed many high quality ND filters ( yours, Formatt and Tiffen - both IR ND and normal ND filters) all showed Red contamination to my Naked Eye as well as to the camera! Oddly some other ND brands did not (my own Heliopan and B+W)

In addition I found that many internal ND's on both Sony and Panasonic cameras did not have red contamination, but on the same cameras shooting through the above mentioned external ND's did show contamination. So those internal filters are apparently doing something right.

Lenny

Lenny,

Mixing the current Platinum 1/2 Stop IR with regular NDs will create an extra 1/2 stop of light loss and color cast but would work otherwise. If you buy the new Platinum IRND filters then you will not need additional white balance and stop values will be accurate to the filter.

You are correct. All ND filters have some red leak that can be visible especially with Tungsten light.

We have tested all brands and we are confident that our regular ND filters are the most neutral grey on the market.

The new Platinum IRND filters have dyes in them that offset this far red issue making them even more neutral grey than our current ND filters.

The internal filters in a camera are usually gel or resin so they have different color balance characteristics but are lower optical quality than glass.

Ryan Avery
Schneider Optics

[Ryan Avery]

Originally Posted by Docea Marius

Hello, this filter produces vignetting as 486?
Thanks

The 486 has many layers of coatings which reflect the IR light. The color vignetting experienced on the 486 at wide angles is due to light entering the layers of coatings at an off axis angle. The Platinum 1/2 Stop IR is a filter that uses dyes that are internal to the filter and therefore the vignetting issues are non-existent.

Ryan Avery
Schneider Optics

[Brent Ethington]

Originally Posted by Ryan Avery

The Platinum IRND filters coming in April do not have color cast and will be available in ND.3 to ND1.2 with other densities coming later.

The Platinum IRND filters coming April are ND combined with the current 1/2 stop IR but everything is balanced out so again no color cast.

The reason you would want the 1/2 stop available now is if you can't afford to lose 1 stop or more. If you can afford to lose 1 stop, then the Platinum IRND filters will be the best option because no white balance will be required.

Ryan Avery
Schneider Optics

Thanks for clarifying!

[Charles Newcomb]

Ryan:

I'm curious (or perhaps confused): Why would we buy the new Platinum IR filter one must color correct right now, when we can wait a month and buy the new and improved version that doesn't require compensating for the glass tint?

And isn't there anything you can do to bring the cost down somewhat so it is more competitive with Tiffen?