Tiffen says that this filter ” helps to open your shadows by using the ambient light surrounding the image area as well as the light in the actual image itself. It lowers contrast uniformly throughout, with little or no loss of sharpness within the scene, even where there are varying degrees of brightness.
Shadow areas will reveal more detail but without any flare or halation from direct light sources or bright reflections. The Ultra Contrast works similar to a Tiffen Low Contrast filter with the difference being that it reduces contrast throughout the entire image whereas a Low Contrast filter will only open the shadows.
The #3 Ultra Contrast filter is a grade stronger then a #2. By now, shadow detail is readily apparent. Contrast continues to be evenly lowered throughout the image. As with the other grades of this filter, no highlight flare is produced.“
