UV, Circular Polarising & Neutral Density ND Filters

When you spend good money on lenses you want to protect them when you can, filter out unwanted light, or use filters on them to create beautiful effects.

Rodenstock UV blocking filters?

UV blocking filters transmit all visible colors of light without loss, but block the ultraviolet rays which are not visible, but which do impact the film and sensors and then produce color distortion.

Where or when does disturbing UV radiation occur?

The sun not only radiates light, but also ultraviolet (UV) radiation which is of similar intensity, but which is reduced by the atmosphere. In the very clear air by the sea and in the mountains, the UV radiation has a higher intensity and can produce a blue veil effect on photos. It causes a haze-like fogging and a loss of contrast and details at distance.

UV blocking filters ensure natural colors and clear images

The degree of blue distortion and of fogging due to UV radiation will differ in dependence on the sensitivity of the sensors to ultraviolet radiation and on the UV transmission of the lenses; thicker lenses block more than thinner ones. In each case, however, a good UV blocking filter eliminates all of the disturbing effects of this radiation and thus ensures colors which are as unadulterated as possible, with higher contrast and maximum crispness of details.

UV blocking filters are ideal protective filters for front elements

Many photographers use UV blocking filters as protective filters since they are easy to keep clean and are cheaper than repairing damaged lenses or lenses scratched during cleaning. If you do want to leave your UV blocking filter in place at all times as a protective filter, color neutrality is an absolute requirement. Most UV blocking filters also reduce blue-violet and blue, they actually have the effect of a weak yellow filter.

Rodenstock filter series are made from hardened glass with the highest possible surface quality and are also highly resistant to scratching. Their flat slimline mounts prevent vignetting with wide-angle lenses. The front thread allows the use of a lens hood or of the lens cap with the filter in place. The produce no adverse effects on the image quality of your valuable premium lenses, no veiling or loss of definition, plus maximum filter effect and ideal colour neutrality.

Why Rodenstock UV blocking filters?

Rodenstock UV blocking filters in the HR Digital and Digital pro series cut out all disturbing UV thanks to their steep absorption edge. They do this while still transmitting over 97% of violet light and even more than 98% in the remaining visible range! This ensures ideal neutral colour reproduction which eliminates bluing and does not distort colours. The UV blocking filter can thus remain in front of the lens at all times as a protective filter.

• It's hardened glass and its highly scratch-resistant coating are much more durable than the glass of the lens elements.
• The high-quality optical glass and perfectly planoparallel surfaces with extremely smooth polishing equal to the best lenses ensure lossless sharpness and maximum contrast.
• The MC coat, which increases transmission, reduces reflections and avoids scattered light, helps achieve high image contrast and prevents ghost images from multiple reflections between the front lens and the filter.
• The extremely thin, but very strong mount allows photos free of vignetting even at very short focal lengths and still has a front thread for a lens hood or a lens cap.

Why Rodenstock polarizing filters?

• A high-performance polarizing film free of veiling and with a neutral colour effect ensures no loss of image definition as well as unaltered colours and the lowest possible light loss.
• This polarizing film and the l/4 layer are cemented between absolutely planoparallel glass plates to avoid reflections at the glass/air interface as well as further light losses and scattered light.
• Both outer surfaces are incredibly smooth, hardened and MC coated.
• The slimline, rotatable mount is so unobtrusive that it does not cause any vignetting even in shots with very short focal lengths.
• It has a front thread for a lens hood and a lens cap.

What sizes do Specular keep in stock?

• Small sizes : 49mm, 52mm, 55mm, 58mm, 62mm.
• Medium Sizes : 67mm, 72mm, 77mm.
• Large SIzes : 82mm, 95mm.
• Other sizes available : 86mm, 100mm, 105mm.

Neutral density (ND) filters

These neutral density (= gray tinted) glass filters, also known as ND filters, reduce all visible colors equally, e.g. by two f-stops. This allows motion blur to be achieved with a longer exposure time than would otherwise be permitted by the brightness of the illumination and the film speed or sensor sensitivity. Examples are images of running water or smear effects with panning camera for car, motor bike or horse races. Alternatively such a filter provides less depth of field with a larger aperture, e.g. for focusing portraits in front of a blurred background, even with lenses with a shorter focal lengths than that of telephoto lenses. Another application is the light reduction in situations where the brightness of the motif is too high for a correct exposure with the shortest exposure time available at the given film speed or sensor sensitivity. For instance images of snow or desserts in bright sunlight. As the effect of ND filters cannot be replaced by digital imaging software at a later date, these filters offer many advantages also for digital photography.

Rodenstock ND Filters are available in different densities for an extension of exposure time by a factor of 2, 4 or 8 or for a wider aperture by 1, 2 or 3 f-stops alternatively.