Fader ND ( Neutral Density ) : Questions

I had a Fader ND for a while and it's hard to do without once you're used to have it. I have two more on order for other lenses so I don't have to unscrew when I change lens in run n gun situations.
 
What I also like is you have more control over exposure moving from one location to another - say from inside to outside. If it's brighter outdoors, you don't have to a) change your shot by lowering lens exposure, b) even if you did change on camera exposure, it wouldn't be a transition but a hard change, c) you don't have that 4 frame freeze thing with changing exposure whilst filming.

With the ND you can just, deftly of course!, slowly turn the wheel to your new exposure for the brighter conditions, keeping all other factors the same, which in my book is pretty awesome!
 
Andrew -- I never thought about that. You bring up a very good point. Normally I'd do this with an Iris Ramp but I haven't declicked my SLR lenses and there aren't any PL's going on my 7D(s) or 5D....

I may very well have to pick up a Fader specifically for transitions like you described.

Nice one, man.
 
Andrew, that's a good idea. But understand that the Fader cannot be turned all the way off. What I mean is that even at the weakest setting, it does not go to Zero ND. I don't know how low it goes, but it will cut down on your light. So the indoor thing can work, but only if you have a decent amount of light or perhaps a really fast lens.

One other minor weirdness I've had: My Nikon 50mm 1.8 has a focus ring so small and close to the front lens that the step-up ring (for attaching the Fader ND) is jamming against it. So focusing with the Fader ND became nearly impossible. Attaching a simple UV filter to go between the lens and the stepup ring seems to solve the problem. Little things you don't expect.

Takeaway is still that the Fader ND goes everywhere with my camera. I'd hate to shoot without it outdoors.
 
my ND fader just arrived!

finally, can control exposure the way i want.

Question for you all:

Neither my 52mm nikon lens cap, nor my 58mm canon lens cap will fit on this thing? Is there no way to protect the front element when its sitting on my camera?
 
Aye, I had considered that issue, but then again with these DSLR's having such great low light ability, it can't be too hard to compensate for the 1 stop or so you'll lose having the Fader ND at it's lowest setting.

Does the Singh Ray have the same limitation, or does it have a 'zero' setting. I'd imagine both would be the same in this regard.
 
Andrew, I haven't used the Singh Ray, so I'm not sure. As long as you either light your interior or have ample natural light, you should be fine. Just wanted you to realize there is always some light loss.

PaPa, I'm using the 72/77 Fader, so I just bought a cheapie 77mm cap to cover it. I think it's this one: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/649755-REG/Bower_CS77_77mm_PRO_SNAP_ON_LENS.html

There should be a similar one for your Fader's thread size.

I need to get something to protect the other side though for when it's detached from the cam. It's connected to the lens using a Bower stepup ring, which I usually leave on the fader rather than the camera when I remove it, so I guess I can get a screw on lens or filter cap.
 
yeah, but i own a cheapie 58mm lens cap and it won't go on! guess ill have to contact them back... sigh.
 
PaPa said:
yeah, but i own a cheapie 58mm lens cap and it won't go on! guess ill have to contact them back... sigh.
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Which Fader did you get? I'm sure you know the camera end and other end are different diameters, right? You need a lens cap for the outer (larger) element. Does that make sense? I'm prone to not making sense sometimes!
 
Ron Rodenmeyer said:
Which Fader did you get? I'm sure you know the camera end and other end are different diameters, right? You need a lens cap for the outer (larger) element. Does that make sense? I'm prone to not making sense sometimes!
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ya, no i know that. My Fader ND to lens is 52mm, which matches all of my nikons, and the Fader ND would require a cap of 58mm, which is exactly what i tried, but it looks like fader nd thread is slightly smaller than 58mm which is stopping me from putting a cap on.
 
Yeah, check with (the amazingly named proprieter) Boniface Leung about that. It seems like any 58mm cap should fit with no problem.

I'm facing the opposite problem... I need something to protect the other end when it's not on the camera. I have a 72/77, so I need something 72mm that has female threads like the outside of a filter. My only thought is to get a filter stack cap and just use the female half. Does anyone have a better (i.e. cheaper) solution?
 
andrew00 said:
Does the Singh Ray have the same limitation, or does it have a 'zero' setting. I'd imagine both would be the same in this regard.
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There will always be light loss because a variable ND filter is made from two polarizers. Polarizers naturally have a slight ND effect.
 
77mm Fader ND Filter

77mm Fader ND Filter

I'm about to purchase a 77mm Fader ND filter which fits these three lenses:

17-40mm F4L
24-105mm F4L
EF-S 10-22mm F3.5

Does anyone have experience with these lenses and this filter? I have a full-frame 1Ds, but most of my shooting will be on the cropped 7D.

I'm curious to know if this filter vignettes with any of these lenses (on FF and 1.6x crop cameras) and, if it does, how much? Thanks!
 
I have the 5D MKII and the 17-40 f4 and the 77mm Fader. I see slight vignetting but only on the camera screen outside of the 16x9 area. So for stills, yes. For video, I am good all of the way to 17mm.

Dan
 
puredrifting said:
I have the 5D MKII and the 17-40 f4 and the 77mm Fader. I see slight vignetting but only on the camera screen outside of the 16x9 area. So for stills, yes. For video, I am good all of the way to 17mm.

Dan
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Thanks for the quick feedback. That's good news, as I likely will be using it mostly when shooting video.
 
Columbo said:
"To achieve a cinematic look when shooting in bright daylight at f2.8 at 1/60th or slower, requires a drastic amount of reduction of light that hits the sensor. I used a Singh Ray Variable ND filter. While the filter can reduce the amount of light by 2 to 8 stops, I had serious problems with uneven coverage, so part of my frame would be darker than others. I have tried Fader ND filters, but also have the same problem."

http://www.dslrnewsshooter.com/2009...-i-cover-the-afghanistan-war-with-the-5dmkii/
(Cracking 5D docu trailer on that link)

Think I'm going to fork out for some proper ND filters after reading that.
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I dunnno if this would work to avoid the problem... Would attaching like a .3 or .6 ND in front of the vari ND help prevent using the max setting on the filter?


will help avoid this issue? -> http://digitalphotographer.com.ph/forum/showthread.php?t=26001&page=5



Or will adding a .6 ND or .3 give the same results as setting to max on the vari?



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