Fader ND filters

Martin Campbell · August 30th, 2010, 04:03 PM

Have been on the lookout for an added ND filter. I'd prefer to get one of the fader ones, so that on a shoot, I'm not faffing around changing lens filters.

There are quite a few on sale on ebay (I live in the UK), and I wondered if anyone out there had bought one of these and if there were any differences in quality between them? What should I be expecting to pay for one of decent quality?

here's a link to one.

Fader ND Filter ( ND2 to ND400) 55mm Neutral Density - eBay (item 140410646817 end time Sep-21-10 08:41:40 PDT)

Thanks

Robert Turchick · August 30th, 2010, 04:19 PM

I have the Singh ray and it works great. A couple of stepup rings make them fit all my lenses.
That eBay one looks interesting. Certainly better price than the $390 one I have!

Martin Campbell · August 30th, 2010, 05:15 PM

$390!! yikes! - I wasn't expecting to pay anywhere near as much as that! I thought could pick one up easily for about £50 ($70/$80)

Ian Holb · August 30th, 2010, 05:19 PM

DIY with two linear polarizers. You can check out the Fader ND and Genus ND but you'd probably want to do a search for the limitations and image quality degradation of those filters before deciding if it is right for you.

I personally would just use straight ND filters... no sharpness loss and minimal colour casts. They are pricey though, especially the better ones.

Martin Campbell · August 30th, 2010, 05:29 PM

as you say, there could be a loss in sharpness with the fader, although just noticed this filter - which is the only one I can see that guarantees it's for HD.

Fader ND Filter ( ND2 to ND400) 77mm Neutral Density on eBay (end time 17-Sep-10 15:41:07 BST)

Ian Holb · August 30th, 2010, 05:57 PM

Personally, I think that filter is a POS.

Robert Turchick · August 30th, 2010, 05:59 PM

As many will tell you, the image quality with the Singh ray is awesome. Considering what you'd have to spend with individual nd filters and stacking, it really isn't that bad a price. plus the one I got is the thin one and it doesn't vignette nearly as bad as the thick one. And it's only on my Tokina 11-16 at 11mm that you see any at all.

That said, if the eBay ones work well and keep the image sharp, I'd probably pick up a different sized one so I wouldn't have to move the Singh ray around.

Who's going to pull the trigger and give us a report?

Martin Campbell · August 30th, 2010, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ian Holb

Personally, I think that filter is a POS.

by POS - you mean possibility?

Alan Halfhill · August 30th, 2010, 08:13 PM

I bought mine on eBay for a little over a $100 and it works great.

Nigel Barker · August 30th, 2010, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ian Holb

Personally, I think that filter is a POS.

Why? Did you buy one from that particular eBay seller & test it?

Nigel Barker · August 30th, 2010, 10:57 PM

You should buy from the manufacturer Light Craft Workshop

Light Craft Workshop FADER ND Filter mark II (MK2) 55mm - eBay (item 140433606432 end time Sep-27-10 11:35:36 PDT)

These variable ND filters are excellent quality & work well. Depending on filter size size they are priced around $75-$125 delivered.

Manus Sweeney · August 31st, 2010, 02:09 AM

the link above is also from LCW.. I have the original and Mark 2 versions, they both work well but give a very strong green/yellowish colour cast

Nigel Barker · August 31st, 2010, 06:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Manus Sweeney

the link above is also from LCW.. I have the original and Mark 2 versions, they both work well but give a very strong green/yellowish colour cast

I bought several of the original version direct from LCW & none of them have a green/yellowish colour cast or indeed any colour cast. When it is set at maximum there is a patchy dark blue/green cast but if you back off a little from maximum then it is fine.

Manus Sweeney · August 31st, 2010, 11:40 AM

The problem is definitely worse the more you turn the filter, mine is a definite green/yellow colour though.. do you manual white balance? im wondering if using the presets is a bad idea and doing a custom WB would solve the tint.. i will try it out

in any case heres some testing done regarding the colour tints on different ND filters..

ND filters | Blog: David Harry Stewart, Photographer/Director

Ian Holb · August 31st, 2010, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nigel Barker

Why? Did you buy one from that particular eBay seller & test it?

I bought from eBay seller, lightcraftworkshop-official-store. The filter came in the brown box with the hologram, so I'm pretty sure it's legit. They mention "fakes" floating out there but I seriously think they are the ones who are the fakes. I was initially happy with using it, but then I didn't know any better.

After doing some tests with the Fader ND mk2, and several other ND filters, ranging in price from $12 to $125, the Fader ND was the only filter to 1) soften the image above 85mm 2) introduce a very strong greenish/yellow colour cast, 3) rendered bokeh in a very ugly way. All other straight NDs performed significantly better. I've concluded it is better to just use straight NDs because the drawbacks to the Fader ND were too much vs. the convenience of variable ND strengths.

I now only shoot with the Tiffen ND IRs in strengths of 0.9, 1.5 and 2.1. And I can be assured my images look their best. There is great comfort in that.

August 30th, 2010, 04:03 PM	#1
Martin Campbell Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: London Posts: 104	Fader ND filters - Any recommendations? Have been on the lookout for an added ND filter. I'd prefer to get one of the fader ones, so that on a shoot, I'm not faffing around changing lens filters. There are quite a few on sale on ebay (I live in the UK), and I wondered if anyone out there had bought one of these and if there were any differences in quality between them? What should I be expecting to pay for one of decent quality? here's a link to one. Fader ND Filter ( ND2 to ND400) 55mm Neutral Density - eBay (item 140410646817 end time Sep-21-10 08:41:40 PDT) Thanks

August 30th, 2010, 04:19 PM	#2
Robert Turchick Trustee Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Mesa, AZ Posts: 1,389	I have the Singh ray and it works great. A couple of stepup rings make them fit all my lenses. That eBay one looks interesting. Certainly better price than the $390 one I have! __________________ The older I get, the better I was!

August 30th, 2010, 05:59 PM	#7
Robert Turchick Trustee Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Mesa, AZ Posts: 1,389	As many will tell you, the image quality with the Singh ray is awesome. Considering what you'd have to spend with individual nd filters and stacking, it really isn't that bad a price. plus the one I got is the thin one and it doesn't vignette nearly as bad as the thick one. And it's only on my Tokina 11-16 at 11mm that you see any at all. That said, if the eBay ones work well and keep the image sharp, I'd probably pick up a different sized one so I wouldn't have to move the Singh ray around. Who's going to pull the trigger and give us a report? __________________ The older I get, the better I was!

August 31st, 2010, 11:40 AM	#14
Manus Sweeney Major Player Join Date: May 2009 Location: Amsterdam, NL Posts: 217	The problem is definitely worse the more you turn the filter, mine is a definite green/yellow colour though.. do you manual white balance? im wondering if using the presets is a bad idea and doing a custom WB would solve the tint.. i will try it out in any case heres some testing done regarding the colour tints on different ND filters.. ND filters \| Blog: David Harry Stewart, Photographer/Director Last edited by Manus Sweeney; August 31st, 2010 at 01:37 PM.

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August 30th, 2010, 05:15 PM	#3
Martin Campbell Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: London Posts: 104	$390!! yikes! - I wasn't expecting to pay anywhere near as much as that! I thought could pick one up easily for about £50 ($70/$80)

August 30th, 2010, 05:19 PM	#4
Ian Holb Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 127	DIY with two linear polarizers. You can check out the Fader ND and Genus ND but you'd probably want to do a search for the limitations and image quality degradation of those filters before deciding if it is right for you. I personally would just use straight ND filters... no sharpness loss and minimal colour casts. They are pricey though, especially the better ones.

August 30th, 2010, 05:29 PM	#5
Martin Campbell Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: London Posts: 104	as you say, there could be a loss in sharpness with the fader, although just noticed this filter - which is the only one I can see that guarantees it's for HD. Fader ND Filter ( ND2 to ND400) 77mm Neutral Density on eBay (end time 17-Sep-10 15:41:07 BST)

August 30th, 2010, 05:57 PM	#6
Ian Holb Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 127	Personally, I think that filter is a POS.

August 30th, 2010, 08:13 PM	#9
Alan Halfhill Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Sequim, WA Posts: 127	I bought mine on eBay for a little over a $100 and it works great.

August 30th, 2010, 10:57 PM	#11
Nigel Barker Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK Posts: 3,531	You should buy from the manufacturer Light Craft Workshop Light Craft Workshop FADER ND Filter mark II (MK2) 55mm - eBay (item 140433606432 end time Sep-27-10 11:35:36 PDT) These variable ND filters are excellent quality & work well. Depending on filter size size they are priced around $75-$125 delivered.

August 31st, 2010, 02:09 AM	#12
Manus Sweeney Major Player Join Date: May 2009 Location: Amsterdam, NL Posts: 217	the link above is also from LCW.. I have the original and Mark 2 versions, they both work well but give a very strong green/yellowish colour cast