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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Variable ND filters

cant speak for cine as such but I'm using a 4 stage variable ND on my Nikon D3s for stills and DSLR video shoots and they work really well. the markings on the actual filter (Genus) aren't super accurate and not calibarted in actual stops, so its a bit more of a guessing game, but in general they're a neat little tool.

I also noticed that when you use the ND stacked together with a polarizer, the image can get a bit of a greenish tinge....which isn't really a problem cause it can be graded out easily but its something you should be aware of.
 
I have a couple of the Singh-Ray VariND's (http://www.singh-ray.com/varind.html) for DLSR shooting and they work quite well but if you're working outside and you have them dialed in strong you can get some weird artifacts and a double polarized sky (two patches of sky on opposite sides of the image go near black). You can see it on the first two shots of http://vimeo.com/33378245 that was shot on the 1DmkIV.

Singh-Ray say that their filters won't cause IR problems but I haven't tested them for that. After testing the Canon C300 (http://vimeo.com/33630265) with it's internal ND's I'm looking forward to retiring the Vari-ND's.
 
Just one thing to remember guys, Variable ND's are double polarisers... It's a great way to ND, but man it can make a shot look ugly, especially with wide angles.
Skin reflections can be stripped from skin and peoples faces look plastic... Skies can go so dark they also look fake... food for thought.

But overall they are a cheap great way to ND...

By they way, Singj-Ray Variable ND is the best... but I'm sure over all they are all pretty much the same. :)

http://www.singh-ray.com/varind.html
 
Mark Toia said:
Just one thing to remember guys, Variable ND's are double polarisers... It's a great way to ND, but man it can make a shot look ugly, especially with wide angles.
Skin reflections can be stripped from skin and peoples faces look plastic... Skies can go so dark they also look fake... food for thought.

But overall they are a cheap great way to ND...

By they way, Singj-Ray Variable ND is the best... but I'm sure over all they are all pretty much the same. :)

http://www.singh-ray.com/varind.html
Click to expand...

Yeah...I was just going to ask how the heck these things work. Figured it was some sort of polarization trick. That or magic.
 
what seems to be missing here is compensation for IR, which I understand is of some concern with our digi-camera sensors when using a lot of ND to knock down visible light. My understanding is that we should be using some degree of IR filtration if ND starts to exceed certain amount. Apologies for seeming vague. I know dangerously little about this but another (Epic) thread on the specific issues of IR caught my attention and seems applicable to this discussion. ND and IR appear to be mutually inclusive.
And if so then the ability to "dial in" large amounts of ND would create some issues with IR contamination.
Don't get me wrong - I love the idea of having adjustable ND!
Stu Aull
Alaska
 
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