Tiffen Clear Optical Flat Filter PV 4x5.65

A clear optical flat is a plain piece of glass that goes in the matte box to protect the front of the lens. It adds no colour or density, so the image stays untouched. It is a basic part of any filter kit.

A flat is the filter you can leave in all day. It keeps dust, rain, fingerprints and knocks off the front element, and it is the standard answer to shooting in sand, spray or a crowded set. It is also a safe way to hold the stage when no other filter is needed. It is useful on a long shoot where the lens stays exposed.

This is Tiffen's 4x5.65 inch (Panavision) size, made from water white glass using the ColorCore process, with the surfaces ground flat to a tight tolerance. It drops into any standard 4x5.65 matte box tray. It pairs with ND, diffusion and grads in the other stages. It also stops the front stage sitting empty.