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Has anyone got experience of these? I was thinking of getting one instead of multiple nd filters of different strength. I don't use these too often so not wanting to spend a huge amount of money on this.
Variable nd filters
- Thread starter donkey_kong
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Got one, bought it so that i'd know what I wanted before forking out on ND filters.
At maxiumum ND they're terrible, you get a great big X effect on the image.
At minimum to 3/4, they work ok, but because they're basically two filters stuck together, your chances of lens flare and "weird reflections" on a sunny day are much greater.
They do have their uses, especially when you need a quick solution.
They're worth buying if your not really sure what filters you need. BUT buy a cheap one from China, they're the same item as the branded filters.
I now have a cheap variable, a 10stopper, a grad ND, a polariser and im looking out for a 3(ish) stop ND for my 50mm f/1.8 (to prevent over exposure when using it wide open in sunlight).
At maxiumum ND they're terrible, you get a great big X effect on the image.
At minimum to 3/4, they work ok, but because they're basically two filters stuck together, your chances of lens flare and "weird reflections" on a sunny day are much greater.
They do have their uses, especially when you need a quick solution.
They're worth buying if your not really sure what filters you need. BUT buy a cheap one from China, they're the same item as the branded filters.
I now have a cheap variable, a 10stopper, a grad ND, a polariser and im looking out for a 3(ish) stop ND for my 50mm f/1.8 (to prevent over exposure when using it wide open in sunlight).
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I bought a £3 3 stop ND filter from the 'bay for my 85mm f1.8. :thumbsdown: Don't bother, very hard to correct megenta colour cast and soft images.
For variable ND, what do you want to use it for? To get milky water, just get a 10 stop ND. As said, they are not good at maximum strength.
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Like I say, the variable was really just to test the water. Since buying that, i've got a Hoya polariser, Hoya ND Grad, Haida 10stopper and i'm probably going back to Hoya for a 3 stop.
Strangely though, the cheapo variable ND, was actually not too bad.... Not once i'd stripped it down and cleaned off the fingerprints between the two layers.