Camera/Camcorder Reference Chart

Clear Optical Flat Protective Filters-Suffix-CLEARST
Every camera as a matter of course should have a clear optical flat filter on the lens for
protection. HD cameras are being manufactured with higher resolution sensors and better
lenses than the SD cameras of the past. As you clean and wipe your lens more often to
maintain the increased sharpness of the HD camera, you will want to protect your expensive
lens from scratches and flying objects. Quality glass is essential for the better quality lenses.
Unlike other manufacturers, Formatt Optical Flats are made of Schott-Desag B270 Crown
Optical Glass. In fact, all of our filters are. Crown Glass is created by melting products of the
highest quality and is free from lead and iron. Our filters are precision lapped and polished to
a nominal thickness of 3mm +/- .05mm. Polishing standards are better than 633nm/4 over 0
25mm. This meets or exceeds all internationally acceptable standards for high quality optical
components used with the more stringent demands of HD optics as well as superb
performance in film applications. All of our round filters come in a “thin” ring to prevent
vignetting.

Circular Polarizer Suffix-CP2000RH
A Circular Polarizer produces the same effect as a linear polarizer, but is used in
cameras where polarizing elements are used in the beam splitters of the camera. Camera
beam splitters send light to an eyepiece and the video tap. This can polarize the light and use
of a linear polarizer can cross polarize the image thus causing a total blackout of one of the
images. Formatt’s linear and circular polarizers use the finest polarizing substance available.
The polarizing substance is sandwiched between two pieces of Schott-Desag B270Crown
Optical Glass, thus producing the finest polarizing effect possible.

Clear Soft Effects--Suffix-CLSEF
In High Definition work there are often harsh outlines. The Formatt HD Soft Effects Filter is
designed to soften the harsh outlines with a minimal loss of detail and contrast. The filter uses
a series of small Plano-convex lenses mounted within a specially developed matrix which in
turn is sandwiched between highly polished sheets of Schott-Desag B270 Crown Optical
Lens Glass. The filters are designed to allow the light to pass through for the most part
undisturbed, as only a small part of the surface area of the filter has a series of very small
lenses on it. The small lenses use their enhanced small radius to produce a controlled
spherical aberration, avoiding the risk of secondary focus at short focal lengths, as may
happen with other so called “soft” filters.
When using the filter the aberration produces a series of focal points along the axis of the lens
rather than one bright point of focus which would degrade the image. The small lenses are
distributed within the filter area in a stochastic pattern, eliminating the danger of moiré fringing
even in difficult conditions such as sun lit water surfaces. This is extremely important when
using today’s moiré sensitive digital chips. Available in Densities 1, 2, and 3. The suggested density is 2.

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