photomama Loc: Anacortes, Wa

Hi! I'm interested in a variable neutral density filter for my 24-70mm canon lens. What are your suggestions and has anyone used the Moment 82mm 0.6 to 1.5 filter 2-5stop?

tradio Loc: Oxford, Ohio

My experience with variable ND's is not that good. You may be better off just to buy a good set of ND's. I had one that would produce a cross pattern under certain circumstances and spent most of the time on a shelf.
Have never heard of the Moment brand but as with any filter, you get what you pay for.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Variable ND sounds like a great idea on paper, but they are not that useful, particularly when the scene has sky in it or you are using in with a very wide angle lens.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lx_8dT9yA7E

Only the Nisi brand seems to have solved the X pattern issue.

https://petapixel.com/2017/12/13/nisis-new-variable-nd-filter-no-x-effect/

I think, for now, it's probably better to use standard fixed ND filters.

Price is not always an indication of quality, btw. Expensive brands like B&W and Heliopan are far from perfect and are pretty expensive. If you don't mind shooting raw and post processing, the color casts and contrast problems can be dealt with easily enough. The Hoya and Breakthrough brands are looking pretty good. If you use a very dark filter, like the ones in the following comparison, make sure you block light from entering the sensor box through the viewfinder. Many Nikons are equipped with viewfinder shades but you can use anything you wan to block the light.

https://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/10-Stop-Neutral-Density-Filter.aspx

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Variable ND filters may be a a convenient benefit to videographers that are trying to maintain a 180 degree shutter speeds.

pecohen Loc: Central Maine

I've not tried it but the main use I've seen recommended for variable density is to compensate for varying lighting conditions while taking a video. I don't really know how well this works in practice but clearly a set of several fixed ND filters would not be suited for this situation.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

I like standard ND filters. My favorite is the BIG STOPPER, a 10 stop filter. Makes adjusting for it easy.
I meter till I get a correct exposure at 1/30 sec.
Then, I put on my filter, and my exposure in manual is 30 seconds.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Avoid at all costs. I was advised by an optical engineer at B+W that any VND filter will have issues. That was good enough for me.
--Bob

Geofw Loc: Thornton Cleveleys UK

Please don't waste your money.
I purchased a variable ND filter and used it once. I was extremely disappointed with the photographs I took.
If you use it to it's maximum filter you get the dreaded x pattern.

Spend your hard earned money on a good set of filters in stead.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Some articles -

http://philipbloom.net/2011/06/04/the-best-variable-nd-filter-i-have-used/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.lightstalking.com/fixed-nd-filter-or-variable-nd-filter/http://philipbloom.net/2011/06/04/the-best-variable-nd-filter-i-have-used/
http://www.learningdslrvideo.com/variable-nd-filter-shootout/
http://nofilmschool.com/2012/12/dave-dugdale-variable-nd-filter-shootout
http://photography.tutsplus.com/articles/an-in-depth-comparison-of-two-variable-neutral-density-filters--photo-8983
http://jonasraskphotography.com/2014/05/12/nd-filter-dont-go-variable/

mizzee Loc: Boston,Ma

I had a bad experience with a variable ND where condensation got in between the elements. That created trust issues for me. It was new from B&H so I returned it in exchange for a 6 stop. All better!

Canisdirus

Look at PolarPro's ND's...no X pattern at all.

Blair Shaw Jr Loc: Dunnellon,Florida

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

First a question...

What will you be doing with your camera and the filter?

If you will be shooting video, a variable ND is a lot less expensive and more convenient than buying a large number of fixed strength ND filters.

If you plan to shoot still photos, I'd recommend avoiding a variable ND and go with a couple fixed strength ND instead. You simply don't need all that many ND filters for still photography. Some get by with just one strength, most people would need no more than two, while only very few people using them under a lot of different situations and for different purposes may want three. There's almost no reason for a stills photographer to need more than that.

A stills photographer has a lot of other adjustments they can make to fine tune their exposure.... aperture, shutter speed, ISO. A videographer, on the other hand, doesn't have as much flexibility with those settings... in particular shutter speed and often ISO are more limited. So the videographer is likely to need more variety of ND strengths to work with, which means either buying a lot of filters or a variable ND.

You probably need a 77mm or 82mm filter, to fit a Canon 24-70mm lens (which filter size depends upon which version of Canon 24-70).

I have no knowledge of "Moment" filters. It appears to be a new brand. They claim some quality specifications... B270 Schott glass and 16-layer multi-coatings... but I have some concerns about other claims and the general design of their variable ND filters. First, they claim their filters are "fine tuned to never cross polarize". Okay, that may be. But that doesn't mean the filters won't cause uneven effects. A variable ND filter is actually two polarizing filters stacked on top of each other.... and all polarizing filters cause uneven effects at times, depending upon the location of the light source in relation to the photograph. That simply can't be helped (and can be useful at times). Even the very best, supposedly highest quality variable ND filter do this two, but because it's two polarizing filters, you end up with an uneven effect like a big "X" in the image. Where the uneven effect of a single polarizer might be possible to correct in post-processing, it would be far more difficult or impossible to correct the X-shaped effect of a variable ND.

Another serious concern I'd have with those Moment variable ND filters has to do with their unique frame design. They have a larger outer diameter frame in order to provide registration marks to use when setting the filter. Unfortunately, this also will preclude using your lens' matched hood whenever the filter is installed. And a lens hood is important for best image quality... Particularly when filters are being used! The hood keeps oblique light off the front of the lens, reducing various flare effects. Adding a filter compounds the risk of flare effects, making the hood even more important. (The hood also serves to protect the lens' optics against physical bumps. In the same way, it can also protect thin glass filters from breakage.)

Apparently the way Moment tries to avoid the uneven X-shaped effect is by limiting the strength of their variable ND filters. Where other brands cover 6 or more stops, the Moment filters offer four stops of adjustability: A choice of 2-to-5 stops or 6-to-9 stops. In 77mm size they sell for $140 each, or can be bought as a set for $260. For comparison, top quality Heliopan 1-to-6 stop variable ND costs $313, while a wider ranging Schneider 1.3-to-11 stop variable ND costs $468. Both these use quality Schott glass, too. Both will allow a lens hood to be fitted, but neither has front threads to allow a lens cap to be used to protect the filter and lens in between shots, and I've not been able to determine if they're multi-coated.

If you will be doing photographs, not videos, I would encourage you to consider fixed strength ND filters instead. The most commonly needed ND filter for still photography is 6-stop. It "shifts" your exposure range pretty dramatically, after which you can fine tune exposure with the camera's other adjustments. You might only ever need that one filter. But if you find you need weaker or stronger, you could add a 2-stop or 3-stop to your kit. That provides a weaker ND by itself... or it can be stacked with the 6-stop to provide a stronger 8 or 9-stop combo. Fixed strength ND fitlers are dyed glass. They don't use polarizing foils the way variable ND do, so fixed strength ND cannot cause uneven effects the way the variable tend to do. In 77mm size, high quality B+W "MDC" (8-layer multi-coated) and XS-Pro (16-layer multi-coated) ND filters sell for between $100 and $130 apiece, so buying two different strengths of these would end up costing a little less than the Moment filter set of two, or a lot less than buying either the Heliopan or Schneider filter. Obviously, if you only needed one fixed strength ND, you'd save even more.

One way that variable ND filters can be "nice" is when setting up your shot and focusing with a DSLR. A strong ND may make autofocus unable to work...And you may have trouble seeing the scene through the viwefinder to manually focus, especially if doing depth of field preview where the lens is stopped down too. With a variable ND you can simply dial it to a weak setting, do your focusing, then dial it back to the stronger setting you wanted for the exposure (you may need to temporarily remove a lens hood to do this). In contrast, with a strong fixed strength ND filter, you may need to remove it temporarily to do the focusing, then carefully reinstall it to take the shot. (There are alternatives... such as using Live View with exposure simulation to manually focus with a DSLR... or using exposure simulation in the electronic viewfinder of a mirrorless camera for the same purpose.) However, for the type of photo where stronger ND filters are most typically used, careful setups on a tripod, these extra steps are minor considerations if top image quality is the goal.

I'm currently shopping for an ND filter myself, for use on an ultra large aperture portrait lens that will need the filter to be usable in normal daylight conditions (shutter speeds can be set high enough and ISO can't be set low enough to allow the lens to be used "wide open" or close to it).

Rick from NY Loc: Sarasota FL

I’ve used the Singh Ray variable ND with good results. Haven’t seen the xxx issue. Find it quite useful on my 24-70 and 70-200. Not seeing much (if any) color cast, but I shoot raw and usually include color correction in my workflow. Biggest problem with SR filters is the cost.

photomama Loc: Anacortes, Wa

Thank you all for your time and very valuable information. You've given my some great things to consider, as well as new ideas for my photography. I think for now I'll wait on purchasing a ND filter and continue practicing using some of your ideas.