darekstudio Loc: Minnesota

ND filter - any chance to be sure the product is authentic ?
Nasi and Lee filters offer the ( Pro version ) which is huge difference in price, Standard Version +/- $150 +/- Pro $350, anyone from you dear friends have chance to see any important quality difference , please let us know ☺ .
Who is the good seller on eBay so we can trust?

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

ebay?
If that's your method and you're concerned about authentic gear, go with a seller associated with a known brick & mortar, such as Roberts, KEH or Cameta camera. I think Adorama also sells via ebay. You have to do some inspection of the ebay post to determine the source is an camera store. Roberts is the one I've encountered the most.

darekstudio Loc: Minnesota

Thank you, KEH sounds good ...

rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin

Breakthrough X4 ND:
- 25 Year ironclad guarantee
- 100% color neutral
- Schott optical glass
- Nano coated
- Sharpness 100% guaranteed

billnourse Loc: Bloomfield, NM

This is my choice.

tracs101 Loc: Huntington NY

Great Products!

darekstudio Loc: Minnesota

Breakthrough X4 ND:
Thank you again, I will be first time buyer, and I have very very good feeling about this company special ( USA)🤗

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

ND filter or Graduated ND filter? Two very different things used for very different purposes!

If ND (evenly gray all over), get the round, screw-in type. Breakthrough's X4 are high grade: Schott glass, brass frame, 16-layer multi-coated. They are also quite expensive. 77mm 6-stop costs $170.

B+W XS-Pro also use German Schott glass, brass frame, 16-layer multi-coating. And also not cheap at $161 for 77mm 6-stop (1.8). Their "MRC" version is 8-layer MC, but otherwise the same for $135 in that same size and strength.

Hoya NDX64 (also 6-stop), unknown type of optical glass, aluminum frame, "ACCU ND" coating (singular?)... $120 in same size and strength.

Formatt-Hitech Firecrest, Schott class, alu frame, 15-layer MC... $64 in 77mm, ND 1.8 (6-stop).

Formatt-Hitech Firecrest "Ultra", same as above except additional high precision polishing of the glass... $180 in that size and strength!

Haida NanoPro MC, unspecified optical glass, alu frame, "nano coated" (not specified but usually 15 or 16-layer)... $80 for 77mm, 1.8 (6 stop).

You may need different size or strength, but I'd recommend you shop around for price versus features!

Unless you're looking at rectangular type filters.... which Nisi (Nasi?) and Lee make. I'd recommend those for Graduated ND filters, but not for solid ND.

Wildly varying prices in rectangular filters of the same size (such as 84mm, 100x100mm, etc.) are usually the difference between uncoated, optical plastic (cheaper) and multi-coated, precision ground optical glass (more expensive). You don't have to worry too much about "fakes"... but there are cheap, low quality, "unknown" manufacturers. For example, I had never heard of "Kood" filters until recently. They're even cheaper than Cokin optical plastic. (Actually, Cokin has recently introduced a very high quality... and more expensive... line of coated glass filters too).

But Grad NDs really aren't needed for digital photography. I stopped using mine years ago. It's easy.... and even often a lot more accurate and controllable... to simply make two shots at different exposures, then combine the "corrected" portion of each digital image in post-processing. It's also possible to take a single RAW shot and dual process it, then combine the correct portion from each. To do this manually you need a software that's able to work in layers and masks (Photoshop, Elements and others... NOT Lightroom, can't do layers and masks with it, though it can be used to initially dual process a RAW image). It also might be possible to automate using "HDR" or "high dynamic range" process in much software (this may be less controllable than layers and masks, though).

And I wouldn't buy standard ND in the rectangular or square type, unless I were already carrying around a filter holder necessary for them, in order to use the Grad NDs or other special effects filters that are only avail. in the rectangular/square type. Otherwise, round screw-in filters make a lot more sense. Round are more compact.... no filter holder needed... allow the lens hood to be used (which is even more important when using a filter)... and the highest quality round filters are less costly than similar in the rectangular/square type.

I wouldn't buy off eBay.

The same are available with less risk and often at the same or lower cost direct from major, well-established and reliable retailers such as Adorama, B&H, etc. Amazon Direct is likely low risk and competitive, too. 2Filter.com specializes in filters and can be a good source, too. KEH and some others are good sources for used items.

darekstudio Loc: Minnesota

Thank you, a check already British eBay, Kood it is very popular in Europe, only what I wish is pay for original products, I won't pay for China basement production $300 for ND. Thank you sir,
Thank you for sharing your knowledge - and advice.
Breakthrough X4 ND: still my choice 😉

TonyBot

Yeah, what he said ... !

But I would also add - don't buy from the Big Box Boys and do stick with the A-B-C formula (plus KEH+MPB types). The Big Box guys buy for price, and the chances of getting a counterfeit item is just too high. Been burned twice, and since then I would only stick with nationally known and reputable companies. The little extra you may pay is worth the difference!