Question about variable neutral density filter at DVinfo.net

Kajito Nagib · July 19th, 2010, 10:58 AM

The Genus GL GNDF-77 ND 77 mm Fader Circular Filter is in back order with B&H. I bought one on amazon but just found out that it will be shipped in Aug-Sept when available.I've tried a few other online stores but haven't been able to find one in stock. Can someone recommend something else in the same price range and a store that has it in stock? ($140) This is for my 7D. Thanks!

Kajito Nagib · July 19th, 2010, 12:27 PM

I found this in stock online.
Fader ND Mark II - 77mm
Loving the Fader ND and Singh Ray Vari ND. Life savers in New Delhi! | Philip Bloom

B.J. Szabicot · July 19th, 2010, 12:37 PM

Howdy,

I just received my 77mm vari-fader (called the "Fader-ND", and made by LightCraftWorkshop - aka LCW).
I purchased it off of ebay from the official LCW store, confirmed via email with them before using the "Buy it Now" button that they had some in stock (which they did) and had it in my hands about 1 week later.
The cost was $125 US, and shipping (via the post office) was included.

The price-point matches your requirement, and it does a pretty good job of giving you a wide range of ND stops to go at. One gripe (ain't there always one!) - the gradations are not marked as ND .3 / .6 / .9 etc., but rather it's just a series of evenly spaced marks, so if you simply MUST have it be precisely ND .9 or some such thing you'll have to do some controlled testing to determine the exact ND values for your fader.

Hope that helps.
BJ

Manus Sweeney · July 19th, 2010, 12:56 PM

Ive bought a Fader Mark 2 recently in 77mm filter size, previously ive used the 52mm and 67mm original Mark 1 versions..

This Mark 2 filter is extremely green! I havent done any side by side tests with the old ones yet but im pretty sure it never had such a strong and ugly colour cast, its still beter than nothing but everything needs pretty intense colour correction to get it back to a somewhat normal colour.

Heres someone who has done more scientific tests ND filters | David Harry Stewart Blog the post was from january so probably was the original Fader ND.

B.J. Szabicot · July 19th, 2010, 02:18 PM

If you're interested in seeing the green colour jump, I've posted some pics in my "review":
Review: Fader-ND from LightCraftWorkshop.

If you know your way around your post-production suite (I don't yet - AECS4 & Premier Pro CS4) you can compensate for the shift. If anyone is seeing bigger problems than the colour shift I'd dearly love to be schooled (bearing in mind the softness in my shots probably originates from my shakey hand-holding).

Hope this contributes in some fashion to the discussion.

Best.
BJ

Manus Sweeney · July 20th, 2010, 03:50 AM

Actually i did some very rough comparisons with the old Fader ND and there is also the cast.. I think it was because the last shoot i had was in bright midday sun so with the Fader set high the cast was more noticable.

Looking at it again it looks maybe more yellowish than green!

Kajito Nagib · July 20th, 2010, 11:54 PM

ok thanks. I canceled my order for the Genus GL GNDF-77 ND 77 and I'm still waiting for the fader mark II it was available on ebay.

Liam Hall · July 21st, 2010, 12:56 AM

Kajito, I own Fader-NDs that fit all my lenses, but I only use them when I absolutely have to. Most of the time I use solid ND. You can pick up a set of Tiffen NDs at a very reasonable price from most photo stores.

July 19th, 2010, 10:58 AM	#1
Kajito Nagib Major Player Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: NYC Posts: 432	Question about variable neutral density filter The Genus GL GNDF-77 ND 77 mm Fader Circular Filter is in back order with B&H. I bought one on amazon but just found out that it will be shipped in Aug-Sept when available.I've tried a few other online stores but haven't been able to find one in stock. Can someone recommend something else in the same price range and a store that has it in stock? ($140) This is for my 7D. Thanks! __________________ -kAj http://www.sweetproductionmedia.com/

July 19th, 2010, 12:27 PM	#2
Kajito Nagib Major Player Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: NYC Posts: 432	I found this in stock online. Fader ND Mark II - 77mm Loving the Fader ND and Singh Ray Vari ND. Life savers in New Delhi! \| Philip Bloom __________________ -kAj http://www.sweetproductionmedia.com/

July 19th, 2010, 12:37 PM	#3
B.J. Szabicot New Boot Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: North Bay, ON Posts: 21	LCW Fader-ND perhaps? Howdy, I just received my 77mm vari-fader (called the "Fader-ND", and made by LightCraftWorkshop - aka LCW). I purchased it off of ebay from the official LCW store, confirmed via email with them before using the "Buy it Now" button that they had some in stock (which they did) and had it in my hands about 1 week later. The cost was $125 US, and shipping (via the post office) was included. The price-point matches your requirement, and it does a pretty good job of giving you a wide range of ND stops to go at. One gripe (ain't there always one!) - the gradations are not marked as ND .3 / .6 / .9 etc., but rather it's just a series of evenly spaced marks, so if you simply MUST have it be precisely ND .9 or some such thing you'll have to do some controlled testing to determine the exact ND values for your fader. Hope that helps. BJ

July 19th, 2010, 02:18 PM	#5
B.J. Szabicot New Boot Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: North Bay, ON Posts: 21	Fader-ND mini-review If you're interested in seeing the green colour jump, I've posted some pics in my "review": Review: Fader-ND from LightCraftWorkshop. If you know your way around your post-production suite (I don't yet - AECS4 & Premier Pro CS4) you can compensate for the shift. If anyone is seeing bigger problems than the colour shift I'd dearly love to be schooled (bearing in mind the softness in my shots probably originates from my shakey hand-holding). Hope this contributes in some fashion to the discussion. Best. BJ

July 20th, 2010, 11:54 PM	#7
Kajito Nagib Major Player Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: NYC Posts: 432	ok thanks. I canceled my order for the Genus GL GNDF-77 ND 77 and I'm still waiting for the fader mark II it was available on ebay. __________________ -kAj http://www.sweetproductionmedia.com/

July 19th, 2010, 12:56 PM	#4
Manus Sweeney Major Player Join Date: May 2009 Location: Amsterdam, NL Posts: 217	Ive bought a Fader Mark 2 recently in 77mm filter size, previously ive used the 52mm and 67mm original Mark 1 versions.. This Mark 2 filter is extremely green! I havent done any side by side tests with the old ones yet but im pretty sure it never had such a strong and ugly colour cast, its still beter than nothing but everything needs pretty intense colour correction to get it back to a somewhat normal colour. Heres someone who has done more scientific tests ND filters \| David Harry Stewart Blog the post was from january so probably was the original Fader ND.

July 20th, 2010, 03:50 AM	#6
Manus Sweeney Major Player Join Date: May 2009 Location: Amsterdam, NL Posts: 217	Actually i did some very rough comparisons with the old Fader ND and there is also the cast.. I think it was because the last shoot i had was in bright midday sun so with the Fader set high the cast was more noticable. Looking at it again it looks maybe more yellowish than green!

July 21st, 2010, 12:56 AM	#8
Liam Hall Major Player Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: London, England Posts: 969	Kajito, I own Fader-NDs that fit all my lenses, but I only use them when I absolutely have to. Most of the time I use solid ND. You can pick up a set of Tiffen NDs at a very reasonable price from most photo stores. __________________ Writer-Director-DOP www.liamhall.net