Ahoj! This is Zdenka. So which variable ND filter should you buy? Should
you go with the expensive one or should you go with the
cheap one? Is there a big difference between the
cheap one and very expensive one? Is the cheap one
actually any good? Do you really have to spend that kind of money on
expensive variable ND filter? Let's face it.
Once you get to photography and video, the things are not cheap. You will have
to reach down to your pocket many times pull out some money because you need a
camera, you need lenses, you need light, you need memory cards, you need
batteries, you need computer and all that. And if you do video
you will definitely need variable nd filter and all those things I'm
wondering myself. I've collected these variable ND
filters over the time and I simply know, I simply don't know.
I want to know myself which variable ND filter should I use
with my mirrorless and which variable ND filter works best with the
smartphone I have and perhaps you're in the market. You're
learning about variable ND filters and you want to know some answers as well. So
that's why I decided to share this test with you as well.
Let's get some clarity here. First of all, let me show you everything I have here.
Let me show you which filters I'm using with what camera
and when. Let's start with the mirrorless cameras.
My main camera is Canon M6 Mark ii for now
and second camera or backup camera is Canon M50.
Usually I'm just using 15 to 45mm kit lens, however
for the b-roll I'm lately really enjoying lots of
Viltrox speed booster combination with EF lenses:
50 millimeters, 24 to 105 millimeters and 780 to 200 millimeters.
So for the kit lens 15 to 45 millimeters I have two options here. By the way if
you don't know what size or variable filter you need for
your lens, if you look at the lens, usually
it is written here in the front part at the bottom.
Here it says 49 diameter. That's the size of the variable
ND filter you need to buy. One option here is this cheap viable ND filter I
purchased and it is pro master 52 millimeters
hgx variable ndx. This one I found on Amazon for $44 american dollars.
Second one I have here is Tiffen 52 millimeters
variable nd filter usa. This one was double.
I paid $87 dollars. If you are wondering why 52 millimeters
when the kit lens 15 to 45 millimeters has 49
millimeters thread, it is because I also like to use it
with nifty 50 lens. The 50 millimeters lens which has
thread 52 millimeters to make it fit on the smaller lens. I simply use step up or
step down rings. Don't worry everything I'm showing in
today's video is listed below the video in the video description so you don't
need to write it down... for those interested. So you can check it
after this video. These two filters I also like to use
when I'm filming with my smartphone if I'm using gimbal because they are
small and the cheaper one is actually lighter
for the gimbal. Less weight, less pressure on the motors.
I have Iphone 11 pro moment case on it and I
attach it to the phone with moondog lab universal filter lens
attachment. But am I making the right choice? Should I use the cheaper one or
should I use the more expensive one? I want to see, I want to see the
colors. I want to see how the filter performs. Let's test it out.
Next I have few big 77 millimeters filters which I like to use with EF
lenses 24 to 105 and 70 to 200 millimeters.
The filters are Tiffen 77 millimeter variable nd filter usa
and I bought it for $125. Then I have here combo two filters
77 millimeters from Freewell which were sent to me a long time ago for a review.
One is 2-5 stop and another one is 6-9 stop
ND filter. They split into two. The cost of this combo is $219
right now. These huge filters believe it or not I also like to use on my
smartphone when I'm not filming with gimbal.
I like to use Protake app because it has insane stabilization options built in so
I pretty much don't need a gimbal for some quick shots.
The way I attach the 77 millimeter filter to my smartphone
is with the moondog lab filter attachment and also this crazy
step up ring 52 millimeters to 77 millimeters.
I know it looks crazy but it feels like I'm holding something in my hands.
It actually makes me drop my phone less. I actually do like that fact that I'm
holding some sort of a weight in my hands.
I know it looks crazy. I just want to make sure I'm doing the right thing.
If I should really use the smaller filter or the bigger filter on my phone.
Let's test it. Let's start with the smaller filters
first. What I want to see is the color so I'm going to be filming just the sky
because it's the easiest. I want to see the vignetting. I want to
see the cross hatch pattern bending and all
that. I just want to see how they perform and
compare them with each other. Now crosshatch pattern happens with
variable nd filters because basically those are two filters on top of each
other and when you twist it too much, you make it
way too dark. You are gonna get the crosshatch pattern. It's a very dark
effect. To get it away, you just need to back up
a little bit. If you are using hard ND filter, it is not gonna happen because
there's no mechanism. There's no two filters on top of each other. It's
basically just one solid filter. Here's footage with no
filter on. I just increased the shutter speed. I'm
leaving the lens on 15 millimeters the widest
as that is where bending and cross hatch patterns happens the most.
If you zoom in, if you are fully zoomed in on 45 millimeters
you're not gonna get that much of a bending and
cross-edge pattern. Let's quickly look at those two filters up close and let's
look at the difference. The more expensive Tiffen filter has
dots so you kind of know where the stops are and the cheaper one
Promaster doesn't have dots but more of these marks. None of
them has numbers which would be really nice to have.
Cheaper one is lighter. More expensive one is heavier. Let's
start with photos. Let's start with the shot of the sky.
Here is the color of the sky from 15 to 45 millimeters lens with Canon M6
mark ii no filter. Now let's show the shot
of the sky with the filter Promaster which is the cheaper one.
And here is a shot of the sky with the Tiffen filter, the little bit more
expensive one. Let's put them side by side
and now let's look at the footage. Let's look at the bending
and cross hatch as I would go from the lightest
to the darkest. I'm just gonna let that run, you be the judge on your own. I'm
gonna be also looking at it as well. So here's Promaster
first. Let's start with minimum and go darker
and darker. Now you can see that it is showing
bending and here we have those cross hatch patterns.
Let's do the Tiffen more expensive one filter and start with
minimum. Go darker and darker and banding happens
here and cross hatch. A bit different effect.
I don't know how about you but I'm for some reason actually leaning towards the
cheaper one, towards Promaster. It's just to me the color of the sky is a little
bit closer to the natural look, to the original look just with the lens.
I like the fact that the Tiffen is more heavy duty but for some reason I'm
leaning towards the Promonster but that's just, that's just
what I'm thinking. You might have different opinion. OK.
77 millimeters filters are next. What makes them
different? One thing is that Freewell filters have
the actual number so you know exactly what stop you are using.
The Tiffen filter doesn't have the stops but it has those
dots. First, let's look at photo and a video of no filter,
just footage with 24 to 105 millimeters lens.
I have it at its widest 24 millimeters. Next let's look at Tiffen 77 millimeters.
Photo of the sky is here and let's compare the color of the sky with Freewell
77 millimeters variable nd filter. I can clearly
actually see that Freewell is closer to the sky
color with no filter. Let's look at bending and
the cross hatch. Now here it is gonna be very
clear because Tiffen is just one filter but
Freewell has split those filters into two, so there is a less chance
of having such a strong effect but first let's put the
Freewell two to five stop nd filter, variable nd filter.
So I don't know how about you but I gotta
say that Freewell is definitely the choice for me.
Very simply I like the color of the sky. It's just
way closer to the color of what I would get with no filter
and also that the fact that they split those filters into two and still just
having one, there's less chance of having the cross
hatch. Let's move on to this smartphone and here's gonna get,
here's gonna get interesting. First of all I was doing the test
in the Filmic pro app and I had the white balance locked.
Here's a photo of the sky and footage of the sky with no filter.
First is Promaster and here is a photo of the sky with
Tiffen filter. I must say that Promaster is closer to the natural color of the
sky. That would be the cheaper filter. Let's
look at bending, how it is going to affect
footage on a smartphone. You be the judge yourself.
Although Tiffen filter has you know a little bit more of a
I would say sturdier filter, I'm still leaning towards the Promaster. Again
because I simply like the color of the sky
a little bit better. I just like the performance a little bit better.
The same thing like with the mirrorless. I think I'm gonna go with the cheaper
filter. Let's test those huge filters with the smartphones so here's a shot again of
the sky with no filter. When I look at the shots of the sky with
those photos, I see Tiffen is the closest to the real
sky but still half of the photo is looking way
off. Let me show you all photos with those
filters. Let's look at the video. Now when I'm looking
at Tiffen, I simply see way too much of one color and
another color on the other half of the shot. I'm simply
not liking it with the smartphone. The two to five stop Freewell filter
wasn't enough so I grabbed the six to nine stop Freewell variable nd
filter and I kind of like that. Still though,
when you look close, you can see the sky being just sort of
like a colorful. I think honestly I'm gonna stay away
from using those big filters on the smartphone.
I think I'm gonna go with the smaller size
of the filters. So my choice out of this whole test
would be for mirrorless camera with the small lenses I would go for the cheaper
one 52 millimeters variable nd filter over the Tiffen one.
That would be the Promaster. Now for smartphone I'm gonna stay away
from those huge giant filters. I'm gonna go with
the smaller filter which is 52 millimeters Promaster.
And when it comes to large lenses the EF lenses,
77 millimeter filter, definitely my choice is
Freewell. I got to say that I definitely liked
the result way better. Now I have to give a big shout out to
Geralt Undone which inspired me to make this video. He did something
similar a year ago when he was comparing some of his filters
and I actually started wondering about my own
filters. I really wanted to know because I was so confused with some of
those results I was getting as I was mixing those photos.
So thank you very much for inspiring me. I hope that
this video helped to some of you which are maybe
in the market for new variable nd filters. If you found this video
informative, please give it thumbs up. Don't forget to
subscribe to all future videos. If you have any questions, comments or
simply want to say Hi or Ahoj, you know what to do,
just leave it in a comment section below and I'll see you my friends
in the next video. Cau... Ahoj...