There was a time in my photography journey where I struggled to capture images with the kind of punch and drama I saw in classic prints. My skies were washed out, and my black and white photos often looked flat and lifeless. This was a problem that needed addressing; without better contrast and tone separation, my work lacked depth and could never achieve the impactful look I was aiming for, making portfolio building and showcasing my vision incredibly difficult. Finding the right tools, like a dedicated photography filter, would have significantly enhanced my ability to control the light and mood of my shots.
- Medium red filter.
- Darkens blue sky creating dramatic contrast between sky and clouds.
- Creates greater contrast between foliage and flowers.
What to Weigh Before Investing in a Photography Filter
Photography filters, particularly those used for contrast control or special effects, serve to manipulate light before it even hits the sensor or film. This allows photographers to achieve specific visual results that might be difficult or impossible to replicate purely in post-processing, especially for those shooting film. One seeks to buy an item in this category to solve problems like overly bright skies, flat tonal ranges in monochrome, or to create dramatic atmospheric effects.
The ideal customer for a filter like the Tiffen 43R25 43mm 25 Filter (Red) is typically a photographer serious about their craft, whether shooting film or digital, who understands the fundamental principles of light and exposure. This includes landscape, architectural, and fine-art photographers who want to enhance specific elements like clouds or foliage in black and white. Someone solely shooting in colour or who relies entirely on digital editing software for all effects might not find this type of filter as essential. Beginners still mastering exposure basics might find adding filters adds another layer of complexity initially, but they can be valuable learning tools. Before buying any red filter, consider the thread size of your lens(es), the specific effect you want to achieve (different colours yield different results), the quality of the optical glass, and your budget. Also, think about whether you primarily shoot film or digital, as filters have different implications and necessities for each medium.
- Includes #6, #13, & #25 Contrast Filters
- 【58mm Color Filter Kit】 This kit includes 9 pieces 58mm color filters (red, orange, blue, yellow, green, brown, purple, pink, and gray filter), 2 filter pouches, and a cleaning cloth
Introducing the Tiffen 43R25 43mm 25 Filter (Red)
The Tiffen 43R25 43mm 25 Filter (Red) is a medium red filter designed primarily for black and white photography. Its main promise is to dramatically alter the tonal relationships in a scene by absorbing blue and green light while transmitting red light. When you purchase this filter, you typically receive the filter itself, housed in a standard protective case. Compared to market leaders like B+W, Tiffen is often considerably more affordable while still offering commendable optical quality, making it an accessible option for enthusiasts. This specific filter, the #25 red filter, is a classic choice, more potent than a yellow or orange filter but less extreme than a deep red.
This 43mm filter is ideal for photographers who want strong contrast effects in their black and white images, particularly those shooting landscapes where they wish to darken skies and make clouds pop dramatically, or those looking to experiment with infrared-sensitive film for unique skin tones and foliage effects. It is not suited for colour photography (as it would tint everything red) or for photographers who prefer subtle tonal adjustments that can be easily achieved in software.
Pros:
* Creates dramatic contrast in black and white photos
* Significantly darkens blue skies and enhances clouds
* Improves contrast between foliage and flowers
* Useful for specific effects with infrared film
* More affordable than many competing brands
* High-quality optical glass and metal ring construction
Cons:
* Can be too strong for some photographers’ preferences
* Not suitable for colour photography or standard use underwater with cameras like GoPros
* Requires increased exposure compensation (filter factor)
* Potential for quality control issues (though infrequent)
Diving Deep into the Features and Advantages
Let’s delve into the specific attributes of the Tiffen 43R25 43mm 25 Filter (Red) and discuss how each feature contributes to its effectiveness as a photographic tool, particularly in the realm of black and white and special effects photography.
Medium Red Filtration (#25)
The Tiffen 43R25 43mm 25 Filter (Red) is classified as a #25 red filter. This means it allows primarily red wavelengths of light to pass through while absorbing significant amounts of blue and green light. In practical terms for black and white photography, this selective absorption has a profound effect on how different colours in your scene are rendered in grayscale. Blue objects, like the sky, are dramatically darkened because the filter blocks the blue light they reflect. Green objects, like foliage, are also significantly darkened, though typically not as much as blue. Red objects, naturally, are rendered much brighter. This filtering creates a much higher contrast image than you would get without a filter or with a yellow or orange filter.
The *benefit* here is the ability to achieve highly graphic, punchy black and white images directly in-camera (or on film). For landscape photographers, this means transforming a bland, pale sky into a dark, brooding background that makes white clouds stand out with striking clarity. This dramatic contrast is a hallmark of classic black and white photography and adds significant mood and intensity to your images. It gives you a level of control over tonal separation that can be time-consuming or difficult to replicate precisely in post-processing, especially when working with film. Using this filter forces you to think about the colours in your scene and how they will translate into grayscale, improving your photographic vision.
Dramatic Sky and Cloud Enhancement
As touched upon above, one of the most celebrated effects of a red contrast filter like the Tiffen 43R25 is its ability to transform blue skies. By filtering out blue light, the filter renders the sky much darker than it would normally appear in a black and white conversion. White or grey clouds, which reflect broad spectrum light (including red), are not significantly affected by the filter in terms of their lightness, though their edges against the now-darker sky become incredibly defined.
The *benefit* of this feature is the creation of intensely dramatic skies. Flat, featureless blue skies become areas of strong visual interest. This is particularly valuable in landscape and architectural photography where the sky is a significant portion of the frame. It allows you to create powerful, moody images that convey a sense of atmosphere and grandeur. It effectively separates the sky from the horizon, adding depth and dimension to your composition. This isn’t just about making skies look different; it’s about using the sky as an active element in your composition, contributing significantly to the overall impact of the photograph.
Enhanced Contrast Between Foliage and Flowers
Beyond skies, the Tiffen 43R25 43mm 25 Filter (Red) also impacts green and red tones. While green foliage reflects green light (which the filter absorbs), red flowers reflect red light (which the filter transmits). This causes green foliage to appear significantly darker in the final black and white image, while red flowers appear much brighter.
The *benefit* here is the ability to create striking separation and contrast within natural scenes. A field of green leaves dotted with red flowers will be rendered with the leaves appearing dark and the flowers almost glowing white. This adds visual punch and can draw the viewer’s eye effectively through the image. For botanical or garden photography in black and white, this feature provides a powerful tool for emphasizing specific subjects and creating graphic, high-contrast compositions. It brings out textures and shapes in a way that a straight black and white conversion might miss, revealing details through tonal separation rather than colour.
High-Quality Optical Glass
The Tiffen 43R25 filter is made from high-quality optical glass. The quality of the glass used in any filter is paramount because it sits directly in front of your lens, and poor-quality glass can degrade image sharpness, introduce aberrations, or cause unwanted reflections and flare. Tiffen has a long history as a filter manufacturer and is known for using decent glass even in their more affordable ranges.
The *benefit* of using high-quality optical glass is ensuring that the filter doesn’t compromise the sharpness and clarity that your lens is capable of. You invest good money in quality lenses, and you don’t want a filter to negate that investment. Good glass means minimal distortion, chromatic aberration, or loss of detail. While some purists argue that any piece of glass in front of the lens degrades quality slightly, a well-made filter minimizes this effect, preserving the integrity of your image.
High Quality Metal Mounting Ring
The Tiffen 43R25 43mm 25 Filter (Red) features a high-quality metal mounting ring. The mounting ring is crucial for screwing the filter securely onto your lens. Metal rings are generally preferred over plastic because they are more durable, less prone to cross-threading, and less likely to warp over time or with temperature changes.
The *benefit* of a metal mounting ring is reliability and longevity. A robust ring ensures the filter attaches smoothly and securely to your lens thread every time, reducing the risk of it becoming stuck or falling off. Durability means the filter can withstand regular use and minor bumps without the ring bending or breaking, which is essential for a tool you carry in your camera bag. The precision of a metal ring also helps ensure the filter sits perpendicular to the lens, which is vital for maintaining optical performance across the frame.
Filter Factor and Exposure Compensation
A significant aspect of using any contrast filter is its filter factor. A red filter absorbs a considerable amount of light (specifically blue and green), meaning less light reaches the sensor or film. The Tiffen 43R25, as a #25 red filter, typically has a filter factor of about 8x, requiring approximately 3 stops of increased exposure. This means if your meter suggests an exposure of 1/125s at f/8, you would need to adjust to roughly 1/15s at f/8 (or 1/125s at f/2.8) to compensate for the light blocked by the filter.
The *benefit* of understanding and applying the filter factor correctly is achieving properly exposed negatives or digital files. While initially a drawback requiring manual calculation or metering through the filter, it becomes second nature with practice. For film photographers, this is a crucial technical skill. For digital users, modern cameras with through-the-lens metering often compensate automatically, making usage simpler, though understanding the principle is still important for predicting the outcome. This factor also means the filter can be used to *slow down* shutter speeds, which can be beneficial for motion blur effects in bright conditions, similar to a weak neutral density filter.
Compatibility and Thread Size (43mm)
This specific filter has a 43mm thread size. This means it is designed to screw onto lenses with a 43mm filter thread on the front element. Filters are lens-specific in this regard, so ensuring compatibility with your lens(es) is essential before purchase.
The *benefit* is straightforward: if you have a lens with a 43mm thread, this filter will screw directly onto it, ready for use. While step-up or step-down rings exist to adapt filters to different lens thread sizes, using a filter that matches your lens directly is always the most secure and optically sound approach. It avoids adding extra elements between the filter and the lens, maintaining a more compact setup.
Use with Infrared-Sensitive Film
A less common but incredibly exciting application of a #25 red filter like this one is its use with infrared-sensitive black and white films (like Kodak HIE or Ilford SFX 200, though true infrared films are now rare). While dedicated infrared filters are often much darker (like R72), a #25 red filter allows both red and infrared light to pass. This combination creates a unique look often described as the “pseudo-infrared” or “Wood effect.”
The *benefit* of this application is the creation of ethereal, otherworldly images. Blue skies become very dark, just like in regular black and white with a red filter, but green foliage, which reflects infrared light strongly, appears bright white or glowing. Skin tones become luminous, and eyes can appear eerily dark. This allows for creative expression and produces results dramatically different from standard photography, opening up a whole new aesthetic palette. It’s a specific niche use, but one where the Tiffen red filter truly shines for experimental photographers. Metering for this can be tricky and often requires external metering and bracketing, adding to the experimental nature.
What Other Photographers Are Saying
Having explored the features myself, I also looked at what other photographers online thought of the Tiffen 43R25 43mm 25 Filter (Red). Many users expressed satisfaction, particularly noting how effective it is for enhancing black and white photos with strong contrast, highlighting its ability to make skies dramatically dark and improve definition between plants and flowers. Some appreciated the value compared to more expensive brands, finding the optical performance perfectly acceptable. However, a few reports mentioned potential quality control issues, such as internal flaws in the glass upon arrival, which suggests checking the filter carefully after purchase is wise. Others pointed out its unsuitability for specific, unintended uses like underwater video with action cameras, confirming it’s a tool designed for specific photographic effects. Overall, the sentiment leaned positive for its intended purpose.
Final Thoughts and Recommendation
Ultimately, the problem a contrast filter like the Tiffen 43R25 43mm 25 Filter (Red) solves is the lack of dynamic range and tonal separation needed to create powerful, classic black and white images. Without it, you risk flat, uninspiring results that fail to convey the mood or drama you envision, potentially limiting your creative output. The Tiffen 43R25 is a great fit because it offers a significant level of contrast enhancement, uses quality materials like optical glass and a metal ring, and does so at a price point that makes this valuable tool accessible. Its specific #25 red filtration provides that sought-after dramatic look for skies and foliage, and it even opens doors to creative infrared effects. For photographers serious about black and white or experimental work, this filter is a worthwhile addition to the kit. To explore its capabilities further, click here to check it out .ca.
Last update on 2025-07-14 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API