Hong Kong Vari-ND any good?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Fader-ND-Filter-fro ... tsupported

this is a lot cheaper than the singh-ray solution and i am not expecting it to perform as well however, anyone out there using this HK alternative and/or any actual comparisons available?

thanks.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Fader-ND-Filter-from-ND2-to-ND400-77mm_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ65Q3a12Q7c66Q3a2Q7c39Q3a1Q7c72Q3a1205Q7c240Q3a1318Q7c301Q3a1Q7c293Q3a1Q7c294Q3a50QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem20ac076075QQitemZ140325118069QQptZCameraQ5fFiltersQQsalenotsupported

this is a lot cheaper than the singh-ray solution and i am not expecting it to perform as well however, anyone out there using this HK alternative and/or any actual comparisons available?

thanks.

Don't you get a big discount with the variND just by your name??? LOL! BTW, outdoors, I can't live without my variND.

Wow. That's a good price. I would imagine it is not coated as well as the name brand and therefore might have more issues with flare in direct sun or when you have very bright highlights next to dark objects. But without actually seeing one, all I can do is guess... At that price it might be worth trying out.

Also, it looks like the polarizers they've used seem to add quite a bit of green to the image. The more expensive HMC polarizers don't do this as much as the cheaper ones. Just be careful with skin tones and use custom white balances whenever possible to avoid green zombie skin, or setup a picture profile that adds magenta and use it everytime you use the filter.

silosr,

you'd think so wouldn't you! at that price i could really do with a discount

mthomas,

thanks for the analysis. i hate the idea of forking out for the hk ones without hearing from someone. a 'good deal' is a pretty rare thing nowadays so unless i hear from someone i may need to fork-out for the singh-ray vari-nd...it owuld be nice to use something on my 50 1.4 though which isn't 77 or 82mm thread...

i've sent the seller a question re: 58mm thread option - much cheaper to try it out on my canon 50 1.4 than the 77mm one i'll need to cover the 70-200L IS and 24-105L with. the 58mm size doesn't seem to be currently showing-up in stock though - if it is in stock, i'll buy and report back. will also use it to shoot some full-size RAW still which should be much more telling re: any inadequacies than the h.264 files.

mthomas,

i think you're spot on. with some careful white-balancing, colour shifting compensation, it should work-ou reasonably well. judging by the feedback left on his ebay account, it seems everyone is very happy. my only concern is actual image degardation i.e. softenong, distortion etc....hopefully i'll get to see.

silosr,

you'd think so wouldn't you! at that price i could really do with a discount

mthomas,

thanks for the analysis. i hate the idea of forking out for the hk ones without hearing from someone. a 'good deal' is a pretty rare thing nowadays so unless i hear from someone i may need to fork-out for the singh-ray vari-nd...it owuld be nice to use something on my 50 1.4 though which isn't 77 or 82mm thread...

I hope it works well Mr. Singh. What I did for my setup is I bought the 82mm thread (for my EF 16-35 MKII) and bought a bunch of step up rings which are very cheap for my smaller lenses - 72-82 77-82, etc...
Ronnie

You know, a variable ND filter is just two polarizers on top of each other. This includes the expensive Singh-Ray filter. You can make your own variable ND filter by screwing a linear polarizer on top of a circular polarizer. If you're concerned about vignetting , just get the largest filters that you can afford and use step-up rings.

Coating is unimportant for polarizers simply due to how they alter the light. Somebody did a comparison between an uncoated Hoya polarizer and two multi-coated ones: http://kwigibocity.com/hoya_filters_3.html

You can get a standard Hoya circular polarizer and a standard Hoya linear polarizer for under $70. The combo will probably perform as well as the Singh-Ray and might be higher quality than the no-name Hong Kong filter.

You know, a variable ND filter is just two polarizers on top of each other.

I've made one for myself and it works really well. Except for that I usually need to use two hands to operate it, as turning the ND at the front will invariably turn the ND at the back.

In fact there are four points at which it can rotate, two for the polarising bits and two for the mounts. The mounts' movement can be cancelled be only rotating in the opposite direction to the mounting direction.

I would probably get that one on ebay if it has just one dial, to keep life simple for me.

You know, a variable ND filter is just two polarizers on top of each other.

...turning the ND at the front will invariably turn the ND at the back...

Wouldn't some gaffers or electrical tape hold it steady? And if you want to permanently use these as a variable ND, a drop or two of locktite from an auto parts store will do the trick. In fact, locktite could probably be used to fuse the rear polarizer ring as well.

But for wide lenses, a single unit would be best. The assembly will be shorter and less prone to vignetting.

i ordered the 58mm version two days ago - will report back once having had it for a week or so. will shoot some raw stills to have a really good look as to what it does to the image.

i will be using it on my canon 50 1.4 so vignetting may not be apparent - but i imagine the 77mm sized one will show this up on my 24-105L. if the 58mm is good, i will be buying a 77mm for sure.