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Tiffen Variable ND vs. Heliopan Variable ND

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Gabor D.

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Hey,
I looked through the similar threads, but somehow I didn't find any where this two would be compared and discussed. Heliopan is mentioned a lot, Singh Ray, lcw, and cheaper stuff....

Philip Bloom recommends Heliopan, while other two testers (in the US) found the Heliopan doesn't worth its higher price. But in Europe this two filters are roughly cost the same. So which one would you recommend?

Tiffen - 175 euro
http://www.creativevideo.co.uk/index.php?t=product/tiffen_77vnd

Heliopan - 199 euro
http://www.fotomayr.de/webkat98/index_fi.htm

I would use it for a feature shoot with a Zeiss ZF.2 25mm 2.8 and some Nikon 1.8 AF-D primes.
 
While a variable ND is always something to be used with care, since you are dealing with polarizers after all, the Heliopan is the best I found.
Don't get me wrong, I own a lot of Tiffen filters too, including fixed ND and IR, they are great.
 
Thanks!
But is it a problem that the Tiffen uses its Colorcore tecnhology, not the very highly praised Water White? I found only this Colorcore vari ND from Tiffen.

I wan't to shoot at a somewhat constant iris and ISO (for the constant graininess), so I would use the vari ND very often. So I want one which has good colors and quality at as many stops as possible...
 
This is all marketing speak. All Vari-NDs I know of are two polarizers crossing over, period. They can be serious trouble with tempered glass and can make water, ordinary glass and some other shiny surfaces look dull.

The colors on the Heliopan are great, and so is sharpness, which can suffer a lot with cheaper ones on longer lenses.
 
But how does the Tiffen compares to it? I mean it's "Tiffen" one of the biggest brand in motion picture filters, but somehow everybody seems to speak about the german Heliopan...
 
I did a test between Heliopan and the new Eclipse if someone is interested.

http://frankglencairn.wordpress.com/2012/12/08/nd-fader-shootout-heliopan-vs-the-new-genus-eclipse/

In a nutshell:

1. The Eclipse is a bit warmer, better build quality and better markings.
2. All NDs have some sort of color cast - non of them is really neutral.
I tried the Tiffen and found it a bit greenish (but it depends on your camera - some sensors react different).
3. You need a near IR filter for heavier ND - vari or not.
4. To control the polarizer effect on an variND (or completely get rid of it), you need a second stage, that turns the whole shebang.


I used the Heliopan religiously, but like the Eclipse better now.

Frank
 
Excellent info, thanks Frank!

But I never got completely rid of the effects on windshields.
 
I just researched this Genus Eclipse ND filter.... I coulg get it for half of the price of the Heliopan! I'm really not competent in this question but I find it fascinating that a cheapo chinese filter is better then a double priced German made filter.... :S Plus I read that the build quality is better on Eclipse... How is that?

So...
Genus Eclipse Vairable ND - 165 USD
(http://shop.genustech.tv/collections/genus-eclipse-nd-fader/products/eclipse-nd-fader-77mm)
vs.
Tiffen Variable ND - 230 USD
(http://www.creativevideo.co.uk/index.php?t=product/tiffen_77vnd)
vs.
Heliopan Variable ND - 266 USD
(http://www.fotomayr.de/CGI-BIN/webkat98.exe?006620.HTM&WA=EUR-WEBKAT98)


From the tests it seems as if the Eclipse would have a slightly worse dynamic range, or is it just because of the warmer color cast?

I plan to use this filter a lot on my upcoming feature shoot (I want to shoot mainly at constant aperture and constant iso for uniform noise levels), so although I'm happy to spend less, but not at the risk of quality.... I even thought of taking the middle and go with the Tiffen...

The price of Eclipse is tempting.... but I'm really concerned about sharpness and IQ issues.... :S Heliopan seems to get great reviews...
 
How much more complicated is to use separate ND filters like this Tiffen indie kit, versus a variable ND? Am I right that in case of vari ND you can have tine fine adjustments in small increments, while with separate NDs you are limited to full stops, and in this case to the four filters in the basic kit?

This Tiffen Indie Kit costs around the same as a Heliopan vari ND..... Now, I'm really confused....
 
Above which ND value an IR filter is recommended? For example in case of these Tiffen Water Whites? 1.2, or 1.5? Is it a good solution to go with IRND filters or use a separate IR filter with the ND filter?
 
Bob Gundu said:
At least with Tiffen anyway, colour shift will be noticeable after 1.5 using regular NDs.
Click to expand...

So is it any good, better than average or worse?

The Tiffen HV Indie kit features a 0.3, 0.6, 0.9 and 1.2 screw in water white ND. Is it a usable set for a feature film or I need higher value NDs?

How comfortable would be this kit to be used versus a variable ND?
 
Gabor D. said:
Above which ND value an IR filter is recommended? For example in case of these Tiffen Water Whites? 1.2, or 1.5? Is it a good solution to go with IRND filters or use a separate IR filter with the ND filter?
Click to expand...

Gabor, there are TWO Tiffen ND sets you may want to consider getting.

The first is from 0.3 to 1.2. This does NOT have IR (a rule of thumb some follow is it's safe to be w/out IR from 0.3 to 0.9....but by 1.2 it starts to be prudent to have IR protection).

And the second set is from 1.5 to 2.1, and this DOES have IR.

To be safe, you can supplement the second IR set with a 1.2 IR, so you would be protected from 1.2 on up.
 
By the way, this is the Heliopan near IR Filter I use.
Works just fine for me, no mater what ND I throw at it.

As you can see, this "digital" filter shuts down near IR at about 680nm and also doubles as a UV filter.

digital-video_diagramm.gif


http://www.heliopan.de/wp-content/uploads/Heliopan-Filters.pdf

Scrol down to page 10 HELIOPAN – Digitalfilter, BLF 1x, LW -0#8025
 
Last edited:
Thanks Nick and Frank!

What happens if I use an IR filter or IRND at lower values like 0.3, 0.6 or 0.9?

What this Tiffen indie kit is enough for (0.3-1.2 kit)? In bright daylight is it enough? Right now I want to use it for basically to shoot a "dark" movie, set mainly around night time, but I need to control exposure with an ND filter.

Is it true that the Heliopan vari ND doesn't require an IR filter to be used?

I'm concerned about the skin tones with vari nds, this is why I'm exploring the possibilites with a fixed ND set... But I'm not sure whther the Tiffen 4 stops kit is enough or not....
 
Gabor D. said:
Thanks Nick and Frank!

What happens if I use an IR filter or IRND at lower values like 0.3, 0.6 or 0.9?
Click to expand...

From what I understand, skintones can be affected, making them look a bit warmer and "toastier".

Gabor D. said:
What this Tiffen indie kit is enough for (0.3-1.2 kit)? In bright daylight is it enough? Right now I want to use it for basically to shoot a "dark" movie, set mainly around night time, but I need to control exposure with an ND filter.
Click to expand...

For bright daylight, you often need more. However if you are shooting mostly dark scenes w/ very little light, I can't imagine you'll need much more than that basic Tiffen 0.3 to 1.2 kit. Shane Hurblut had a hand in developing that kit himself, FYI.
 
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