Matte Box + filters vs Singh-Ray filter

tikigod19 said:
just the info I needed Norman. Could you link me to the hood you mentioned? So to confirm you attach (in your case glue) the for example 54mm - 67mm adapter to the 54mm lens thread and then put the filter on, and the hood over the top and you can still easily access the rotating ring on the LCW? Is it easy to get the hood on and off as I assume this is the only thing you'd need to keep doing when changing filter

also for a 77mm LCW filter would I need a hood thats larger than 77mm? I'm not sure if the inner thread and outer thread are the same size and I dont have it to hand to look at.
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yes to everything:

* this is the hood I use:
http://cgi.ebay.com/77mm-3-section-Rubber-Lens-Hood-Sun-Shade-Brand-New-/390283204630?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5adeb11816
it attaches to the lens or a filter as if it was a 67mm filter: just screw it on to your lens, to your step-up ring, or to the forefront filter; as easy to put on and off as an additional filter would be

* my ND fader was a MK2 and so it had a 77mm thread going to the side of the camera, and a 82mm thread going to the side of the hood; I think the MK1s were not like this

* by the way: that means I also got a 77mm to 82mm step-up ring, so I could use the hood without the fader

* it's extremely easy to rotate it, as the whole hood will rotate with it; now, if you mount an ND fader and a polarizer, that may get tricky

* you don't want to use a fader on long lenses; in my tests, already at 135mm it kills sharpness beyond recognition; at 35mm it's fine
 
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HansSteinert said:
Hmmm... beginning to think that the Infrared feature is actually really important to digital filming. Crap, might have to return what I ordered and upgrade to the IR set.

Anybody familiar with this Infrared technology, and if it's worth the extra money between these two sets?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...&AID=10655283&PID=3740040&is=REG&A=details&Q=

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...&AID=10655283&PID=3740040&is=REG&Q=&A=details
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it depends on your budget:

* for shane hurlbut, ASC, the water whites are the best filters in the world and thus the ones to have:
http://www.hurlbutvisuals.com/blog/2010/02/10/filtration-beware-of-the-reaper-of-cheap-glass/
http://www.hurlbutvisuals.com/blog/...-extraordinary-images-with-water-white-glass/

* for me, with my limited budget, I got the cheapest tiffen ND filters (even lower-end than the cheaper ones you linked) and I'm pretty happy with them; they don't seem to affect sharpness, and my non-sufficiently-trained eyes can't see any color shifts:
http://www.similaar.com/foto/lenstests/lenstestsn.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/674665-REG/Tiffen_77NDK3_77mm_Digital_Neutral_Density.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/58590-REG/Tiffen_77ND3_77mm_Neutral_Density_ND.html
 
They are both water white glass. The variable is the Infrared.

So, Water White + IR, or just Water White?

Edit: Interesting. I find a post by Shane regarding the issue:

"Please confirm you are looking for the 77MM IRND Kits. Now Johan I want to make sure that you need the IR ND, because this is a personal preference thing. I have shot with the WWIR ND’s and WW ND’s. This is what I find. I love golden skin tones and the IR’s give you that. The WW ND’s don’t effect the color in any way and deliver a cleaner image. I use both at all times"

Guess I'll stick with WW ND's, which was the cheaper one that I bought :D
 
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NormanBates said:
yes to everything:

* this is the hood I use:
http://cgi.ebay.com/67mm-3-section-...658?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5ad305e1a2
it attaches to the lens or a filter as if it was a 67mm filter: just screw it on to your lens, to your step-up ring, or to the forefront filter; as easy to put on and off as an additional filter would be

* my ND fader was a MK2 and so it had a 77mm thread going to the side of the camera, and a 82mm thread going to the side of the hood; I think the MK1s were not like this

* by the way: that means I also got a 77mm to 82mm step-up ring, so I could use the hood without the fader
Click to expand...

I'm loving this idea. I'll buy the 82mm as I have the mkii LCW fader.

I just bought another one so I really hope I don't start to see massive softness like you predict when I shoot above 100mm which although rare, isn't out of the question for me.
 
thanks Norman. Can't believe how cheap you get your Tiffen screw ins for... thy're more than triple that price in the UK.

Based on mine and your tests I've decided its the LCW fader for every lens (step up rings attached to the lens permanently) except the 70-200 which I'll use screw on tiffens for. I have the 0.9, just need to decide whether I need to buy the whole set or if I can get away with just one and riding the shutter speed (baring in mind how little I use that lens)

I am however finding it a nightmare getting an 82mm 3 piece rubber lens hood like the one you use in the UK... the search continues
 
I got my tiffens on bhphoto, but I'm pretty sure you can get them on ebay for a similar price

about the hood: yes, I forgot... in order to get one good hood for 82mm, I bought two of them, both on ebay: a good fotodiox rubber hood in a smaller size, and a cheap chinese rubber hood at 82mm; I put the rubber from the fotodiox on the ring of the chinese bad hood; maybe I was just lucky that it worked that way, because it could just as well not have fit, and the two ultracheap rubber hoods I've bought on ebay are really showing their price
 
ah that sounds a bit more complex but well worth it if it works like you say. I'll look into finding the necessary hoods and seeing if I get lucky and they fit together
 
these are the ones I got; maybe they changed the design somehow in the last year, but it's worth a shot
http://cgi.ebay.com/77mm-3-section-...630?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5adeb11816
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-82mm-Collap...345?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item45fa947399

edit, much later: I just got another fotodiox hood, this time at 67mm, and it is much worse than the bigger ones (it's basically the same as the cheaper chinese ones); I'd expect this to be related to size, not to a change in their products, but there you go, in case someone ends up here later on
 
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NormanBates said:
.3 = ND2 = 1 stop
.6 = ND4 = 2 stops
.9 = ND8 = 3 stops
1.2=ND16 = 4 stops
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutral_density_filter#ND_filter_types

I have .3+.6+.9, and the most I have ever stacked was .3+.9=5 stops; that was a sunny day in southern Spain, but in winter; unless I get the 1.2 too, I expect I'll have to stack them all together sometimes
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just on this subject, i did some tests with my tiffen 0.9 today before it sells on ebay and I found that in bright sun to shoot at the correct exposure i had to set the shutter to 1/400. is there anyway your details above could be equated to shutter. I'm wondering whether i should keep the 0.9 or continue to sell it and buy the 1.2 or a 0.6 to add to the 0.9...
 
if you're having to set 1/400 to get proper exposure, you'd get correct exposure too with:
* 1/200 and an additional .3 filter
* 1/100 and an additional .6 filter
* 1/50 and an additional .9 filter (or a .3 and a .6)

easiest way to calculate what you have to add: divide your current shutter speed (i.e. 400) by your desired shutter speed (i.e. 50) and put an "ND" before that (i.e. ND8)
 
thank you very much that explains it perfectly. Ok so really I need to buy a second 0.9 filter... £100 for 2 filters for a lens I dont use very often does seem like a lot, however after looking at yours and my own tests on the vari at longer lengths I think there's no real contest!

ok so now the decidion, but another .9 or just get the .3 .6 .9 set for more variation. However more variation means more filter switching which is why i wanted the vari in the first place!

Will have a think. Thanks for the info, as always!
 
What is the difference between the standard Tiffen ColorCore glass and the Water White glass? There is a sale on Filmtools for the Indie Water White ND kit (4 filters, .3-1.2). Adds up to about $50 more than the cheaper filters in a kit plus a .3 from B&H.

Also interested if anyone has tried using the Tiffen Variable ND yet. Pretty much brand-new...
 
James0b57 said:
Just tried the Cavision 0.9ND. Initial impression??? No loss of image quality or noticeable color shift. Very scratch resistant.

I plan on doing exposure tests, but I trust they are well within an accurate range.

Very very happy. As long as I am shooting 1080p, I find no reason to spend any more for an ND.

Miles above the plastic filters.
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Upon further use, I found that Cavision glass ND filters have significant IR contamination when used on a Nikon D7000. My previous use was on a Canon 60D, which supposedly has a stronger IR filter on its sensor than Nikon. I do not recommend using a Cavision glass filters on a Nikon.

Also, Cavision ND above ND0.9 on the Canon, show a shift towards the browns and magentas. But, for the price, using Cavision ND on a 60D is very useable up to 0.9
 
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