Genus ND Fader Filter supposedly the best nd fader-no color cast or loss of sharpness
- Thread starter dtjohns1
- Start date
Yes yes. Glad you brought it up because I was going to.
I can tell you I finally took the plunge and bought a Genus Fader ND. I was going to buy the expensive Singh Ray Vari ND that Phil Bloom recommends buy I just can't afford it at the moment so I bought the Genus because they had it by chance when I was pickup up some other things at the camera store and because it was cheaper.
Here's my experience.
Yes there is a color cast. It is not immediately noticeable but in some shots it can be, I guess it might have something to so with time of day and the way the light rays are hitting the fader. Basically I've noticed a slight green cast.
Phil Bloom says the Singh Ray Vari ND is high quality and has less if actually no color cast. He also says that's the reason for the high price. So it might be true you get what you pay for.
http://philipbloom.net/2009/07/22/loving-the-fader-nd-and-singh-ray-vari-nd-life-savers/
I've also noticed that putting the Genus Fader ND on and comparing it to the same exact setting with an actual TIFFEN ND of same strength has a different look. I can say the it seems that the read ND is quite a lot cleaner and retains a certain amount of reflected glare which can actually be quite good because it's closer to the original image without the filter. Colors where quite a bit cleaner on the Tiffen ND.
So I concluded for now if I have the time to use a real ND and if I'm shooting run and gun then the Genus ND would serve me well enough. I might ditch it though for the Singh Ray or just simply a mattebox.
Otherwise I'll be correcting out the green if it's in there.
I can tell you I finally took the plunge and bought a Genus Fader ND. I was going to buy the expensive Singh Ray Vari ND that Phil Bloom recommends buy I just can't afford it at the moment so I bought the Genus because they had it by chance when I was pickup up some other things at the camera store and because it was cheaper.
Here's my experience.
Yes there is a color cast. It is not immediately noticeable but in some shots it can be, I guess it might have something to so with time of day and the way the light rays are hitting the fader. Basically I've noticed a slight green cast.
Phil Bloom says the Singh Ray Vari ND is high quality and has less if actually no color cast. He also says that's the reason for the high price. So it might be true you get what you pay for.
http://philipbloom.net/2009/07/22/loving-the-fader-nd-and-singh-ray-vari-nd-life-savers/
I've also noticed that putting the Genus Fader ND on and comparing it to the same exact setting with an actual TIFFEN ND of same strength has a different look. I can say the it seems that the read ND is quite a lot cleaner and retains a certain amount of reflected glare which can actually be quite good because it's closer to the original image without the filter. Colors where quite a bit cleaner on the Tiffen ND.
So I concluded for now if I have the time to use a real ND and if I'm shooting run and gun then the Genus ND would serve me well enough. I might ditch it though for the Singh Ray or just simply a mattebox.
Otherwise I'll be correcting out the green if it's in there.
NOT true with the Genus. I just got one and I pixel peeped it against a regular ND3. On my 70-200mm L IS at 200mm, the Genus definitely was SOFT compared to just the ND3 at the same exposure. The Genus does seem to have less of a green shift than the Lightcraft workshop model. The Genus is made better than the LCW.
I also have the Lightcraft workshop fader and the Genus and LCW are about the same softness. Not noticeable on lenses 55mm or less.
What I do is use a DIY fader (Linerar Pola on top + Circular Pola on bottom) for lenses about 55mm to keep it sharp, and I use the Genus on lenses shorter than 55mm because the softening isn't an issue. The good thing with the Genus and the LCW is they have a larger front element, 77m to 82mm for the front, so even on the Tokina 11-16, you get very little vignetting with the Genus or the LCW.
The DIY fader has no resolution loss and is nice because it doubles as a Polarizer when your rotate the back. The downside is, when shifted to darkest settings, a purple cast is introduced. So just avoid dark settings.
The Singh Ray is probably the best, but it's too expensive and does not have a larger front element so you will get vignetting on the wider lenses, unlike the Genus or LCW.
The best combo IMO is LCW or Genus for lenses shorter than 55mm because it's still sharp and no vigenetting. On lenses larger than 55mm, use the DIY because it also can polarizer as well as ND.
I also have the Lightcraft workshop fader and the Genus and LCW are about the same softness. Not noticeable on lenses 55mm or less.
What I do is use a DIY fader (Linerar Pola on top + Circular Pola on bottom) for lenses about 55mm to keep it sharp, and I use the Genus on lenses shorter than 55mm because the softening isn't an issue. The good thing with the Genus and the LCW is they have a larger front element, 77m to 82mm for the front, so even on the Tokina 11-16, you get very little vignetting with the Genus or the LCW.
The DIY fader has no resolution loss and is nice because it doubles as a Polarizer when your rotate the back. The downside is, when shifted to darkest settings, a purple cast is introduced. So just avoid dark settings.
The Singh Ray is probably the best, but it's too expensive and does not have a larger front element so you will get vignetting on the wider lenses, unlike the Genus or LCW.
The best combo IMO is LCW or Genus for lenses shorter than 55mm because it's still sharp and no vigenetting. On lenses larger than 55mm, use the DIY because it also can polarizer as well as ND.
Michael Carter
Veteran
Are you guys really in situations where swapping a different 4x4 (or screw-on) is that big a deal breaker?
I guess I could see it for extreme run & gun... or being a war photographer...
But even when I shoot without a matte box, it tends to be "we're outside for the next two hours and it's sunny... ND3." I guess all these color-cast threads make me scratch my head...
I guess I could see it for extreme run & gun... or being a war photographer...
But even when I shoot without a matte box, it tends to be "we're outside for the next two hours and it's sunny... ND3." I guess all these color-cast threads make me scratch my head...
There are many times when a fader is a huge advantage. Pretty much anytime you shoot outside and handheld or for b roll, the light constantly shifts depending on the angle. Yes, if you are doing locked off shots and have a lot of set up time , then a regular nd is better. Different situations have different needs. For controlled locked off shots, go with NDs. When u need to work quick, faders are better