The Tiffen 6.6 x 6.6" Ultra Contrast 3 filter helps open up your shadows by using the ambient light surrounding the image area as well as the light from the image itself. It uniformly reduces contrast throughout the image, with little or no loss of sharpness, even when there are varying degrees of brightness. Shadow areas will reveal more detail but without any reflections 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 throughout the image whereas a Low Contrast filter will only open up shadows. The Ultra Contrast #3 filter is a stronger level than the #2. At this level, shadow details are easily visible. Contrast continues to be uniformly reduced throughout the image. As with the other levels of this filter, no highlight reflections are produced. Tiffen's ColorCore glass is produced by a process that permanently laminates the filter material between two pieces of optical glass polished 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, shadows appear without detail; if you expose for the shadows, the result is washed-out and overexposed highlights - Contrast reduction is achieved by lightening shadows without overexposing or darkening, or by darkening highlights without further darkening shadows - Even photographing directly facing the sun produces no reflections or halation - Tiffen's ColorCore glass is sealed between two sheets of optical glass. In this way, Tiffen can better control the different densities of their filters and thus create more precise degrees of filtration. This process allows for greater colour accuracy compared to simply tinted glass which can be subject to variations during the tinting process Specifications