Modern Equivalence for Wratten Series VI Filters

[ron f]

I have recently purchased a book on the early color photographs of

the Russian photographer, Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii and

am very eager to achive some of the shifty photographs in the manner

he did. I've retained some information concerning the creative

filter method known as the "three filter method" and with filters in

hand i am willing to give it a go. My problem is this: I use Series

VI filters on my view cameras and have in my posession Kodak Wratten

filters A (red) and XI (green) as well as Tiffen 80A and 80c

filters. According to what i've read i can use the filter

combinations of: Wratten(25,61,38A), Wratten(29, 58, 47), Wratten

(25,58,47B) or Cokin(003, 004, 020). How can i find out what the

modern Wratten values of my old Series VI filters are? Also, will an

80A or 80C work in place of a 38A, 47, or 47B Wratten?

[david_lazarus]

Ron check out Freestyle wep page, they just started offering the new line of Lee filter in 4x4 in a one size fits all holder. I have seen it and it's nice.

David.

[ken_burns1]

Ron, what you will be doing is making color separations much like was done up until a few years ago when the printing industry went digital on us. Prokudin-Gorskii did a lot of his work out in the field and not in the color sep room at a printing facility. You will need to use the tri-color filters that are recommended for the particular matrix film you use. The filters most commonly used with the matrix films are 25, 58, 47B, but this filter combination might or might not work totally correctly with today's regular panchromatic films. The Wratten A filter you have is the same as today's #25 and the Wratten XI is the same as today's #11. You cannot use the 80A, 80C, or #11 for doing separations. If the A filter that you have is old enough it could have faded enough that it will no longer work for doing seps. Sorry I can't offer more specific recommendations, I've read about Prokudin-Gorskii's works but have never tried doing it myself.

[jason_greenberg_motamedi]

Ron,

 

I can't add anything except to say that I think it is a great, although difficult project. Please post the results of your experiments...

 

For those who don't know Prokudin-Gorskii's work see his exhibit at the Library of Congress webpage:

 

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/ethnic.html

[ron f]

Thanks for the info everyone. I guess I'm just going to have to purchase some new kodak gels if i'm going to take this any further.

[julian_bell1]

Several years ago I have done manual colour separations from colour photographs for the printing industry.

We used red, green and blue filters in a reproduction camera using orthochromatic graphic film.

I have tried to do this also at home but could never find the filters. They are not to be found in photographic shops but maybe in a graphic artists suppliers.

Some of the vertical reproduction cameras I have worked with had the filters built in. Now these cameras are more or less obsolete, maybe you can find one with filters to salvage. The cameras are often sold cheap these days and people buy them just for the lenses, which are interesting too.

You then just need an orthochromatic film.

IHTH.

[ron f]

julian,

that's a great idea. i just so happen to have a box of kodak graphic arts lith in the fridge. thanks a lot. i'll be looking for those filters though.

[jason_greenberg_motamedi]

Ron,

 

Lee makes "tri-colored" filters which might work.

 

http://www.leefiltersusa.com/CameraPrice/CamPriceBW.html

[robert_davis2]

http://groups.google.ca/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&threadm=369bb0a4.118357898%40nntp.ix.netcom.com&rnum=3&prev=/groups%3Fq%3Dkodak%2BX1%2Bfilter%2B%26btnG%3DGoogle%2BSearch%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26oe%3DUTF-8

 

Here.

 

A = 25

 

X1 = 11