AC90: AC90 Which ND filter

R

Richtiger

Member
I have just filmed an outdoor wedding with the AC90 and here in Australia in February the light and heat is quite intense, especially at 1pm. Anyway, as others have already said the footage is superb except for the internal ND filter not
being up to the job in bright sunlight. Coming from cameras that didn't require any external ND filters such as Canon XH-A1 and earlier than that Sony VX2100 my question is this. In the hussle and bustle of run n gun weddings where you will often have to quickly go from inside to outside, sun/shade etc, how do you manage using an external ND filter ...?

If the ND filter needs to be screwed onto the front of the lens it would be impossible to keep reaching into the lens hood to attach and remove constantly. Or is it that when fitted I simply leave it in and the camera internally self adjusts. I realise that it would not be needed indoors at all but I'm interested in what others have done. Also, not knowing anything about ND filters, what is reccomended for this camera ... ? Is there a way to quickly detach the ND filter ..?

Richard
 
Richtiger said:
I have just filmed an outdoor wedding with the AC90 and here in Australia in February the light and heat is quite intense, especially at 1pm. Anyway, as others have already said the footage is superb except for the internal ND filter not
being up to the job in bright sunlight. Coming from cameras that didn't require any external ND filters such as Canon XH-A1 and earlier than that Sony VX2100 my question is this. In the hussle and bustle of run n gun weddings where you will often have to quickly go from inside to outside, sun/shade etc, how do you manage using an external ND filter ...?

If the ND filter needs to be screwed onto the front of the lens it would be impossible to keep reaching into the lens hood to attach and remove constantly. Or is it that when fitted I simply leave it in and the camera internally self adjusts. I realise that it would not be needed indoors at all but I'm interested in what others have done. Also, not knowing anything about ND filters, what is reccomended for this camera ... ? Is there a way to quickly detach the ND filter ..?

Richard
Click to expand...

not sure how much help it will be but I use the Xume system which I think is pretty brilliant.
I'll have a review up on my blog in a day or so. It's basically a magnetic solution that lets you
snap ND filters on and off a lens without having to screw them in.
 
I know I am late to the party on this but just in case.
I used a screw in 0.6 this past weekend. In auto the camera did just fine as I went from sun to shade. In man. using the zebras I was a bit dark.
But I was using 80% so my fault.
 
Good results with .3 2x last weekend in sunny California. I tried .6 4x and aperture stayed low 3 range. I also shot with no ND and got good results but Aperture showed 6.8 pretty often. Think I'm sticking with .3 for now.
 
Thanks guys. I just bought a couple of ND filters but haven't had a chance to film anything yet. .3 and .6 seem good through the viewfinder though.
 
For you wedding shooters (and most everyone who shoots people wearing black outdoors) I did a test on my Tiffen ND's http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/674656-REG/Tiffen_49NDK3_49mm_Digital_Neutral_Density.html and there is a serious Infra Red shift/tint on all types of black cloth. I was a bit surprised it was as much as it was, but I had seen another test comparing ND's which showed it. I did a test of all three of these ND filters because I read about the IR problems with ND filters on various types of black cloth. These have it and I am going to need buy a $70 IR filter to go with them if I shoot people wearing black clothing outdoors. The red tint on the cloth is most notable as you increase the ND strength, but still quite visible on the ND1. You may see some IR on other items with the ND3 if you look for it. From the review I read this IR is very common and can be found on much more expensive NDs too. Tiffen also makes more expensive NDs with IR but I don't see them in the 49mm size. If I was going to buy something again I would look for a different brand with IR and hopefully only pay a few bucks more. This red shift is very strong where the blacks are a scarlet red in color and not black at all.
 
jazzspot said:
Thanks for the info Steve. Which IR filter (brand and specs) will you be buying to use on your AC90?
Click to expand...
I don't know. Its not a priority to me at the moment, because I don't shoot people outdoors during the brighter parts of the day when I need a ND very often. I probably like everything else need to add one at some point and Tiffen makes one at the $70 price range. I have other priorities, like I really need a solid wireless lapel mic and the G3 is around $600.
 
I picked up a 49mm Tiffen 0.6 ND and while it's been great at reducing light, it's given me a colour cast that seems very hard to correct properly, as well as some issues with individual colours and a loss of 'clarity' to the video. I'm considering trying to some B+W NDs, any thoughts on the best brand to try? I also need an IR Cut filter and was eyeing off the 49mm Tiffen Hot Mirror, but I'm concerned it will degrade my footage like the ND.
 
Enerjex said:
I picked up a 49mm Tiffen 0.6 ND and while it's been great at reducing light, it's given me a colour cast that seems very hard to correct properly, as well as some issues with individual colours and a loss of 'clarity' to the video. I'm considering trying to some B+W NDs, any thoughts on the best brand to try? I also need an IR Cut filter and was eyeing off the 49mm Tiffen Hot Mirror, but I'm concerned it will degrade my footage like the ND.
Click to expand...
My main reason I ran the tests I did was to see if there was any clarity differences. I was mostly looking at full zoom though. How did you see a drop in clarity when you added the Tiffen ND? because in my tests I didn't see any.
 
It's really hard to explain Steve as I'm not a pro, I'm sure there's a term for it. The video was still sharp, it was almost like there was a bit of colour bleed, and it didn't take colour correction in post as well as without the ND. That said I also have a Tiffen UV filter for lens protection and that seems to be fine. Am I just experiencing a trait of all ND filters?
 
I'm using my Singh-Ray Vari ND... with step up rings (49-55 high profile, 55-58, 58-62, 62-67, 67-72, 72-77) from 2filter.com
 
While I don't have time to post footage samples, I can report that the Singh-Ray solution is less than perfect, presenting an unacceptable loss of resolution at extreme zoom ranges on the AC90. I will try to find time to put up some samples in the future.
 
I went with a 'slim version' Heliopan 0.9 ND-8 filter, for about $70 US...has worked well shooting some soccer games in bright sunlight.
 
I bought a set of Hoya HMC filters from B&H. I bought the .3, .6 and .9 No colour cast or loss of clarity from what I've seen thus far.
I find the .6 to be a pretty good happy medium in keeping the lens in the wider aperture range. The .9 is also excellent in full sun. I also went with the Xume magnetic filter solution which is AWESOME! However I should note that with the Xume system I'm not able to reattach the camera lens cover, kind of annoying but not a deal breaker. Perhaps a set of slime lines would alleviate the issue.
 
Richtiger said:
I have just filmed an outdoor wedding with the AC90 and here in Australia in February the light and heat is quite intense, especially at 1pm. Anyway, as others have already said the footage is superb except for the internal ND filter not
being up to the job in bright sunlight. Coming from cameras that didn't require any external ND filters such as Canon XH-A1 and earlier than that Sony VX2100 my question is this. In the hussle and bustle of run n gun weddings where you will often have to quickly go from inside to outside, sun/shade etc, how do you manage using an external ND filter ...?

If the ND filter needs to be screwed onto the front of the lens it would be impossible to keep reaching into the lens hood to attach and remove constantly. Or is it that when fitted I simply leave it in and the camera internally self adjusts. I realise that it would not be needed indoors at all but I'm interested in what others have done. Also, not knowing anything about ND filters, what is reccomended for this camera ... ? Is there a way to quickly detach the ND filter ..?
Click to expand...

Did you ever find a speedy resolve for switching from ND Filter to not in regards to lens hood and all that?
 
R Hudson said:
If you want to change filters fast without removing the hood, go with the Xume system. I use it on my AC90 and I love it!

http://www.xumeadapters.com/
Click to expand...

Hudson - so the Xume lens adapter fits onto the AC90 with the hood on and then the filter holder pops on with ND Filter magnetically attached over that? Do you by any chance of a picture of how that looks? Seems to be difficult to see this xume system as attached to ac90 in any web imagery.
 
Xume.jpg
Sorry for the bad looking picture I opted to flood it with light to show how it looks, not for the purposes of a good looking image :)

Here is a filter attached to the AC90. The base ring screws into place and stays put. The filter ring (I have two) attaches to a filter of your choice and just snaps into place magnetically. The magnetic hold is strong enough to use a circular polarizer without the base ring spinning at all so it is pretty strong. At first I bought a step-up adapter and larger-than-stock Xume system because I thought it would look better aesthetically to fill the space within the hood. Upon trying this I quickly discovered that it made it quite difficult to grab the filter to remove it so I went back to the standard 49mm size. FYI, the base ring can stay attached to the camera and the stock lens cap can be installed which is nice. However, once you snap any filter into place the stock lens cap will no longer fit.
 
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