Tiffen

Tiffen 4982B 49mm 82B Light Balancing Filter

3.0 (2 reviews)

Tame warm color casts in tungsten-lit portraits and interiors with this precise 49mm cooling filter

$25.20*
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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

The Tiffen 49mm 82B is a light balancing filter designed for photographers who want to correct warm color casts at the point of capture rather than wrestling with white balance sliders in post. It adds approximately 300 degrees Kelvin to the effective color temperature, shifting a 2900K tungsten source to a neutral 3200K. In practice, this means cleaner skin tones under incandescent lighting, reduced amber casts in interior architectural work, and a more balanced starting palette for golden-hour portraits where the warmth has tipped past flattering into muddy. It's a subtle tool — you won't see a dramatic blue shift — but that restraint is precisely the point.

Built using Tiffen's ColorCore process, the 82B delivers even color correction across the entire filter surface without the hot spots or density gradients that plague lesser optical filters. The 49mm threading is smooth and precise, mounting cleanly to lenses without cross-threading. It's a compact, lightweight addition to any kit bag — the kind of filter you keep threaded on a favorite prime for available-light work. For photographers who value getting color right in-camera and minimizing destructive post-processing corrections, the 82B remains a purposeful tool despite the flexibility of digital white balance.

Key Features

Cooling Light Balancing Filter

Adds 300K to Convert 2900 to 3200K

Product Type: Camera Lens Filters

Country Of Origin: United States

Specifications

Brand
Tiffen
Model
4982B
Filter Size
49mm
Filter Type
82B Light Balancing (Cooling)
Color Temperature Shift
+300K (converts 2900K to 3200K)
Country of Origin
United States

Pros & Cons

👍 Pros

  • Produces clean, consistent cooling correction that neutralizes reddish tungsten casts without overcorrecting to blue
  • Maintains natural skin tones in portrait work under warm artificial lighting
  • Made in the USA with Tiffen's ColorCore glass process for even color density across the frame
  • Lightweight 49mm form factor adds negligible weight and bulk to compact lens setups

👎 Cons

  • The 49mm thread size limits this specific filter to smaller diameter lenses without step-up ring adapters
  • Fixed correction strength offers no adjustability if lighting conditions vary during a session
  • Digital white balance can replicate much of this filter's effect, reducing its necessity for photographers comfortable with post-processing
  • No multi-coating specified, which may contribute to minor reflections when shooting toward light sources

Frequently Asked Questions

It adds approximately 300K to the color temperature, shifting a 2900K tungsten source to roughly 3200K. This corrects the excessively warm, reddish cast that tungsten and incandescent lighting produces, giving you a more neutral starting point.
It's still useful for digital shooters who prefer to correct color optically rather than in post-processing. Applying the correction at the lens preserves dynamic range and can reduce color channel clipping that white balance adjustments in post cannot fully recover.
Light loss is minimal — roughly a fraction of a stop. For most shooting situations, you won't need to adjust exposure compensation when using the 82B.
Yes, it uses standard 49mm threading and stacks with other filters. Be mindful of vignetting when stacking on wide-angle lenses, as multiple filter rings can encroach on the image circle at shorter focal lengths.
The 82B provides a moderate cooling correction between the lighter 82A and the stronger 82C. It's the most commonly used strength for fine-tuning tungsten light to photoflood-balanced 3200K.