fader nd - wow

One of the pains of the two-polarizer vari-ND filter for me is that adjusting the filters on the fly is a pain, and for someone with big hands like be difficult to do without taking my eyes away from the camera. The other problem is that some of the filters produce noticeable lens flare in some situations (if you are using the ND you probably have a bright light to begin with). The filter is impossible for me to adjust with a lens hood on.

I got a Hoya-HD circular polarizer and a cheap-ish uncoated tiffen linear polarizer. The Tiffen was too heavy (shouldn't be, but sadly was) and pulled the Hoya apart when I put it on the camera. The Hoya-Hd actually cracked from the fall, and B&H graciously replaced it.

I've also read that for the linear polarizer you really don't need any special glass, however, my experience is that the cheap filters are harder to clean, have more lens flare, and clunkier. Get a nicer coated filter, the time spent not-cleaning, futzing with the filter will pay for the better filter, and then some.

Finally, my question is this: has anyone made a useable vari-nd filter that they really liked, held together, and was relatively usuable (i.e. adjustable with one hand, without taking the eye away from the viewfinder)?


Thanks in advance for any tips
 
holdingpattern said:
You had the polarizers in the wrong order. The circular polarizer goes on the lens first, and the linear on top of that. If you have it backwards you have either a slight "warming" (yellow) or "cooling" (blue) filter depending on how you twist the polarizer. Once on the lens, you only rotate the linear polarizer to vary the ND amount.
Click to expand...

I thought I tried it both ways, but I'll try it again. Thanks.
 
holdingpattern said:
Finally, my question is this: has anyone made a useable vari-nd filter that they really liked, held together, and was relatively usuable (i.e. adjustable with one hand, without taking the eye away from the viewfinder)?
Click to expand...

Just used the Fader ND yesterday for a shoot that quickly alternated between bright sunlight and shadows caused by fast moving clouds - Fader did a great job of keeping proper exposure - could simply turn the ring with one hand while keeping eye on the histogram in the viewfinder.

Quality seems fine so far after limited use. Image was excellent.
 
I have a fader from ebay. I haven't done thorough testing, but in my limited testing, I don't really notice a colour shift when I darken the filter.
 
Im planning to buy 77mm Fader ND so that I could use it with the stock lens, FDs and my other lenses. My 50/1.4 and 28/2.8 FDs have both 52mm filter size, so I would mount 52-77 ring and the Fader on top of that. Do you think I would see any vignettes? Is it better to buy 52mm sized Fader? Im thinking if I really need this filter for the stock lens. Isn't it dark enough to give me 1/60sec shutter in most daylight situations?
 
I was shooting with subject in bright sunlight at 1/60 and the Fader was more than enough -- has a range from ND2 to ND400, which is almost completely black.

Was surprised to get some vignetting with the kit lens when attaching a 72mm wide angle lens hood to my Fader.

I bought a 67mm Fader (used a 62-67 step-up) and the Fader then steps up to 72mm. With the lens hood (petal) get vignetting with the kit at 14mm -- have to go to about 25 to clear it. So I now wish I'd gone with a larger Fader.
 
I bought a Fader ND (by Light Craft Workshop; see link) from a Hong Kong Ebay seller bonifaceleung (note: I am not gonna knock Hong Kong sellers in general). I am not happy with it for two reasons:

  • Mechanics:
    • the 52mm thread only works on male thread (towards the camera), where the female thread doesn't allow me to connect my lens hood or lens cap. The lens cap (standard Nikon cap) just barely grips the inner threads.
  • Optics:
    • in some of the photos with long exposures (10 secs or more) the Fader ND shows a large X-shape from the polarizers
I am considering contacting the ebay seller or the original Lightcrafters company to ask for a replacement or refund. The ebay seller states no refunds.
 
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Just bought one, we'll see how it stacks up against the mega DIY one I'm making :grin:

Bought the 72mm version, which has 77mm front glass. The bigger the better as far as this kind of filter goes. Philip Bloom used this, from the Hong Kong sellers. He liked it but said obviously the £250 Singh Ray is better. I am not about to spend that kind of money on a filter without finding how this performs first. Not bothered about attaching a lens cap to it. Maybe a UV filter to protect it.

Mechanically, as long as it turns, I'll take it :)

What is the X shape you speak of? If this is how lens flair looks then it sounds quite appealing.

The main use for me will be video so I won't be doing 10 second exposures. I am however concerned about colour shifts.
 
can I ask why it is better to get a larger filter? and whats the best way to mount them, via multiple step up rings that increase distance from lens to filter or one dedicated one say 55-67 that minimises distance from lens to filter? Would increasing distance create unwanted problems like shadows and reflections?
 
If it's cheap it's going to cause ghosting and flaring either way. The only thing different will be convenience. I do prefer using as few step up rings as possible.
 
yeah well it makes sense to me to keep the distance from lens to filter as small as possible. Back to the other question, why is it better to get a larger filter then?
 
Only point is to get as large filter as the largest front you got and then step rings for the smaller ones. This to avoid vignetting on the largest.
 
Got mine today and I'm quite pleased with it - though it does seem to make things look like they've been recorded through a couple of extra layers of glass - probably not the most non-reflective high-transmissive optics in the world, but none the less worth what you pay. The vendor (Light Craft Workshop) dispatched the filter quickly and post-paid, well packed, and enclosed a lens cap that I didn't expect. I went for the 62mm direct-fit-to-stock-lens version and it shows no vignetting that I can see at widest zoom level.
 
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