Soft focus filters or not?

I thought I'd post a comparative sample of a variety of soft focus filters, so that folks can see what each accomplishes. Although I didn't have a human subject available to me at the time of shooting, I used a large stuffed animal whose head is about 50% larger than a human head, but which does have some fine hair to show the effect of light both reflective and transmissive in the hair. All shots were done with Canon 5D with 100mm f/2 lens at f/5.6, at a shooting distance of 6', and all images are cropped tighter in post to permit better ability to judge detail and the effect of the filters, in spite of the limitations of posting <1280 pixels for web linked photos and POTN readability.

This next group makes use of optical texturing of the filter surface

When might the use of these filters be appropriate?

Portraiture. I used a softer 1 with my 500 C/Ms and 180 CF a lot of time when doing formal portraits of women.

Yes, in portraiture it is often not desirable to the client to be able to study the insides of her pores in looking at large enlargements from close distances! All this compulsion we have for the sharpest of lenses has to be tempered by the need to not provide clinical detail.

Imagine the use of the SoftFx 5 in a boudoir style photo, or the Soft Effect 2 in a high key glamour portrait.

Do you still have your Softar, airfrogusmc?

Wilt wrote in post #18257057
Yes, in portraiture it is often not desirable to the client to be able to study the insides of her pores in looking at large enlargements from close distances! All this compulsion we have for the sharpest of lenses has to be tempered by the need to not provide clinical detail.

Imagine the use of the SoftFx 5 in a boudoir style photo, or the Soft Effect 2 in a high key glamour portrait.

Do you still have your Softar, airfrogusmc?

Hey Wilt no it went when all the blads went though I think I still have a B&W soft filter around somewhere. I can't remember how strong it was. I really liked the Hasselblad softar 1 It just took the edge off. The 180 CF was such a sharp lens.

Of course the advantage when shooting digital is that it is very simple to shoot the image at maximum resolution/detail in the camera, and add any style of softening that you like in post, and at any strength you need. In this modern digital age, with one exception, there is really only one filter effect that you cannot apply just as well in post, and that is the Polariser, be that linear or circular. ND filters, solid or graduated, can still be very useful since they can allow you to extend the exposure time at minimum ISO, without affecting DoF. There are though ways of doing the same with digital without the use of the filter.

The one exception would be colour filters to adjust monochrome spectral response with the Leica M Monochrom, since it doesn't have a CFA it has no way to mimic those effects in post. Without the colour information available during an "normal" black and white conversion the software colour filters in things like LR, PS, Silver Efex, etc. have nothing to work with. Or that is at least my understanding of the situation.

These days that big range of effects filters is really only necessary if you are still maintaining a 100% analogue workflow. Still it was nice to see the variation in effect between the different types of filter. I still have a Cokin A sized Soft focus filter knocking around the house somewhere amongst the dozen or so filters I used to use. I'm sure I'll find some use for them at some time, other than using them as coasters that is. Actually I can even recall throwing the soft effect filter under the enlarger to add the effect in post, so that is not new either.

Alan

BigAl007 wrote in post #18257272
Of course the advantage when shooting digital is that it is very simple to shoot the image at maximum resolution/detail in the camera, and add any style of softening that you like in post, and at any strength you need. In this modern digital age, with one exception, there is really only one filter effect that you cannot apply just as well in post, and that is the Polariser, be that linear or circular. ND filters, solid or graduated, can still be very useful since they can allow you to extend the exposure time at minimum ISO, without affecting DoF. There are though ways of doing the same with digital without the use of the filter.

The one exception would be colour filters to adjust monochrome spectral response with the Leica M Monochrom, since it doesn't have a CFA it has no way to mimic those effects in post. Without the colour information available during an "normal" black and white conversion the software colour filters in things like LR, PS, Silver Efex, etc. have nothing to work with. Or that is at least my understanding of the situation.

These days that big range of effects filters is really only necessary if you are still maintaining a 100% analogue workflow. Still it was nice to see the variation in effect between the different types of filter. I still have a Cokin A sized Soft focus filter knocking around the house somewhere amongst the dozen or so filters I used to use. I'm sure I'll find some use for them at some time, other than using them as coasters that is. Actually I can even recall throwing the soft effect filter under the enlarger to add the effect in post, so that is not new either.

Alan

Yes the Leica MM works similar to B&W film regarding filters.

BigAl, a reason that I posted the results with each of these soft focus filters was an unstated 'challenge' to see just how digital postprocessing could mimic or better what mechanical devices could do. After all, the effect on optics by little clear bumps on the filter surface, or what is cause by netting, are not simplistic blurs alone, that might be accomplished with digital blur. I have not tried the Tiffen digital 'soft focus' filters, but I would enjoy trying them out, especially on human subjects with light hair or dark hair. It intrigues me that Tiffen MIGHT have figured it out how to simulate a variety of soft focus filters.

Furthermore, using a soft focus filter on the camera lens is quite different than using the same filter on the ENLARGER lens, but that is quite difficult to do without an active darkroom!

In view of the fact that I had no human subjects to shoot with the various filters, I have decided to offer this as an adjunct to what I posted. Captured as screen grabs from a video on https://vimeo.com/9614​3464
are these two filter examples.

Geez Wilt that manikin looks real.

windpig wrote in post #18258141
Geez Wilt that manikin looks real.

She is, you could see her move in the video!

Great video, great thread.
Thanks

That made me laugh. Thank you

BigAl007 wrote in post #18257272
Actually I can even recall throwing the soft effect filter under the enlarger to add the effect in post, so that is not new either.
Alan

Actually that gives you the opposite effect. In one case, you diffuse highlights into the shadows. In the other, you diffuse shadows into the highlights.

Here's an interesting "Split Field" filter. It's half no filter & half +10 magnification.