Just talked to Heliopan about the variable ND filters - good news.

It seems that reviewer got a faulty copy. I returned a faulty one as well and the replacement is faultless without the cross pattern. You can bet that if the cross problem was an issue the Heliopan would not be getting all the rave reviews!

Don't be concerned. Just check the filter when you receive it.
 
Kool. Really hope i dont get a faulty one. Its pretty costly to ship things in and out of Jamaica. Thats for the feedback
 
That link had only one review, and it didn't mention anything about a "cross pattern"? can you check the link? What is the cross pattern issue?
 
It had 2 reviews. The first of which was a one star rating with the picture of the cross pattern. The cross pattern Barry is happens in some cheaper vari nd filters when turned to its max.
 
The Heliopan is "only" 6 stops, by contrast to most cheaper vari NDs which are more.
Maybe the cross pattern is present on cheaper filters because of more ND power at max.
 
Interesting fact I stumbled upon when I sold my slim Heliopan is, that the newer Heliopan ND´s (with front treads) have less stops.
The old one had ND 0.3- ND 2.0 - the new is ND 0,3 bis ND 1,8

Frank
 
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hmm..thats wierd......now the link has one review. And wouldn't you know it...its the one star review that's now missing. Def something fishy there.
 
Postmaster said:
Interesting fact I stumbled upon when I sold my slim Heliopan is, that the newer Heliopan ND´s (with front treads) have less stops.
The old one had ND 0.3- ND 2.0 - the new is ND 0,3 bis ND 1,8

Frank
Click to expand...

Hi Frank,

I wondered about that too, I've been looking all over for one that went to 2.0 - then i saw this on Bloom's site:

"Originally, these filters were labelled as 0,3-2,0 but for technical production reasons, the 2,0 could not be guaranteed, so the manufacturer has changed the description of the filter to 0,3-1,8. It is still exactly the same filter as you would have bought a few weeks or months ago. The 1,8 is guaranteed and it is possible that the filter you receive goes up to somewhere between 1,8 and 2,0."

Looking forward to getting my FS100 in a couple week and trying this filter out ... your work is very inspiring to me, and I appreciate all the help you are bringing to the community.

/Jeff
 
Just placed my order, sad thing is that I didn't know about this thread until now, I had a really hard time understanding how on earth to pay for the product.
I called them, their english is rather good, and there's no problem communicating with them.

I live in Sweden so I hope that it goes a bit faster than 2 weeks!
 
Recieved my filter today, and guess what? It's defect!

The glass on one of the sides is loose, so when you rotate the ring to adjust exposure, the glass dosen't move along always as it should. So all of a sudden you get a half dark image at maximum setting... There's this small screw on the side, if you tighten to much, you won't be able to rotate the the filter, to little, and the glass is all loose... And when you find the sweetspot with the screw, it just screws itself up after turning the filter a couple of times.

I did expect a bit more of a filter in this priceclass I must say... So check your filters boys and girls! If you hear any sound when shaking the filter, you might have the same issues... In the worst case, the filter might give to little effect at maximum setting and vise versa.

Foto Mayr will contact me tomorrow to see if we can fix it without sending it back since the 77mm is out of stock.
 
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that sucks royally. But these things do happen. Their record is pretty good overall with many satisfied customers. Hope it gets resolved soon.
 
So after trying to adjust the screw half the night, I called heliopan the day after (because they didn't answer on a single mail that I've sent them). I have never in my life talked with such a rude person that works with these types of products. Her english was not the best, sure, nothing bad about that. But she didn't want to listen while I explained what the problem was. I tried to explain several times but she just talked about something totally different. In the end she gets my point and she dosen't sound surprised.. She went "ahaa mmm yea OK I know what it is...". So I asked kindly if she at least could explain to me but no she had no time. I said that I demand a new filter that is in a NEW condition and not a USED one that has been cleaned up, but they would decide that... She said send it back at once to us and we'll see if we can repair it. I asked for the adress and she sais "check on the internet, bye". And they refused to pay any type of shipping.

Not only this, my filter was in a used condition, not only was it defect but also had fingerprints on the defect glass.

But foto mayr helped me out and sent me a new one at once, they didn't even wait until the old one got to them, Sally is nice and knows how important customers are. Foto mayr thumbs up, Heliopan customer service, BIG thumbs down!
 
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I'd like to buy the 77mm, but I don't have a paypal account (on principle). Whenever I've needed to use paypal, there's always an option to buy using a credit card through paypal except on some really small merchants. So my question is, can I use my American Express credit card on paypal to buy from Foto Mayr? TIA!
 
I just got my Minolta 80-200 APO G 2.8 Lens. It's attached to an LA-EA2 adapter but I'm still waiting for the firmware update. It's a beautiful lens, contrast colors, details are amazing, it's parfocal, it's got accurate focus stops and unlike the beercan the focus ring stays in place(the beercan's focus ring extends) This Zoom is perfect for the FS 100.

I am about to order a Heliopan Vari ND and I need your advice. The filter size of my Minolta f2.8 lens is 72mm. All my other lenses have smaller filter sizes. Should I order a 72mm Heliopan so that I can still use my original hood or should I go for a 77mm? I think 72mm will be my biggest lens but I'm afraid I might get vignetting at 72mm. Pleas advice. Thank you.

I tested the Alpha mount lenses on a Nex 5N. Focusing is fast and accurate and has 15phase detection. The Nex 5N controls everything except IS. It should be this good on the FS 100 when the firmware update is released.

LA-EA2, Pancake 16mm f2.8, Kit Lens 18-200mm f3.5-6.5, Minolta Beercan 70-210 f4, Minolta 80-200 f2.8
 
Since nobody replied, I am putting this in, so if anyone in the future has this question, here's the feedback. Indeed, if you don't have a paypal account, you can't still pay by credit card through paypal as you can for bigger merchants. However, Foto Mayr apparently allows for bank wire transfers. So I've done just that, and have to wait till tomorrow to see what the results are (banks are closed in Germany at this hour).

Of course this is not ideal. The exchange rate is pretty rotten, so the 227.95 Euros translates into $317.xx and change. Then on top of that, when you do a wire transfer you get hit with a $35 fee. So the total is more like $353. That still compares favorably to B&H's $444, by about $90, but that's cutting it close. It's still a hassle to deal with, and you risk waiting on the mail from Germany, and what happens when the filter arrives damaged or faulty... with B&H it's simple, but dealing with an international merchant is complicated - so maybe that's worth it for $90, but I would not do it for less than $50... it's just not worth the hassle. However, I want to emphasize that the customer service at Foto Mayr has been impeccable, and dealing with Sally has been a pleasure.

So now I await to see what happens next.
 
So ordered my 77mm yesterday and got the email a couple hours after. Sally seems great. Hopefully i'll get a non defective filter. Total came to US$325.xx after paypal, with a 77mm lens cap and DHL shipping.
 
The new filter works great, amazing piece of equipment that no DSLR shooter should be without... Strange thing is that the new filter I recieved has screws in both of the holes. I know quite some of you have said that they only have one screw on the filter. But this is wrong- you should have two of them since they both work as hardstops and holding the glass into place... So check them!
 
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