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Hoya

Hoya 147 52mm HMC YA3 Orange Filter B&W Photography

★★★★★4.8 (41 reviews)

Deepen skies and separate tones in your black and white landscapes with Hoya's HMC-coated 52mm orange filter.

$43.30*$61.90Save 30%
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*Price sourced from Amazon.com. Last updated:Jul 14, 2026.Price and availability are subject to change.

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Overview

For photographers working in black and white — whether on film or converting digital files — the Hoya 52mm HMC YA3 Orange Filter is one of those quiet essentials that transforms flat, gray landscapes into images with real tonal architecture. Screw it onto your lens and blue skies go dramatically darker, clouds separate with striking definition, and foliage takes on a luminous quality that gives depth to every frame. It sits right between the gentle lift of a yellow K2 and the heavy drama of a 25A red, making it the most versatile single contrast filter for outdoor B&W work.

The build is classic Hoya — clean glass, precise threading, and a slim profile that sits flush on most 52mm lenses without adding bulk. The six-layer HMC multi-coating earns its keep by maintaining 97% light transmission and keeping reflections under control, which means you hold onto contrast and sharpness even when shooting toward bright skies. The 2 f/stop filter factor is straightforward to manage, and the filter itself handles the kind of regular use that comes with being a permanent resident in your camera bag. For anyone serious about black and white photography with 52mm lenses, this is a workhorse filter that delivers visible results in the field.

Key Features

BUILT FOR EXCEPTIONAL BLACK & WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY - This orange filter is specifically designed to enhance your black and white photography, providing the tonal separation needed to create stunning, impactful images. Elevate your film or digital photography with this essential lens filter!

ENHANCES TONAL CONTRAST BETWEEN SKY, CLOUDS, AND FOLIAGE - Expertly crafted to create separation and tonal contrast, this filter makes skies darker, clouds pop, and foliage stand out, adding depth and dimension to your landscape photos. It's ideal in capturing breathtaking outdoor scenes.

ALL-AROUND LANDSCAPE FILTER FOR OPTIMAL RESULTS - Splitting the difference between a 25A Red and K2 Yellow filter, this HMC YA3 orange filter is perfect for landscape photography, delivering versatile performance in various lighting conditions.

SIX LAYERS OF HMC MULTI-COATING - Experience exceptional clarity and color accuracy with this lens filter, featuring six layers of HMC multi-coating. It ensures 97% average light transmission, minimizing reflections and maximizing image quality.

CONTROL LIGHT WITH 2 F/STOP REDUCTION - Achieve greater control over your exposure with this filter's 4x filter factor, equivalent to reducing light by 2 f/stops. Perfect for balancing exposure and creating stunning effects in various lighting conditions.

Specifications

Brand
Hoya
Model
147
Filter Type
HMC YA3 Orange
Filter Size
52mm
Coating
6-layer HMC Multi-Coating
Light Transmission
97% average
Filter Factor
4x (2 f/stop reduction)
Application
Black & White Photography

Pros & Cons

👍 Pros

  • Produces strong tonal separation between sky, clouds, and foliage that gives black and white landscapes real depth and dimension
  • Six-layer HMC coating preserves contrast and sharpness by cutting internal reflections to a minimum
  • The 2 f/stop light reduction is predictable and easy to compensate for in both manual and auto-exposure workflows
  • Strikes a useful middle ground between yellow and red filtration, making it the most versatile single filter for B&W landscape shooting
  • Reliable Hoya glass quality delivers consistent optical performance without introducing softness or color casts

👎 Cons

  • The 2 f/stop light reduction limits handheld shooting in lower light conditions, pushing you toward a tripod or higher ISO
  • At 52mm, this only fits smaller-diameter lenses — shooters with larger glass will need to buy a separate size or use step-up rings
  • Effect is fixed and cannot be dialed back like a variable filter, so you commit to the full orange filtration on every frame
  • Orange filtration can over-darken blue elements in scenes where you want a more subtle tonal shift

Frequently Asked Questions

It darkens blue skies noticeably while letting warm tones pass through, giving you strong separation between clouds, sky, and foliage. The effect is more dramatic than a yellow filter but more natural than a deep red, making it a versatile middle-ground choice for landscape work.
The filter has a 4x filter factor, which means you need to open up by 2 f/stops to compensate. If you're shooting with a camera that meters through the lens, it will typically handle this automatically, but bracket your exposures when shooting film to be safe.
It works with both. On a digital camera, the orange cast will be visible in your color file, but converting to monochrome in post will reveal the same tonal separation — darker skies, brighter warm tones — that film shooters get straight out of camera.
Yes. The six-layer HMC coating maintains 97% average light transmission while minimizing internal reflections, so you get cleaner contrast and reduced ghosting even when the sun is near your frame edge.
It threads onto any lens marked with a 52mm filter diameter (Φ52). You can stack it with other filters, though stacking multiple glass filters on wide-angle lenses increases the risk of vignetting at the corners.

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