LCW ND Filter Fader

L

leaftors

Well-known member
Has anyone used it on a 70-200? I've heard it produces terrible results at focal lengths past 80mm in terms of sharpness. But I'm not sure if they're photography stills or video stills.

If they are actually photography stills, would the terrible results also translate into video?

Should I just invest in singh ray or heliopan? for ~300 more?

*Edit, so lcw is totally out of the question. Too many bad reviews.

I'm thinking of getting 4x4 tiffen filters for $137 each. 2 filters plus a mattebox ~$524. I'd rather have a cool looking mattebox infront + safe good quality 4x4 tiffen filters. Is this a good route?
 
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leaftors said:
Has anyone used it on a 70-200? I've heard it produces terrible results at focal lengths past 80mm in terms of sharpness. But I'm not sure if they're photography stills or video stills.

If they are actually photography stills, would the terrible results also translate into video?

Should I just invest in singh ray or heliopan? for ~300 more?

*Edit, so lcw is totally out of the question. Too many bad reviews.

I'm thinking of getting 4x4 tiffen filters for $137 each. 2 filters plus a mattebox ~$524. I'd rather have a cool looking mattebox infront + safe good quality 4x4 tiffen filters. Is this a good route?
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I know this may not help, but I have a Genus brand one and on my 70-200 L at 200mm you see ghosting on it which drives me f'n nuts. I actually haven't tried it at smaller focal lengths.
 
yeh i just got some tiffen screw on ND.yeh they are not as convenient as vari ND but the quality isnt compromised. till i can afford a heliopan i will be using these.
 
Well lets kind of clear up the picture here. The one's we can afford amongst us (LCW, Genus, etc) don't work so great with longer lenses it seems like, but they've worked great with my prime lenses or shorter lenses such as my Canon 50mm f1.8, Tamron 17-50 2.8. Still a great filter and well worth it in terms of convenience when working with your shorter lenses.

I haven't tried the tiffen screw ons on my 70-200 yet but I may do that. I'm just worried that if I stack two or three on it'll have the same problem at the Genus filter. I imagine it comes down to the more glass you add on top of a lens that has a far reach, the more reflection/refraction/ghosting starts happening.
 
my tests, with the LCW fader ND and tiffen ND screw-ins: http://www.similaar.com/foto/lenstests/lenstestsn.html - as others have said: the fader is extremely convenient, and works fine at around 35mm, but by 135mm it is killing your images; I routinely stack 3 tiffen ND filters (.3+.6+.9) and it's still much much better than the fader at long focal lengths; I just uploaded a video that uses that 3-filter stacking, but with shorter lenses (35mm and 50mm), and I think it looks great: http://vimeo.com/28918901
 
sorry, in that video I linked it's not tiffen ND .9+.6+.3, it is tiffen ND .9+.6, plus Hoya CIR-PL; still a lot of glass in front of my lens, and I think it looks pretty sharp
 
Something that's been overlooked here is the use of a mattebox and filters with a zoom lens: this can't be done.

A mattebox with glass filters on a rail system cannot move with a lens. Most zoom lenses have pretty drastic changes in length from wide to long, and will not be able to move with fixed filters in the way. A mattebox and filters are great with primes, and shorter zooms that don't expand, but for everything else screw-on filters are pretty much it.

When it comes to screw-on filters, buy one set (77mm, or whatever fits the largest filter diameter you need) and use step-down rings to attach them to every other lens you have.
 
Alex H. said:
Something that's been overlooked here is the use of a mattebox and filters with a zoom lens: this can't be done.

A mattebox with glass filters on a rail system cannot move with a lens. Most zoom lenses have pretty drastic changes in length from wide to long, and will not be able to move with fixed filters in the way. A mattebox and filters are great with primes, and shorter zooms that don't expand, but for everything else screw-on filters are pretty much it.
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The OP was asking about filters for the 70-200 so he won't have this problem.
 
deltoidjohn said:
The OP was asking about filters for the 70-200 so he won't have this problem.
Click to expand...

Really? Then why this?

leaftors said:
*Edit, so lcw is totally out of the question. Too many bad reviews.

I'm thinking of getting 4x4 tiffen filters for $137 each. 2 filters plus a mattebox ~$524. I'd rather have a cool looking mattebox infront + safe good quality 4x4 tiffen filters. Is this a good route?
Click to expand...
 
leaftors said:
What's wrong with using a longer rail and moving the mattebox when you zoom in out?
Click to expand...

If you treat the zoom as a set of primes, it can work. It's still going to be a hassle. You have to set a focal length and stick with it, resetting the mattebox every time you change focal length.

Forget "cool looking" (as you mentioned in your original post), and worry more about practical.
 
does the canon 70-200 f/2.8 even change length when changing focal length or focus? I've never used it, but I thought not
 
NormanBates said:
does the canon 70-200 f/2.8 even change length when changing focal length or focus? I've never used it, but I thought not
Click to expand...

My apologies. The 70-200mm L does not change length, and neither does the Tamron. Many shorter zooms do, and that's something to keep in mind. But the 70-200mm should actually be fine with a mattebox.
 
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ok, so I was curious about the stacking issue, because I had only tested my Tiffen screw-in filters individually but I usually stack 2 or 3 whenever I'm shooting outside, so I ran a new set of tests (only on the 135mm, as I guessed that would be more problematic than the 35mm)

stacking seems to be no problem at all: sharpness issues and color shift are added up, but you really have to look for it to find an effect
http://www.similaar.com/foto/lenstests/lenstestsn.html
 
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