Belfast at Night with the Fujfilm X100V and Pro Mist

Twelve months ago I purchased a Tiffen pro mist filter for my Fujifilm X100V camera. The pro mist filter creates a softer, more cinematic appearance akin to the Cinestill film stock. The process creates a really dynamic feel to an image especially when shooting at night in high contrast situations.

This was my first venture out with the filter. I set the camera up and went for a very ‘point and shoot approach’ with the only adjust being to under expose by one stop in the hope of attaining sold blacks. For image ratio I decided to stick with a 3:2 photograph orientation rather than go full cinematic at 16:9.

It should be noted that the 49mm Tiffen pro mist fits all the X100 series camera (with filter attachment) and the Zeiss 55mm Sony lens which is slightly faster at f/1.8. The faster lens may be better suited for this sort of photography.

Pro Mist at Line of Duty’s AC-12 Headquarters

Line of Duty : AC9 Headquarters, Belfast.

On previous outings to Belfast I have used Long Exposure Photography to create a similar mood to the night images. I have my regular locations to visit at Christmas including the famous Christmas shelter skelter. This image is captured from a little lane adjacent to City Hall and it has the narrowest set of yellow lines I have seen. (Click first image in gallery).

In hindsight there wasn’t really the need to under expose the images, it was already dark so picking a light source as a focus point naturally created the necessary amount of contrast. The concept of exposure is explained here: Understanding Depth of Field.

Locations: Belfast City Hall, The Albert Clock Belfast, The Duke of York, Lagan Bridge, Belfast.

I opted for the 1/8 pro mist filter. A 1/4 is also available but I fear the effect may be a little overbearing. The softening of the lights is a nice effect but the filter obviously softens the whole image which some may not appreciate. It is the sort of effect that would work well on wetter days that allow reflection of wet surfaces etc. I will definitely explore the filter in video creation but in small measures.

The filter is definitely fun to play with. All photos Fujifilm X100V. If you have used a pro mist filter please post your experiences or links to your images in the comments, below.