GH2 Sigma 20mm F1.8
- Thread starter Kholi
- Start date
Well since I don't come from a professional background like yourself, I've always gone the cheap and easy route just to learn the basics. I can't believe I actually use to shoot without an ND of any kind. Before I decided to go with a fader, I read a bit and looked at a few sample videos, and in hindsight... best decision ever. I just use the really cheap "neewer" brand fader and it works great. Only ND400 is unuseable... fades light into a purple hue, but almost the whole range is completely usable. It's amazing just to have on hand; $15? What have you got to lose!?
Here's a video I did, maybe you already saw it, that I used the fader for at just below ND400 for the whole thing. I had my sigma 30mm 1.4 wide open the entire time at 640 iso. https://vimeo.com/35999739
I'm just using the flycam nano, works like it should. I still need to get a better quick release plate like a manfrotto or something. Still using the stock one and wondering how long it's actually gonna last. But, that's probably my main accessory, I almost don't even take it off. A bit impractical for focusing on the fly but at least I've become a lot better at judging distances.
After a while you just get addicted to the smoothness...
After a while you just get addicted to the smoothness...
Gonna try the Flycam out if I can. Might just be something I HAVE to do. Although I like being able to use my focus... is what it is with these tiny things.
Got the Neewer/Polaroid fader, fits great, doesn't look like it's doing anything crazy destructive... but it has a yellow cast to the naked eye. Are faders normally like that??
Got the Neewer/Polaroid fader, fits great, doesn't look like it's doing anything crazy destructive... but it has a yellow cast to the naked eye. Are faders normally like that??
I mean if you look at it with just your eyes, not on the camera, it's got a yellow tint?
NISI Fader ND 2-400 Filters Review
I've got set of NiSi Fader ND 2-400 filters: 67mm, 72mm, 77mm, and 82mm :
Packaging is so good! :Y: .. small palstic boxes even have a rubber ring to prevent dust:
Here 77mm filter on my Canon 24-70mm L lens .. outer size is 82mm:
Here is a few screenshots from testing videos I did.. and I'm looking to Color, Details and Distortion in Bokeh
. ..even FORMATT ND filter have cold, blue colorcast ...
..but cheap Polaroid fader filters even much worse:
They are not only give us horrible Yellow-Grihish colorcast...
.
. but also doubling lines in Bokeh:
and .. now .. compare to them NISI -FILTERS!
There is NO COLOR-CAST, Good sharpness and details, and no "Cross" on maximum ( exept a very liitle on 16mm ..but we never need to use MAXIMUM on short end anyway
..and they have STOPPERS on Max and Min position! I really like this filters!
Looks like someone else answered our question. The Polaroid is the same as the Neewer, just rebadged.
Not sure what route I'm gonna take, I know I need a lot of ND, and I also want to be able to use a Black Diff 3 on it. Would have to get an ND16, 8, 4 and probably a polarizer along with that Black Diff 3... that's a nice chunk of change...
HDkilledFILM.
Burnin' down the House
Is it really your intention to use vari ND filters Kholi (Just curious as to why not just use standard 4x5 or 4x4)? If so is it for practical reasons (Shooting on locations and trying to steal a shot?)? Or are you trying to strip down your rig to the barest bones it can be in general?
I actually do not like matteboxes. At all. Also not a fan of follow focuses either. I don't mind bulk at all: even shooting RED I'd rather go without the labors of a Mattebox and Follow Focus, just pull by hand and use black wrap to ward off light (or lens hoods for SLR glass).
I wanted to try the Vari to see how it played in a run-n-gun environment and, well, it's an 82mm thread size... those NDs are expensive and I'd have to buy an entire set. =T
Even one decent fader would cover the range and cost less than a group of 16, 8, 4, Polarizer.
Oh, the other thing about faders, no ability to use Polarizer which is important too.
I may just go ahead and get a set of NDs and a new Pola... is what it is yeah?
HDkilledFILM.
Burnin' down the House
Yeah, I am all for run and gun... To a fault. In the end you know you'll miss one shot because of a slip of that fader mid take, or like you said, you'll need a mattebox anyway for a multi filter shot... Maybe it's more practical than I'm giving it credit for and you'll only need the matte box for 6 or 7 set ups the entire movie... But... who knows when that will be and in the end, you'll still run into the situation where you need a matte box anyway. Just wondering if your going to try and go gurrillla your next feature... Could be fun lol.
Sorry, I didn't mean I was gonna use an MB
xD
I'm gonna get screwn on 82mm 16, 8, 4 filters.
Superseeds was all guerilla, man. We did shoo REDs, but half the time I was hand holding it with the 18-100 on it and like no mattebox or FF. haha.
To me, it's not even considered guerilla anymore, it's just how I shoot. You don't need a Mattebox, trust me. Carry a roll of blackwrap and gaff tape and you'll be fine. What's more important is knowing how to balance your ND usage in each situation. Carrying around a set in your pocket won't cost you anymore time or any less time than sliding a filter tray out to put in an ND.
That's a lot of experience talking.
xD
I'm gonna get screwn on 82mm 16, 8, 4 filters.
Superseeds was all guerilla, man. We did shoo REDs, but half the time I was hand holding it with the 18-100 on it and like no mattebox or FF. haha.
To me, it's not even considered guerilla anymore, it's just how I shoot. You don't need a Mattebox, trust me. Carry a roll of blackwrap and gaff tape and you'll be fine. What's more important is knowing how to balance your ND usage in each situation. Carrying around a set in your pocket won't cost you anymore time or any less time than sliding a filter tray out to put in an ND.
That's a lot of experience talking.
HDkilledFILM.
Burnin' down the House
Wow, that's pretty badass... I know this may make me look like a nervous weirdo but I'm always wary of screw on filters because of the risks involved (Dirt in being ground into the filter thread, getting stuck, having the AC make a slight error and god forbid scratch the front element)... In the end though I guess if I'm shooting on cheap glass (Cheap is a funny way to describe a 500-1,000$ lens I'm aware) then the risk factors might make it worth trying, because in the end more set ups is always better. I'm all for the gaff and black wrap btw... Talk about saving your a**
FOr sure. Everyone's concerns are valid for their own purposes. This glass is cheap in comparison to cinema glass, but my bank account says differently. xD
I've worked both ways for a long time, screw ons and matteboxes, and they both take the same amount of time with the same amount of risks. Only one is cheaper if you break something, MUCh cheaper.
4x5's get chipped, scratched, cracked daily. Mattebox bolts and screws fall off and get lost all the time (MB-20's especially). Flags become loose and topple, fall, etc.
I've dropped Screw on 77mms so many times and I've only had one break. ONE. Hell I still have some of my NDs left over from three years ago that I'm using. Very tiny fiber scratches and stuff like that but nothing that affects images. I also don't baby my filters: they free float in a bag until I need them, I wipe them with my shirt, put them in my pockets so on and so forth and even my Polarizer is still in great condition after a little clean up.
I bounce back between Epic and DSLR now, I don't see a point in trying to shove the DSLR into that space. The only thing it needs is weight, a way to get the signal to a client monitor, and a really damned good tripod.
The rest is free.