Best value in a variable ND system

Lightcraft is blurry and has a nasty cast. Lightcraft sucks.

Singh Ray has no cast and is sharp. The non-slim version will take you down to about 38mm without problems. Wider than that will be problematic. It has markings for repeatability but they are not for standard measurements of ND.

Never tried the Heliopan.

I also found that a DIY Fader made of a B+W LPL +CPL performed very nicely. Sharp with just a bit of cast that was correctable. However, repeatability was impossible and because both can turn independently and turn each other, using it can be a bit like setting up a tripod on uneven terrain without a bowl. But it's quality results for less money. I used this for a couple of years before stepping up to the Singh Ray.
 
The new Genus Eclipse should be really great for the money. Frank did some tests up against the Heliopan ( which I had been using ) and the results were far better with the Genus IMO... also, it's cheaper.
However where the Heliopan offers as little as 1-6 stop, the Genus is 2-8 stops.
 
I have the Lightcraft LCW Fader Mark II. It's pretty good and not that soft. Very little image distortion. Just one of those things you can drive yourself crazy with by pixel peeping. I'm sure there's been some improvements from other companies (like the Eclipse) but they will likely be priced a little higher since they are newer. Of course if your budget allows it then by all means get the best and newest.
 
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