Best infrared filter for D800E?

Joseph S Wisniewski wrote:

I have everything you have, and more that you don't. But the real issue is that I just read them better.

First, I said "B+W does not sell any filter that is useful on a D800."

And you said "I am sure that they make lots of filters that could be used on a D800. They may or may not still offer a 715nm IR. They use to."

B+W never "used to", going back at least 20 years. There is no reason for them to have done so. I explained why already.

Now, on to the next part...

Not on a D800. You do keep drifting away from that. But that's minor...

There is a big difference between what they "list" and what you can buy, in any meaningful sense of the word. They do not stock 96 different filters (12 glasses by 8 common filter sizes from 49-77mm). Again, there is no reason for them to stock such an insane number of permutations of glass and mount. The demand isn't there. It wasn't there 20 years ago, and it's not there now.

Both Schneider and Heliopan stock Schott filter glass in standard sized sheets, and they will make what you order, but they'll do it when they get around to it. I've dealt with Heliopan before, their time to ship is usually about three months on a special order.

The only IR longpass filters that Schneider stocks, mounted and ready to ship are the 695, 765, and 820nm, none of which will work with a D800.

Why not? Your argument was that B+W makes (or "use to" make) them, so you're trying to prove your point by looking at what everyone but B+W does?

Indeed. You get those from an industrial supplier, like I mentioned earlier. I'm partial to Newport.

Except that most suppliers already stock the 75mm or 150mm square glass they need to cut a round blank and will totally bypass Schneider or Heliopan and mount a Schott, Hoya, Kyocera, Isuzu, etc. blank in their own filter rings, and have it to you in a few days, instead of a few months from Heliopan or Schneider. Even if they don't stock it, they'll order a square blank, which Schott can deliver off-the-shelf. Of course, this isn't cheap.

The filters we're talking about are longpass, not bandpass. Nothing in the Schott bandpass catalog will work with a D800.

Or maybe, just maybe, B+W never sold any IR filters other than the 091, 092, and 093, and your desperately fishing for something that simply isn't there.

So, let's wind this up, shall we?

• Hoya makes a filter that works well with the D800. It's inexpensive, and it's in stock in large camera stores all over the world.
• B+W does not currently make a filter that works well with the D800; they have not made one in at least the last 20 years; and there is no evidence that they ever made one.
• Heliopan makes a 715nm filter that will work on D80. They list as being a "stock" item, but large camera stores like B&H show it being special order only, at 6-8 weeks (and seriously, I've dealt with Heliopan special orders, and it's more like 12 weeks) at twice the cost of the Hoya.
• Schneider will make one to order, and again, we're talking the industrial division, which is an even higher price than the Heliopan "consumer" filters, and still those 12 week lead times. But that sure doesn't count as B+W making one.
  

Are we done now, or do you have some more semantics to quibble about?

--
Rahon Klavanian 1912-2008. Armenian genocide survivor, amazing cook, scrabble master, and loving grandmother. You will be missed. Ciao! Joseph www.swissarmyfork.com