Great video, Mike. I have a Tiffen variable ND filter which works well for video. Per your advice, I bought a few of the Freewell magnetic filters and absolutely love not having to deal with screwing them on. I bought a 3 stop, circular polarizer and a 10 stop. Take care my friend.
Nice one!! I have the tiffen as well and even though it does give a bit of a colour cast it does work ok for video...although freewell sent me their VNDs and they're pretty fantastic! Staying safe and indoors dude, I hope you and the family are safe too! 👍
Another great and simple to understand video. Thank you! I am starting to get into video more so I may have to get a variable ND filter but I love my fixed NDs. I even have a set of square filters but just don't really enjoy using them, I always end up going back to the screw on types. On a side note, I hope you and your wife are safe and healthy wherever you are right now.
Thanks so much Lance, I'm the same, I have the square ones and they sit in my drawer most of the time. I'd definitely get some good VND filters if you're getting more into video. We're good thanks. Staying home and keeping safe...I think I'll be making a lot more photography at home videos over the next few months! 😁 I hope you and your family are doing the same!! Healthy and safe!! 👍
Great summary of ND filters. I use the screw on and you're correct, when stacking they can get stuck and make it difficult to separate. My budget doesn't allow at this time to use the $$$ ones, but I'm satisfied with my hobbyist results.
Hi Nick, they can be frustrating can't they...but if they're doing the job sufficiently for you, then there's no need to change them. Thanks for watching. 👍
Interesting...on the 17-28mm the vignetting isn't too bad...I only start to get it when I stack two filters. I've just borrowed the 24mm GM from sony so I'll see if I get the same.
Hi Mike great vid, just purchased a COKIN NUANCES 5 to 10 stop variable only used it once and was pleased with my first attempt, only draw back is there are no markings to tell you what stop you are at, thinking i might use tippex to mark it. Keep up the good work dude 🤘🤟
Thanks so much dude. 👍 Sounds interesting, does it have hard stops at each end of the nd range? Tipex sounds good...just depends on how good your brush skills are. 😁 Thanks for watching 👍
As always.... Nice and compact video 👌 yes I use variable nd filters and I have some cheap filters in my bag because when I am on a run I throw things in the bag. Polar pro is way too expensive this means I have to be so much careful when I am shooting. I am not.... 😁 I saw a very detailed testing and the k&f concept nano-x is very good for his price range. I have to admit there are situations where I broke the rules and used the shouter speed instead of the nd. Thanks Mike for the comment
Thanks so much! That's cool. The rule is more of a suggestion...and rules are definitely there to be broken!! 😁 I hear good things about the K&F filters...they do have great quality control. The virus is definitely stopping quite a lot at the moment...I think my tutorials in the next few weeks/months will be more home based photography tutorials...🤔 Thanks for watching! 👍
@@mikesphotography I sow that not all are good only the "nano x". At the moment home photography is the way to go. I have in mind to make a video in the future (home photography) and use water.... Also a small swimming pool where you can put your wifes face or friend decor it and shoot. Maybe this is an idea for you
I've owned both variable and fixed ND filters. In my opinion, fixed is the best way to go. I am not a video person, however. I buy the ones that fit my largest lens front and have step up rings for smaller lenses.
Great video, thanks for the info. I prefer to maintain image quality, so fixed would be my preferred option. However, my range of lenses presents another thing to consider in that they are all different sizes, the largest, my favourite lens, being 82mm. Consequently a set of filters for all occasions is expensive. Though I keep thinking about it and looking at various options, I end up not bothering as I have no idea what grade I want, or what I’m going to do with it, as it’s a big outlay to just “have the occasional play” with.
That's a good point Alun. If you don't use them that often, there's no point getting them, but if you are going to use them most of the time, I'd go with the biggest size and some step up rings so you only need one size of filter for all. Thanks for watching 👍
thank you for a video! are you living in dubai? i would be really interested to know more information from you as you are very knowledgeable and maybe to ask for a course if you have time
No worries. It is possible to stack them, but the more you stack, the more glass you'll have to shoot through...also with wider lenses, you'll start to get vignetting after putting the second filter on, unless you put an oversized filter set on with step up rings. 👍
I am definitely going to buy the 3,4 and 10 fixed. If I purchase the magnetic filters, can you stack them? Can I use a step down bracket with them? and what brand (s) do you recommend?
Hi Darren, that would be a good combo to have. You can stack the magnetic filters, but I'd get bigger ones than your filter size so you don't get hard vignettes. They do work with stepdown/stepup rings. All you do is mount the magnetic part to the front of your lenses and the filters and lens caps fit over them. I use the Freewell filters but there are many others out there as well. I did a video on them a while back so check it out when you get the chance ruclips.net/video/APrcghQPfW0/видео.html Thanks for watching 😁👍
Good question Frank. I'd use fixed NDs for that...if you try and rotate a cpl on a vnd, you might inadvertently rotate one when you're trying to move the other. 👍
Nice video. I am just getting started with more serious gear and am still on the fence of whether to go variable or fixed. The Freewell offering looks attractive. I like the concept of magnetic because of being able to take the ND filter off quickly. In that case the Freewell VNDs need to be screwed off or have a minimum of 2 stops. Ideally they would have been magnetic as well but they are not, which I why I'm still looking at the fixed ones. Is there really any downsides to having fixed ND for mainly video usage? I mean if you have a 3 stop filter on and usually shoot with ISO 640, why not just drop down the ISO a bit? Having a slightly higher default ISO than 100 shouldn't be causing a lot of additional noise. However I figured if I'd get an ND2, ND8 and ND32 by stacking them I should have most options available. ND2+ND8=ND16 and ND32+ND2=ND64 and ND8+ND64= ND512. Perhaps variable is quicker but having magnetic filters should ease some of the pain. I am not an artsy photographer that needs very dark filters, so any loss of quality by stacking wouldn't really be much of an issue to me.
For photography, I'd say to stick with fixed NDs...and like you say, you can adjust the settings to suit when you do have fixed NDs...variable NDs are great for video when you're on a run and gun shoot, trying to get a lot of shots in a short space of time...all it takes is a turn of the filter to get the right exposure...and once you build the muscle memory, it is such a quick way to do it... But for photography, I'd say stick with fixed NDs...like you say, you can stack them and get most of the options you will ever need. 👍
Just catching up on some of your old videos and this is great for me as a newbie, I opted for the Kase magnetic, 3, 6 and 10, but you do have to screw in the adapter rings, different for each lens, so a bit of a fag. But you did answer my question about whether or not to go for a variable ND. Of all the photography you tubers out there, yours are very instructive, accessible and engaging. Surprised you didn’t go for waterproof footwear on a hike in Wales!
Thanks very much Neil! Great to hear you got something from this one. 👍 Haha! Yep, you can tell I've been out of the country for a while and am not used to the wet bogs!! 😫🤦🏻♂️ Thanks for watching, including the old ones!! 😁👍
And the other great thing about your videos is I just love those gorgeous Welsh landscapes and reservoirs you go to. That Victorian architecture around the dams is marvellous. Just watched the one at Lower Neuadd and inspired me to plan another Welsh trip to a part I haven’t explored yet. Great stuff!
Hi there Mike, great tutorial. I’m looking into buying the nd lens kit for the 150x100 filters, what in your opinion is a good but not too expensive setup? I have a canon eos7d with a 24-105 mm lens. Thanks in advance. Jimmy
Thank you again. I am much clear now about ND filters. ? Which brand do you recommend? Also can you send the link for the Sony bracket that you use ? I was going to get Hoya ND filters. But expensive, why do they cost over 150$ for ND filters ? And some are 20$
The problem is that they have to put a certain amount of work into the glass to get it to a certain quality and that costs money. It is very easy to get a darker piece of glass but quite difficult to get the colour uniform not only across that one piece of glass but for multiple filters with differing levels of ND, so the ones that cost $20 will be pretty poor, not only in image quality but also in the colour casts they produce. I have a tiffen ND that comes out really red and then I have a polaroid filter that is very green. So to get good quality glass, you do need to spend a bit of money on them. The filters I recommend are the freewell filters but they are about $99 each. amzn.to/2Jo9EK9 This is their online shop: amzn.to/2WGujkq The bracket I have is the Rogeti one: amzn.to/35B2evx It is really solid and does a great job. I did a video on this as well: ruclips.net/video/8n7VXsj5KU4/видео.html&t I hope that helps
I didn’t get the 99$ Nd filter but I got the 60$ Gobe 1000nd, just to start with and see what else do I need. I may get the 8 too. But I like the outcome from the Gobe ND 1000 filter.
I got mine the K&F concept variable ND filter ND8-2000 for my Laowa 9mm and now I reget it. You only get usable from 4 to 4.5 stops which is not correct as they labelled.
That is annoying. I wish manufacturers would be more accurate in their descriptions of their products. Sorry to hear it hasn't done what they said it should.
Mike Smith Haha! Then I think you should make another video for those things so that people can avoid them! Anw, I’ll keep the filter for video recording. Thanks Mike!
@@mikesphotography I'd be interested to understand better why this trio works best for you. Wouldn't 3+6 stacked offer similar results as the 10 stop filter?
It would indeed, but I prefer to have a single filter for most uses as with my ultra wide lens, I start to get hard vignetting with two filters. In saying that...with this three filter setup, on the odd occasion that I want to go to an extreme Nd level, as long as I don't shoot at my widest focal length, I can stack these to get 13 or 16 stops of light which can produce some interesting looking images. 👍
There's probably not much in them. I'd go for fixed filters every time but if you're a run and gun shooter, VND filters will definitely speed up the process. 👍
Great video, Mike. I have a Tiffen variable ND filter which works well for video. Per your advice, I bought a few of the Freewell magnetic filters and absolutely love not having to deal with screwing them on. I bought a 3 stop, circular polarizer and a 10 stop. Take care my friend.
Nice one!! I have the tiffen as well and even though it does give a bit of a colour cast it does work ok for video...although freewell sent me their VNDs and they're pretty fantastic!
Staying safe and indoors dude, I hope you and the family are safe too! 👍
Another great and simple to understand video. Thank you! I am starting to get into video more so I may have to get a variable ND filter but I love my fixed NDs. I even have a set of square filters but just don't really enjoy using them, I always end up going back to the screw on types. On a side note, I hope you and your wife are safe and healthy wherever you are right now.
Thanks so much Lance,
I'm the same, I have the square ones and they sit in my drawer most of the time. I'd definitely get some good VND filters if you're getting more into video.
We're good thanks. Staying home and keeping safe...I think I'll be making a lot more photography at home videos over the next few months! 😁
I hope you and your family are doing the same!! Healthy and safe!! 👍
Thank you. Fits my cluttered thoughts into a good framework.
Glad it was helpful! 😁👍
Great summary of ND filters. I use the screw on and you're correct, when stacking they can get stuck and make it difficult to separate. My budget doesn't allow at this time to use the $$$ ones, but I'm satisfied with my hobbyist results.
Hi Nick, they can be frustrating can't they...but if they're doing the job sufficiently for you, then there's no need to change them.
Thanks for watching. 👍
I have only fixed ND filters. 3 stop, 6 stop and 10 stop.
That's a great combo. I much prefer using fixed ND's. Much more reliable colours!! 😁👍
I have recently bought the freewell variable filters and they are great.
Awesome, they are fantastic VND filters aren't they...much better than the ones without hard stops. 👍
Yes they are awesome.. but I have noticed some small vintage when I'm using it at 8 to 9 stops with my Sony 24 mm Gm .
Interesting...on the 17-28mm the vignetting isn't too bad...I only start to get it when I stack two filters. I've just borrowed the 24mm GM from sony so I'll see if I get the same.
Great video. Answers to all my questions...
Thank you and great to hear I could help! 😁👍
Hi Mike great vid, just purchased a COKIN NUANCES 5 to 10 stop variable only used it once and was pleased with my first attempt, only draw back is there are no markings to tell you what stop you are at, thinking i might use tippex to mark it. Keep up the good work dude 🤘🤟
Thanks so much dude. 👍
Sounds interesting, does it have hard stops at each end of the nd range?
Tipex sounds good...just depends on how good your brush skills are. 😁
Thanks for watching 👍
Hi Mike yes it does have hard stops at both ends, its just a guessing game inbetween
As always.... Nice and compact video 👌 yes I use variable nd filters and I have some cheap filters in my bag because when I am on a run I throw things in the bag. Polar pro is way too expensive this means I have to be so much careful when I am shooting. I am not.... 😁 I saw a very detailed testing and the k&f concept nano-x is very good for his price range. I have to admit there are situations where I broke the rules and used the shouter speed instead of the nd. Thanks Mike for the comment
PS I bought this alter system and I haven't used it 🙈 I wanted to in the upcoming events but with the virus all are canceled
Thanks so much! That's cool. The rule is more of a suggestion...and rules are definitely there to be broken!! 😁
I hear good things about the K&F filters...they do have great quality control.
The virus is definitely stopping quite a lot at the moment...I think my tutorials in the next few weeks/months will be more home based photography tutorials...🤔
Thanks for watching! 👍
@@mikesphotography I sow that not all are good only the "nano x". At the moment home photography is the way to go. I have in mind to make a video in the future (home photography) and use water.... Also a small swimming pool where you can put your wifes face or friend decor it and shoot. Maybe this is an idea for you
I've owned both variable and fixed ND filters. In my opinion, fixed is the best way to go. I am not a video person, however. I buy the ones that fit my largest lens front and have step up rings for smaller lenses.
I'm with you on that one Gary! 👍 My VND filters stay in the bag for all my photoshoots and only come out when I'm filming.
Thanks for watching. 👍
Great video, thanks for the info.
I prefer to maintain image quality, so fixed would be my preferred option. However, my range of lenses presents another thing to consider in that they are all different sizes, the largest, my favourite lens, being 82mm. Consequently a set of filters for all occasions is expensive. Though I keep thinking about it and looking at various options, I end up not bothering as I have no idea what grade I want, or what I’m going to do with it, as it’s a big outlay to just “have the occasional play” with.
That's a good point Alun. If you don't use them that often, there's no point getting them, but if you are going to use them most of the time, I'd go with the biggest size and some step up rings so you only need one size of filter for all.
Thanks for watching 👍
Fantastic advice Mike... thanks man
No worries, thanks for watching Charlie! 😁👍
thank you for a video! are you living in dubai? i would be really interested to know more information from you as you are very knowledgeable and maybe to ask for a course if you have time
Hello,
I used to love in Dubai but now I am back in the UK.
I will hopefully have some courses coming out later in the year. 😁👍
@@mikesphotography ah alright) you teach and explain very well! thank you for this
Question: Is it advisable/possible to stack fixed ND filters?
Great videos---thanks.
No worries. It is possible to stack them, but the more you stack, the more glass you'll have to shoot through...also with wider lenses, you'll start to get vignetting after putting the second filter on, unless you put an oversized filter set on with step up rings. 👍
I am definitely going to buy the 3,4 and 10 fixed. If I purchase the magnetic filters, can you stack them? Can I use a step down bracket with them? and what brand (s) do you recommend?
Hi Darren, that would be a good combo to have. You can stack the magnetic filters, but I'd get bigger ones than your filter size so you don't get hard vignettes. They do work with stepdown/stepup rings. All you do is mount the magnetic part to the front of your lenses and the filters and lens caps fit over them. I use the Freewell filters but there are many others out there as well.
I did a video on them a while back so check it out when you get the chance ruclips.net/video/APrcghQPfW0/видео.html
Thanks for watching 😁👍
Which one is better for stacking filters? Say you need to stack a CP on ND.
Good question Frank. I'd use fixed NDs for that...if you try and rotate a cpl on a vnd, you might inadvertently rotate one when you're trying to move the other. 👍
thanks a lot for the videos :)
And thanks for watching! 👍
Nice video. I am just getting started with more serious gear and am still on the fence of whether to go variable or fixed. The Freewell offering looks attractive. I like the concept of magnetic because of being able to take the ND filter off quickly. In that case the Freewell VNDs need to be screwed off or have a minimum of 2 stops. Ideally they would have been magnetic as well but they are not, which I why I'm still looking at the fixed ones. Is there really any downsides to having fixed ND for mainly video usage? I mean if you have a 3 stop filter on and usually shoot with ISO 640, why not just drop down the ISO a bit? Having a slightly higher default ISO than 100 shouldn't be causing a lot of additional noise. However I figured if I'd get an ND2, ND8 and ND32 by stacking them I should have most options available. ND2+ND8=ND16 and ND32+ND2=ND64 and ND8+ND64= ND512. Perhaps variable is quicker but having magnetic filters should ease some of the pain. I am not an artsy photographer that needs very dark filters, so any loss of quality by stacking wouldn't really be much of an issue to me.
For photography, I'd say to stick with fixed NDs...and like you say, you can adjust the settings to suit when you do have fixed NDs...variable NDs are great for video when you're on a run and gun shoot, trying to get a lot of shots in a short space of time...all it takes is a turn of the filter to get the right exposure...and once you build the muscle memory, it is such a quick way to do it...
But for photography, I'd say stick with fixed NDs...like you say, you can stack them and get most of the options you will ever need. 👍
Just catching up on some of your old videos and this is great for me as a newbie, I opted for the Kase magnetic, 3, 6 and 10, but you do have to screw in the adapter rings, different for each lens, so a bit of a fag. But you did answer my question about whether or not to go for a variable ND. Of all the photography you tubers out there, yours are very instructive, accessible and engaging. Surprised you didn’t go for waterproof footwear on a hike in Wales!
Thanks very much Neil! Great to hear you got something from this one. 👍
Haha! Yep, you can tell I've been out of the country for a while and am not used to the wet bogs!! 😫🤦🏻♂️
Thanks for watching, including the old ones!! 😁👍
And the other great thing about your videos is I just love those gorgeous Welsh landscapes and reservoirs you go to. That Victorian architecture around the dams is marvellous. Just watched the one at Lower Neuadd and inspired me to plan another Welsh trip to a part I haven’t explored yet. Great stuff!
Thanks very much Neil! That damn was amazing wasn't it. It was great to walk through the woods and be greated by that amazing feat of engineering.
👍
Polar pro have a good VND peter mckinon version no X pattern
Definitely! Freewell and Kase also have them...hrad stops are defi itrly the way to go with variable nd filters.
Thanks for watching. 😁👍
Hi there Mike, great tutorial. I’m looking into buying the nd lens kit for the 150x100 filters, what in your opinion is a good but not too expensive setup? I have a canon eos7d with a 24-105 mm lens. Thanks in advance. Jimmy
Thank you again.
I am much clear now about ND filters. ?
Which brand do you recommend?
Also can you send the link for the Sony bracket that you use ?
I was going to get Hoya ND filters. But expensive, why do they cost over 150$ for ND filters ?
And some are 20$
The problem is that they have to put a certain amount of work into the glass to get it to a certain quality and that costs money. It is very easy to get a darker piece of glass but quite difficult to get the colour uniform not only across that one piece of glass but for multiple filters with differing levels of ND, so the ones that cost $20 will be pretty poor, not only in image quality but also in the colour casts they produce. I have a tiffen ND that comes out really red and then I have a polaroid filter that is very green. So to get good quality glass, you do need to spend a bit of money on them.
The filters I recommend are the freewell filters but they are about $99 each. amzn.to/2Jo9EK9
This is their online shop: amzn.to/2WGujkq
The bracket I have is the Rogeti one: amzn.to/35B2evx It is really solid and does a great job.
I did a video on this as well: ruclips.net/video/8n7VXsj5KU4/видео.html&t
I hope that helps
Awesome,
Thank you Mike for taking the time to help out,
You are the best, stay safe out there.
I didn’t get the 99$ Nd filter but I got the 60$ Gobe 1000nd, just to start with and see what else do I need. I may get the 8 too. But I like the outcome from the Gobe ND 1000 filter.
Good to hear you're happy with the one you got. 😁👍
I got mine the K&F concept variable ND filter ND8-2000 for my Laowa 9mm and now I reget it. You only get usable from 4 to 4.5 stops which is not correct as they labelled.
That is annoying. I wish manufacturers would be more accurate in their descriptions of their products. Sorry to hear it hasn't done what they said it should.
Mike Smith I should have listen to your advice for not to buy a ND filter though :D.
Ah well, not much you can do about it now...I think I have a whole drawer full of things I regret buying!! 😆
Mike Smith Haha! Then I think you should make another video for those things so that people can avoid them! Anw, I’ll keep the filter for video recording. Thanks Mike!
I want to get a fixed nd Which should I get first.
I started off with a 6 stop. Then I got a 10 stop and finally a 3 stop...this gives me everything I need. 👍
@@mikesphotography I'd be interested to understand better why this trio works best for you. Wouldn't 3+6 stacked offer similar results as the 10 stop filter?
It would indeed, but I prefer to have a single filter for most uses as with my ultra wide lens, I start to get hard vignetting with two filters.
In saying that...with this three filter setup, on the odd occasion that I want to go to an extreme Nd level, as long as I don't shoot at my widest focal length, I can stack these to get 13 or 16 stops of light which can produce some interesting looking images.
👍
magnetic round kase filters
You're right Kase do them as well. 👍
Peter mckennon ND vs polarpro quartzline? Which is better for video...
There's probably not much in them. I'd go for fixed filters every time but if you're a run and gun shooter, VND filters will definitely speed up the process. 👍
Hi Mike, are there magnetic ND filters for both the fixed and variable types?
They only make magnetic fixed NDs at the moment. Their vnds are still scew on.
@@mikesphotography Thanks👍