ND Solutions when using prime lenses (different filter thread sizes)

salils

salils

Well-known member
I can't afford the redrock mattebox and micro filter set yet...in the mean time it's very difficult to shoot exteriors with out some sort of ND solution. Anything out there that's affordable? I'm not looking for just some slightly cheaper mattebox...I'd like to invest in RedRock because I know it's good so I want something significantly cheaper to hold me over.
 
Fader ND.

I got a 52 MM Fader for $58, put 52MM step rings on all my primes that were 48mm (Takumar 50, Zuiko 28). Those plus my two Nikon primes that are already 52mm, easy.
 
rallymatt said:
Fader ND.

I got a 52 MM Fader for $58, put 52MM step rings on all my primes that were 48mm (Takumar 50, Zuiko 28). Those plus my two Nikon primes that are already 52mm, easy.
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Fader ND, whether purchased commercially or home made, is a great option. Buy it big, as mentioned, and then just use step up rings so that you can use it on smaller lenses.
 
Fader ND is definitely the way to go. I would recommend spending the extra cash and get a 77mm in case you go up to some Canon L glass and get appropriate step rings for your smaller lenses as others have mentioned. The 77mm is like 100 bucks but a lot of great lenses are larger and you dont want to be stuck with a filter too small in the future if you upgrade.
 
Hmm, I really like it, but is there anyway to tell what position cuts how many stops? Could be a problem if I'm using a light meter to set exposure.
 
rallymatt said:
Fader ND.

I got a 52 MM Fader for $58, put 52MM step rings on all my primes that were 48mm (Takumar 50, Zuiko 28). Those plus my two Nikon primes that are already 52mm, easy.
Click to expand...

Is there anyway of creating repeatable marks on this? Like if I measured with my meter it cuts x many stops at this point in rotation and then mark it with a grease pen would it be repeatable?
 
mhood said:
You'll have even more fun figuring out how many stops of ND the FaderND is giving you. LOL!
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OK that made me laugh . :badputer: Imagine doing that to your 7d :)

I was wondering the same thing , I geuss there are no marks on it !
How does Fader ND work actually ?
 
Yea, the FaderND just might be the straw that breaks the OCD's back. Can you imagine trying to etch marks onto the side? It would make me put my fist through the LCD for sure! :-)
 
mhood said:
Yea, the FaderND just might be the straw that breaks the OCD's back. Can you imagine trying to etch marks onto the side? It would make me put my fist through the LCD for sure! :-)
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Right but assuming by some miracle it was possible to make a small mark with a grease pen on one of these would it be repeatable?
 
I have no idea. Just a guess but I would imagine it might be fairly repeatable. There are two marks on the filter that indicate the usable range from lowest to highest ND, so your marks would go between those.
 
aren't there marks on everyone's that go from min to max? not sure if the dots represent f-stops (or parts of f-stops) at all though. the results are pretty consistent and repeatable though (for example, 3 dots away from the max will always give you about the same amount of nd).
 
Finally actually looked at mine and you're right killacam...there is a grid of marks between min and max and a white dot on the rotator ring. If you could assign values to those scale marks, you'd be in business.
 
Instead of a fader ND I’ve been using two 58mm Hoya linear polarizer filters and both have marks on them. But both filters move around so it would be pretty difficult to try and get repeatable results unless you found a way to make one of them not move. But it should be easy enough just to locate both marks back to the same starting point and work your way from there.
 
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