Lightcraft Workshop Fader ND

[Dylan & Marianne]

I had been looking for a variND for my 16-35mm (82mm thread) for a while .
Singh rays version was frightfully expensive so I did some research and thanks to some members here, I got put on to LCW's faderND products.
I have a 77mmND500 which works very well with minimal cast and colour alteration.
Recently, I received my 82mm VariND 2-8 from the same company.

BAD

if what I have experienced with it is the norm, I'd advise you to think twice about this product.
I noticed massive banding and artefacts anything above the mildest settings - so much so that I ditched the images from last weekend before I thought to post them. After my experience, I went searching for people with similar experiences on the net - only one post here which shows what I experienced .

http://digitalphotographer.com.ph/forum/showthread.php?t=26001&page=5

anyone else use the same glass?
I'm just wondering how the singh rays at 82mm work for wide angles now.

[Gav1n]

Interesting! I was looking at these on Ebay. I will now look away and not think about getting one anymore - for a wide angle they look terrible! X marks the spot!

[Dylan & Marianne]

lol I forgot I posted this - deinitely wasted money there -

[R1titan]

I was looking at this product too...good thing to know your thoughts on this.

Was your version the original or the Mk II version??? any photos to share?

So what did you end up going with on the 16-35II?
btw, ur Iceland photos are truly amazing :)

[Dylan & Marianne]

thanks about the iceland photos- I'm now using a heliopan 10 stop filter which you can get from www.teamworkphoto.com - that works fine! although 10 stops really takes some getting used to.

[u8ey]

IVe got a fader ND and at my first attempt with it, I did see those incredible artefacts that you are talking about. However It dawned on me when I looked at the side of the filter that it works best within the 1/4 rotational turn that is marked with dots. It is really not good at all beyond this scale, and honestly starts to behave badly at the upper end within a notch or so of the scale.

My second attempt with it was far more successful with this limitation noted. Bear in mind that the fader is really a Vid shooters tool, and if you restrict its use to around 6-8 stops drop in exposure, it works ok.

[Dylan & Marianne]

yea I had the same experience - couldn't get beyond 4 stops on mine in either direction.

[campdog]

Yep, I wasted my money as well. Blew heaps of shots on a recent US trip. they dont look too bad on the camera LCD but put them up on the laptop and :eek::eek::eek::eek:.
Glad I had 2 cameras on the go. Grand Canyon, Zion, Yosemite,Bryce Canyon, Monument Valley.plus heaps more.Got a lot of great ones but that filter cost me heaps.

[arthurking83]

Hey Dylan. I totally missed this thread when you originally posted it.

The link you posted to that source of info most of the images in that link are now gone, but there was a link to another person's blog site and hence review, and the images were still up.

I have no idea on how these variND filters actually work, but going by the images posted in the blog review at stops 4, 5 and 6 looks remarkably similar to using two polarisers stacked and then rotated to produce this strange cross hatched effect.

[Dylan & Marianne]

definitely arthur ! that's why I've decided to go for just solid NDs and haven't looked back !