Variable ND in the UK...

L

leeburnett

Active member
Okay, so after quite a bit of research I've decided that a variable ND is the best option for my 550d considering the type of videos I aim to do. Mainly for internet and a lot of run & gun. Plus I would like to have the ability to smoothly stop down the footage when moving between shade and light that just isn't possible without a variable ND.

The problem is I live on this detached little island called England, where it seems that everything is extremely overpriced and hard to get. Bugger.

I would really love the Heliopan, from what I've read and seen it's the best option. The problem is I need 82mm, and the cheapest I can get it in the UK is £520, which is a whopping $1000... There's no way I'm paying that.

Other than that the Tiffen seems great quality as well, but even that is £230 ($420) shipped from B&H, or £260 from Amazon UK...

Is there nowhere in England to get either of these filters for cheaper? It almost seems like it would be cheaper for me to fly to Portugal or somewhere, buy the Heliopan and fly back. Phillip Bloom said he managed to get the Heliopan in Portugal for about £200...

Can anybody help me?
 
leeburnett said:
The problem is I live on this detached little island called England, where it seems that everything is extremely overpriced and hard to get. Bugger.
Click to expand...

Since when has England been an island?

There are lots of places you can buy variable ND in the UK. CVP, ProAV, Videogear, Amazon, WEX, Calumet and many others. If you don't like UK vendors, you can order from anywhere in Europe and the postman will drop it through your letter box. If you don't like European vendors, try B&H in New York or Abel Cine, Film Gear or Adorama. I've bought a couple direct from Lightcraft in China - postman dropped those in too:-)

Worth noting vari-NDs aren't perfect - even the expensive ones. I've got a vari-ND for each of my lenses, though I still prefer solid ND 99% of the time.
 
aaaaamazing, thanks guys. I searched for numerous places for the Tiffen but never managed to find somewhere that would ship it that cheap to the UK. I thought I was a good googler, but apparently not.

Still frustrating to see the dirt cheap prices in the US that never work out that cheap with tax and customs.

Thanks P13, looks like the cheapest I've seen so far.
 
Glad to be of help.

Photospecialist are EU based so there is no tax or duty, they use Fedex I think and delivery is usually about 48 hours. They've got some other good offers. One thing to be aware of is they convert the price to Euros so it does fluctuation slightly.

I've got one of two bargains buying from them as UK prices tend to be a rip-off.

If you're after a camera bag any time soon this is a bargain: http://www.photospecialist.co.uk/product/1494068/lowepro-slingshot-202-aw-black.html
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top