Variable ND or Fader Filters

[hjoseph7]

<p>Not sure, but a few years back I think it was only Singh-Ray offering variable ND filters. One filter was all that was needed for all your ND needs. As you know ND filters come in various grades or steps; .03, .06, .09 etc. Each step is about one stop of light, so with a variable ND you only need to carry one filter in your bag. The Singh-Ray filter is about $450(last time I looked), but when it first came out it was a whopping $800 !</p>

<p>Considering that this filter can stop from 1-10 stops of light, maybe the price is worth it especially if you are a landscape photographer, or shoot a lot of Video.</p>

<p>Lately though, other filter manufacturers like Hoya and Tiffen as well as some copy-cats have jumped on the bandwagon. Their Variable filters or Faders cost much less than the Singh-Ray. For example Hoya sells a Fader for $134. Tiffen sells one for $140. I purchased one from the copy-cats for $14.95 off eBay !<br>

<br /> However I'm a little skeptical about the picture quality with these filters, I'm wondering how much degradation do these filters introduce ? That's why I started with a cheaper version. Has anybody used any of the high-end variable ND filters and can tell us about picture quality with these filters ?</p>

[howard_m]

<p>I have/use the Tiffen and IMO, it's quite nice. While I think the $14 is likely to be, um, substandard, I think that SinghRay is the opposite and generally for folks who have too much $$ to burn on accessories. I don't expect anyone to look at 2 competing images and see a difference.</p>

[jonmichael]

<p>I agree with Howard. I really like High-Tech ND filters. I think they are around 50 bucks a pop. It definitely pays to have more than one. And I often find myself stacking them.<br>

<a href="http://www.beachphotographyhq.com">jonmichael</a></p>

[howard_m]

<p>You can very often find the Tiffen 77mm VND on sale for around $109 or something (BH regularly has them on sale)</p>