Tiffen Pro Mist 1/4 Filter :: Mini Review and Photo Samples

     It's likely that I'm late to the game, but I'd never heard of these diffusion filters until Moment dropped their video for the CineBloom filter.  I thought it looked pretty cool, but also a bit gimmicky at the same time.  Over the course of months, I added the CineBloom filter to my cart, but would change my mind after deciding I could learn how to create the effect in Photoshop.  To top it off, one of my friends brought up a good point - what if you decided you don't like the look?  You can't just take away the effect because you've already taken the photo with the filter on.  Of course, you can can always take one photo with and one without the filter, but that just seems like a tedious thing to do, am I right?

     Well, it didn't matter, because everytime I thought about buying the CineBloom filter, it was always out of stock in the 49mm thread I wanted.  I had decided that I'd only be using this filter on my Fuji X100V, and a 49mm filter should suffice.  My other option was to purchase a 77mm filter, and then use a step up ring to use it on my X100V as well as a few Canon lenses I had that shared a 77mm thread.  Needless to say, I had no problem admitting to myself that I haven't shot with my Canon gear in a while, so that really wasn't a realistic option - plus, the X100V would look so weird with that big filter in front, and these days, I'm all about traveling lightly when it comes to gear.  

     After watching countless YouTube videos, I learned that Tiffen made a Pro Mist filter that does the same thing as the CineBloom.  Who know?  Well, appparently, everyone else but me. 😂  The best part?  The filter was in stock.  I decided to go with the Tiffen 1/4 Pro Mist filter.  Tiffen has the filter in 1/8, 1/4, and 1/2 versions, while Moment offers their CineBloom in 10% and 20% versions.  I have no idea if these are meant to be compared, but one is expressed in fractions while the other is in percent form.  If that's the case, the 1/4 filter I bought is stronger than both offered from Moment.  Here's a great video that compares the CineBloom, Pro Mist, and Prism Lens Dream FX filters.  I've never heard of the last one by the way, but this video is great at comparing the effects of the filters.

     Now on to the samples!  First, here are two comparisons of photos shot without the filter and with the filter using the same camera settings.  

WITHOUT FILTER

WITH FILTER 

     I did forget to take off my WCL converter on the "with filter" photo here, but you can still see the effect the filter had.

WITHOUT FILTER

WITH FILTER (and some editing)

     I did use this filter in the day time, but I had trouble noticing a huge difference.  Where this filter really performs is in the evening, and when you have neon or lights in your photos.  This effect is called "halation" and I'm into it.  I love the way it makes twinkle lights glow, and it adds a little extra something to my photos with neon signs.

     Here are some more examples using the 1/4 Pro Mist filter:

     Overall, I love the effect it has on my photos at night.  It's not something I would use all the time, but it definitely has a place in my camera kit.  Some people claim these filters give your photos a film-like quality.  I'm not so sure I agree with this.  I'm not seeing it, but perhaps I haven't experimented enough with it in the day time to really notice.  I may try to do some comparison shots using the 1/4 Pro Mist in the day time, and of course I'll report back!  If you're looking for something to have a little fun with your photography, it's definitely worth the investment.  Thanks for reading and happy shooting! 😀