Tiffen Black Pro-Mist filter for Photographers

Diffusion filters have become very common in video production. They give you a less digital look and are almost considered a must-have. I’ve owned a Tiffen Black Pro-Mist filter for video for some time, but only recently started using it for photography.

Winters in Denmark are very grey and cold, and this winter was even worse because of the covid-19 lockdown. I used the Tiffen Black Pro-Mist filter to get excited about going out and shooting street photography at night again. I’ve added the photos I took to this article.

Neon lights on Nørrebrogade, Copenhagen. The Black Pro-Mist filter is perfect for shooting neon lights at night.

There are many alternatives to Tiffen’s filter. More professional video people use the Schneider Hollywood Black Magic (more expensive), and there’s the recently released Moment CineBloom, which is cheaper. I haven’t compared them, so maybe look into it before buying.

The Tiffen Black Pro-Mist comes in 1/2, 1/4 and 1/8. The 1/8 is the least intense and the 1/2 the most intense. I bought the 1/4, and it’s the one I’d recommend starting with; to my taste, the others have either too much or too little of the diffusion effect.

So how does the filter affect your images? The biggest difference is when bright light is coming towards you. On a digital sensor, bright light normally has a very harsh look, going from 100% white to the surrounding background color very abruptly. The Black Pro-Mist softens this up so the highlights get a soft transition, and it also retains more of the highlight information.

I found it especially useful for street photography at night, where you often have strong contrasts between bright light from buildings or neon signs and complete darkness. It just makes the image more pleasant to look at.

Old train repair yard in south Copenhagen. A good example of how the Black Pro-Mist filter only shows its effect when strong light hits the filter. Notice that the rest of the image looks the way it normally would without a filter.

It gives you a bit of the same look you get when shooting in foggy weather, except the “fog” only appears where bright light is pointing your way. I love the fog look and normally wait months for a foggy morning or evening; now I can get a similar effect any time. I’m not a big fan of using it in daylight, as it gives too much of a vintage look.

Analog film can also give some of the same effect (especially Cinestill 800), and I think this filter is perfect for people who like the analog film look but prefer digital for the convenience.

Ørestad Metro station. If you zoom in, the image is a little soft. If I were to redo it, I would shoot the train with the Black Pro-Mist and merge it with the same photo taken without the filter, for more sharpness.

What about loss of sharpness when using the filter? It does make the image less sharp, but to an acceptable degree. If that’s something you care about, you can merge two photos: one taken with the filter, using only the area with the blooming highlights, and one taken without the filter for the rest of the image.

If you’re a Flickr user: I’ve created a Tiffen Black Pro-Mist Flickr group – join it!

I recommend buying the filter. If you love street photography at night, it’s a must!

Update: I’ve written another blog post where I compare the Tiffen Black Pro-Mist to other diffusion filters on the market, check it out.

More photos

Here are more photos I’ve taken with the Tiffen Black Pro-Mist 1/4.

Statue at Illum shopping mall, Copenhagen.

Metro train arriving at the elevated Ørestad Metro Station in Copenhagen at night — Ørestad Metro Station, Copenhagen, shot from a parking garage. Shot with Fujifilm X-T3 + XF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 + Tiffen Black Pro-Mist 1/4.

Small kiosk with glowing signs and a wet sidewalk on a rainy evening in Copenhagen South — Mini market on a rainy evening in Copenhagen South. Shot with Fujifilm X-S10 + XF 35mm f2 + Tiffen Black Pro-Mist 1/4.

Fuglebakken S-train station at night with lit stairs, a green lamp and parked bicycles — Fuglebakken Station, a small S-train station in Copenhagen. Shot with Fujifilm X-S10 + XF 56mm f1.2 + Tiffen Black Pro-Mist 1/4.

Small brick café with a striped awning and a red neon Kaffe sign at dusk on Frederiksberg — Café No.123, Frederiksberg. The filter softens the light from the window. Shot with Fujifilm X-H1 + XF 23mm f1.4 + Tiffen Black Pro-Mist 1/4.