cheap vs quality ND filters

S

stip

Well-known member
I'm considering buying a super cheap set of ND filters. They're probably plexi glass filters as they run for only 15$ from Hong Kong.

Mainly I'm interested to test out how much difference there really is between cheap and quality ND filters when used in video mode.

Does anyone have experience with cheap China ND filters? How much of a quality loss did you notice?

I know a lot of you guys wouldn't ever touch any of these, but in real life, are they really that bad? I could live with a little loss of contrast, I'd even might want it from time to time. Do they really affect sharpness to a point that's noticable in video mode (with it's already relatively low resolution compared to stills mode)?
 
It is false economy to spend $1000+ on a camera and lens, and then ensure that all of your images are filtered through cheap plexiglass. If you are that worried about money, just stop the lens down and get a wider depth of field.
 
You get what you pay for, they wont be good. Even the $50 cavision filters aren't great, and those are glass.
 
robotsound said:
It is false economy to spend $1000+ on a camera and lens, and then ensure that all of your images are filtered through cheap plexiglass. If you are that worried about money, just stop the lens down and get a wider depth of field.
Click to expand...


I have quality ND filters, this is not about saving money.

I'll test them out anyway, just to see for myself, I'd just like to know if anyone has any findings about what impact cheap ones really have when shooting video compared to quality filters.
I know they don't do the job as good, I'm just interested in the amount and sort of difference, especially for video resolution.
 
Last edited:
stip said:
I have quality ND filters, this is not about saving money.

I'll test them out anyway, just to see for myself, I just want to know if anyone has any findings about what impact cheap ones really have when shooting video compared to quality filters.
I know they don't do the job as good, I'm just interested in the amount and sort of difference, especially for video resolution.
Click to expand...


Please post the results of your testing.

Thanks
 
LBC said:
Please post the results of your testing.

Thanks
Click to expand...


I will, guess it would be nice to see a side by side comparison, I haven't seen one yet - to see that it's worth getting quality filters or to judge if one can live with the drawbacks.

It'll take a while as I'll order from Hong Kong.
 
The things to watch out for, off the top of my head, would be color shifts, general murkiness, loss of contrast, loss of resolution and detail, and glare. Not necessarily in that order. If your tests are designed to try and trigger these sorts of conditions, you'll probably be able to demonstrate the differences pretty effectively. Good luck with the testing.
 
All fader ND's on the market today is of avarage optics quality (unless I've missed some very recent product release). If you don't want to use mattebox make your own fader ND. I'm glad I didn't bought more than one... buy 4x4 pro glass, work will fall apart if you think you can take a shortcut on everything that doesn't look fancy on the outside. Learn to spend your money right (ie save on other stuff like overprized rigs).

edit: oh, already got them... well, no need to spend time making tests with crap products, already a lot of threads with "ND killing my sharpness" etc. And yes, the faders tend to be less neutral than the name suggests (with sharpness being the definitive dealbreaker +40mm)
 
Last edited:
On the other hand, lots of people who shoot stills with holgas like the "plastic" look... (Sorry, spent the weekend making a tilt-sgift holga adapter for my Canon).
 
DM_rider said:
You get what you pay for, they wont be good. Even the $50 cavision filters aren't great, and those are glass.
Click to expand...

Just tried them out today (Cavision glass ND). Seem quite nice. A good place to start for most people. I have Schneider, and I have Plastic filters. The Cavision ND's rival the Schneiders, as long as you are in the 1080p realm. Can't say for 4k, as I haven't tested them on the RED yet, just at home with a DSLR.

I'll post some resolution pics, and maybe some screen shots.
 
I did an informal test with the Cavision 0.9 ND glass 4x4 filters.

Camera: Canon 60d (settings: standard, default)
Lens: Nikon 50mm f1.4 AIS
Lens adapter ring: photodiox
Chart: $10 bill (because we all know that a $10 bill is waaaaaaaaayyyyy more accurate than a $1 bill test)

Bottom line: Would not use them on some feature films. Useful for 90% of my purposes.

Pros:
-1/3 cost of the big names, means you can get a full set for the price of one. Important, when you literally only have $200 to spend.
- Scratch resistant.
- no discernible loss of resolution.
- up to 0.9, there is minimal color shift

Cons:
- color shift above ND0.9 (look at pic of two 0.9 stacked)
- quick make something up ....!

Impressions:
Huge step up from plastic crap.
They come in decent pouches, similar to the bigger brands, but not the same feel quality wise, but unlike schneider, they come with a cloth wrap, that could be used to wipe off filters. Seems to be microfiber and hasn't made any scratch marks yet.
The size consistency between the two I bought are within a millimeter.
I like them, and I will buy them again. Though with the color cast issue, I would be careful not to buy their Graduated 1.2 ND. That would be noticeable. I also wouldn't use them if I needed ND 2.1 or higher. Though in a pinch, I'd do it and just fix the color in post.
The pay off of these filters is excellent.
The ability to get shallow depth of field under sunlight is a big addition to your filming arsenal. If you have the finances to spend $180 on each filter, than go ahead. But for me, these $50~$60 filters do the job, and no one will ever know the difference.
 
Pictures are 100% view crops of a larger 18Megapixel image from the Canon 60D

Lens: 50mm f4

No ND:
NDno.JPG


ND0.9:
ND09.JPG

ND 1.8 (but at iso 400)
ND18iso400s50.JPG
 
Last edited:
As, you can see, doubling up the ND's to make ND 1.8, gave a noticeable color change. As long as I was not cutting back and forth constantly between a ND1.8 and no filter, I would be fine with it. The camera itself, already has color issues, so I would be adjusting in post anyway.
 
Very interesting. What types of tiffen ND filters are you using?

Thank you for posting the link about the IR influence. I've not used heavy ND on digital cameras before. So I guess it doesn't matter what brand you buy, unless it is optimized for digital cameras.

Up to 1.8, I feel okay with the cavision glass ND. I would be interested in getting some IR ND from tiffen or schneider. but as of now, I do not need more than 1.8, as it does not get that bright in the carolinas.
 
bwwd said:
These are apparently the best on the market for video cams
http://www.pancro.com/
Click to expand...

Those look nice, although their store doesn't have 4x4 filter sizes. But, if you have $400+ to spend on a ND filter, you probably just have a bigger mattebox anyway.

Currently, I will have to be content with what I have.
 
Cavision glass ND 0.9 easily flares when hit by direct or side light. This causes a noticeable 'browning' effect all over image. Nikon seems more susceptible to IR contamination with Cavision glass ND.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top