Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Variable ND Filters

One of the cons of shooting with a DSLR or the FS100 is the lack of built-in ND filters.  You'd like to use a matt box but some EF zoom lenses actually extend when you change focal length so matt boxes won't work.  That leaves screw-on ND filters.


Using a complete set of ND filters can be a pain so some shooters opt for Variable ND filters.  They are basically two polarizing filters set to rotate against each other.  I'm not a polarizer fan because of the color shift.  And I'm not sure they should be called ND filters because the N stands for Neutral and using polarizers will change the color.


Also, you can get a "X bar" across the image as you go darker, especially with a wide angle lens.  There's a great video clip on this blog showing the X bar problem.  Also, this is a 2 page blog so be sure to read both pages:
http://provideocoalition.com/index.php/awilt/story/quick_look_variable_nd_filters/

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