Fader ND500

sn66p said:
for video shooting, b/c the shutter speed is "locked" at 1/50th for 24p, a variable filter is critical-- i mean you can only play with aperture so much, right?
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I always lock shutter to 1/50 (or 1/100 for slo-mo), use aperture as a creative device to set DOF and control exposure with NDs. 4x4 glass NDs, got a set of six from 0.3 to 1.8 (ND2-16). Just as I've always done on film cameras. With a polarizer on you always run the risk of making the talent's skin look like a corpse depending on angle of camera, pola filters and sun light.
 
I actually WANT to make my talent's skin look like a corpse-can you explain how my Fader ND would accomplish this in more detail please?
 
BrianBrook said:
I actually WANT to make my talent's skin look like a corpse-can you explain how my Fader ND would accomplish this in more detail please?
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LOL. zombie flick huh?

marti ekstrand can you tell me where I can get the whole set of decent to good ND's as you mentioned .3 to 1.8? thanks
 
Actually- just a guys dream/hallucination of his dead girlfriend in the cemetery by her grave! I was going to use a pro-mist filter but too much $$ for a couple of shots so at this point I'm open to any suggestions-don't want to do it in post though!
 
Jordan_S said:
That's because it's already been established that wide angle lenses don't seem to suffer from this problem. The thing is, how often do you need to shoot at f/2.8 or wider with your 28mm prime and the Fader ND? Try anything above 50mm and you'll see the softness. It's very disappointing.

If you're using Hoya or Tiffen screw-in filters then yes, you will degrade your image. Cheap filters will do that.
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Yeah, I haven't tried on anything longer than a Nikkor 50mm or the 17-50 Tamron. I would like to point out that I've used the Fader on a 28mm lens at f2.8 lots of times. Of course, the 28mm is not really a wide angle on the GH1.

The main thing I want to stress is that anyone who thinks a variable ND will be beneficial to their productions should at least give it a try and decide for themselves.
 
BrianBrook said:
I actually WANT to make my talent's skin look like a corpse-can you explain how my Fader ND would accomplish this in more detail please?
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Just put it on the lens and it'll do it. I think it's an effect of the dueling polarizers matting the reflections on the skin. Shane Hurlbut talked about this a little in the comments section of one of his blog posts.

So far, I like the Fader.. I think it comes in handy, but I haven't used it on any telephoto shots.
 
martti, do you a matte box? (i.e. 4x4 filters). very informative for a newbie such as myself. thanks!

btw - head back from seller. am sending back my nd500 for an exchange. i guess it's worth it to me to give it a whirl.
 
I have just received my Variable ND Fader. Looks nice !

One question for you guys: If I screw a sunshade on it, how will I be able to rotate the fader ? The perspective to work without sunshade doesn't please me at all (I am not a great fan of flares).

Any suggestion ?
 
MR Fanny said:
i think thats the point..its not as terrible as this thread makes it to be =)
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It's also nowhere as good as too many people think it is.

Polarizers do not only take down reflections on human skin in strange ways, they also affect the translucency. Which very easily kills all life and lustre of the skin on a person's face. Wouldn't ever walk up and shoot a close-up of a pretty woman with such a filter on my camera. And hey, getting on good terms with beautiful ladies is my primary reason for being a film maker!

Also when shooting handheld it almost impossible not to do dutch movements with the camera and with a polarizer on the exposure level on reflections changes quite drastically at certain angles. Vari- & Fader-NDs are decent exposure tools for still photography. For moving image work they are at best a quick fix in a pinch, nothing more. Even Cokin plastic NDs do a better job in most situations despite having a magenta tint to them.

sn66p said:
martti, do you a matte box? (i.e. 4x4 filters). very informative for a newbie such as myself. thanks!
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Yup, do a search by clicking my name and you'll see my set-up in a couple of posts.
 
ivanouchkine said:
I have just received my Variable ND Fader. Looks nice !

One question for you guys: If I screw a sunshade on it, how will I be able to rotate the fader ? The perspective to work without sunshade doesn't please me at all (I am not a great fan of flares).

Any suggestion ?
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I don't have one to inspect anymore but, after you screw in the lens hood, can't you turn the lens hood to spin the Fader ND?
 
ivanouchkine said:
I have just received my Variable ND Fader. Looks nice !

One question for you guys: If I screw a sunshade on it, how will I be able to rotate the fader ? The perspective to work without sunshade doesn't please me at all (I am not a great fan of flares).

Any suggestion ?
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Like Jordan said, just screw an appropriately sized hood into the Fader. Then you just turn the hood which --in turn-- rotates the Fader (or Singh Ray or similar, I would guess). This actually makes operating the Fader easier, because you're less likely to grab the front element and get your hand in the shot.

To Martti- If getting women is your primary concern, I suggest changing that scary avatar to something smooth like Jordan uses. Isaac the bartender was never lacking for female attention. Of course it was the LOVE boat. Harha!
 
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