Schneider 4 x 4" 2mm Blue True-Streak Filter

The Schneider 4 x 4" 2mm Blue True-Streak Filter is designed to be used perpendicular to a point light source such as the sun, a light bulb, or a candle. Within the filter's glass is a combination of fine line types whose action is limited to point light sources. Upon those light sources, those lines create the effect of a scene or image that has been recorded with an anamorphic lens and then displayed using a complementary reverse projection lens. This can result in prominent, elongated streaks that are symmetric and extend horizontally from each point light source for the purpose of drawing attention to a specific part of the frame, or to create a visually dramatic effect.

If an image or footage is captured with an anamorphic lens for the primary purpose of obtaining a greater aspect ratio than what is possible when only using spherical lenses on a 35mm format, the direct result will appear compressed and distorted. Projecting this compressed and distorted footage or imagery through a reverse anamorphic projection lens allows elements within the scene to be viewed in their correct proportions. A complementary effect of this process after it is completed is the creation of elongated, blue-colored, horizontally symmetrical highlights from point light sources that can extend through the frame.

Many cinematographers and photographers find this effect desirable and the Schneider 4 x 4" 2mm Blue True-Streak Filter is intended to allow such highlights to be easily reproduced when using optics that do not have an anamorphic design. This filter renders the streaks it helps to create with a blue hue, which further emulates the character of highlights generated when using traditional anamorphic optics that are not designed to suppress colored streaking. True-Streak Filters that are formulated to create red, orange, yellow, green, pink, or violet banding instead of blue are also available, as well as Clear True-Streak Filters that can allow existing colors or lack of colors displayed by point light sources to be maintained.

The line types within this filter's glass are placed 2mm apart from each other. True-Streak Filters with spaces of 4mm, 3mm, or 1mm between their lines are also available where this filter type's effect becomes progressively stronger as the spacing between those lines is decreased.

This filter is most effective for pictures where the light source used to generate the streak effect is a highlight with a significant degree of contrast from the rest of the image. It is constructed from water white glass for clarity as well as color fidelity.