The Tiffen Ultra Contrast 3 4 x 5.65" filter helps to lighten your shadows by using the ambient light surrounding the image area as well as the light within the image itself. It reduces contrast evenly, with little or no loss of sharpness in the scene, even in the presence of varying degrees of brightness. Shadow areas will reveal more detail without blur or halation from direct light sources or bright reflections. The Ultra Contrast works similarly to a Tiffen Low Contrast filter, the difference being that it reduces contrast across the entire image whereas a Low Contrast filter only lightens shadows. The Ultra Contrast #3 filter is a stronger grade than a #2. At this level, details in the shadows are clearly visible. Contrast continues to be reduced evenly throughout the image. As with the other grades of this filter, no highlight flare is produced. Tiffen's ColorCore glass is produced through a process that permanently laminates the filter material between two pieces of optically flat ground glass to tolerances of one ten-thousandth of an inch, then mounted in precision aluminium rings. - Bright lights or sunlight create problems when the ratio between highlight and shadow areas exceeds the film's latitude; if you expose for the highlights, the shadows appear without detail; if you expose for the shadows, the result is washed-out, excessively bright highlights - Contrast reduction is achieved by lightening shadows without overexposing or darkening, or by darkening highlights without further darkening the shadows - Even when filming directly facing the sun, no blur or halation is produced - Tiffen's ColorCore glass is sealed between two sheets of optical glass. In this way, Tiffen can better control the different densities of its filters and thus create more precise degrees of filtration. This process allows for greater colour accuracy compared to glass that is simply tinted and becomes subject to variations during the colouring process Specifications