Cokin fiter - Quantaray

[Kris V]

My brother sent me his duplicate or obsolete set of Cokin filters a while back.
What is the use of these?
They're similar - one is a Cokin, the other one is the right size for my Nikon kit lens. I played with them for a while, but I can't get any decent results....



Here is an example....looks a little gimmicky.

[jcuknz]

I agree it is gimmic-y Yours is an interesting shot so obviously there is a place for the gadget'
Cokin make different rings for the back of the holder to suit different lens threads [ in case you were not aware of this]
I have one bought decades ago which is half a 3 dioptre close-up lens and no glass in the other half ... only used it once

[William W]

The Filter on the left of your photo is a QUANTARAY 5 SECTION MULTI IMAGE EFFECT FILTER, Model # 1181 – these came is a various Filter Thread diameters.

The filter on the right of your Photo is a Cokin A Series System Filter, Model #201. These filters slide into a Filter Holder, which is attached to the Filter thread on the Lens

I don’t think either of those filters is manufactured, now.

The Cokin Filter would be the better quality.

For your interest, below is an extract from an old Cokin Catalogue.


REF: Cokin Creative Filter Systems, Catalogue, Dec 2004: pp 49; 54; 55.
Copyright acknowledged and referenced reproduced here for editorial comment and education purposes.

WW

[Kris V]

I agree it is gimmic-y Yours is an interesting shot so obviously there is a place for the gadget'
Cokin make different rings for the back of the holder to suit different lens threads [ in case you were not aware of this]
I have one bought decades ago which is half a 3 dioptre close-up lens and no glass in the other half ... only used it once

I have the cokin holder with the right adapter ring, That's not an issue. It's a leftover from my film days.

[Kris V]

The Filter on the left of your photo is a QUANTARAY 5 SECTION MULTI IMAGE EFFECT FILTER, Model # 1181 – these came is a various Filter Thread diameters.

The filter on the right of your Photo is a Cokin A Series System Filter, Model #201. These filters slide into a Filter Holder, which is attached to the Filter thread on the Lens

I don’t think either of those filters is manufactured, now.

The Cokin Filter would be the better quality.

For your interest, below is an extract from an old Cokin Catalogue.


REF: Cokin Creative Filter Systems, Catalogue, Dec 2004: pp 49; 54; 55.
Copyright acknowledged and referenced reproduced here for editorial comment and education purposes.

WW

Interesting. I haven't seen these filter in ages. My brother used it quite often years ago, until the new wore off.
I still like to play with it, just for the fun of it, but I have no idea about suitable subjects.
Here is one I took a few days ago - it looks more like a radial blur than multiple exposure....

[John 2]

............... - it looks more like a radial blur than multiple exposure....

I think that you have hit the nail on the head. Before these sort of special effects could be produced more easily in PP, filters like this were the only way to achieve them. Now they are no longer needed. I have a set of Cokin filters from film days. Most of them are no longer needed e.g. Yellow, Orange. Red and Green filters that basically compensated for the characteristics of B/W film. The one type of filter that I had hoped might be used for digital was the ND and the graduated ND but in practice, used with a digital sensor, they are not colour neutral. To some degree, all ND filters have this problem but these old Cokin filters produce a very heavy red cast which is almost impossible to correct in PP. However, I would think that if you have the holder, todays Cokins may not have the same characteristic.

[rpcrowe]

I have quite a few "gimmic-y" filters, left over from my film days before I had the luxury of reproducing many of the same effects in post processing...

I used these filters like I used the Oil-Painting Filter of Photoshop when it was first introduced. That is, I used the heck out of it at the start until I got bored with it and seldom used it again...

However, I never purchased one of the multi-image filters.

The filters that I did use quite often were various types of star filters and various types of diffusion filters as well as a center-spot filter.

The only filters that I regularly use now are polarizing filters. Occasionally, I do use ND or GND filters but, those are rare occasions...

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Kris,

As others have said, the need for this kind of gimmick (done optically at the time of capture) is now passed.

Applying it in PP is a far better solution to anyone's creative urges, especially if they want to retain image quality.

I'm sure someone (if PhotoShop can't already do it) makes a 'plug-in' PP filter to achieve it, allowing after-shot rotation, off-centring and variable numbers of multiple images - all of the same quality* as the central one.

* whereas, the optical version must degrade the surrounding images with reduced contrast, lower definition and flare.

If I had one, would I play with it?
Sure, for a short while, once every few years

Cheers, Dave

[jcuknz]

- it looks more like a radial blur than multiple exposure....

I have never used one but I wonder since your first example is quite good that it depends of the aperture being used to see through the outer facets. The first you used f/3.5 while the second was at f/11. There is also an issue with the mounting of the lens in the holder that both have a sharp image on the right-hand side suggesting to me that the lens is slightly to the left of centre in the holder or as the latter is mounted on the camera lens. I doubt the latter

[jcuknz]

double post

[Steaphany]

On a slight tangent...

...The one type of filter that I had hoped might be used for digital was the ND and the graduated ND but in practice, used with a digital sensor, they are not colour neutral. To some degree, all ND filters have this problem but these old Cokin filters produce a very heavy red cast which is almost impossible to correct in PP. However, I would think that if you have the holder, todays Cokins may not have the same characteristic.

The Red cast you're describing may not be a fault in the color neutrality of the filter, but more related to what region of the spectrum the filter attenuates. In the film days, apart from speciality films, few had any sensitivity to the Infrared. With digital, Silicon imagers are especially sensitive to the Infrared and many ND filter pass enough to result in a color cast. Tell me if your results match what is shown in this video on Infrared pollution: