Tiffen Variable Neutral Density Filter
Skye Severy
A neutral density filter is a piece of glass that goes in front of your lens in order to reduce the amount of light that enters the camera. One of its biggest purposes is to allow you to shoot at your desired aperture and shutter speed combination without worrying about it being too bright outside and your photos being overexposed.
This also grants you the capability to create beautiful motion blurs (using a long exposure) without worrying too heavily about lighting conditions. All of this being said, the main drawback of neutral density filters is needing to carry so many different ones of varying shades and densities.
The Tiffen Variable ND filter operates on the same principle as a circular polarizer, granting full manual capabilities to adjust your frame however you see fit. As such, the stops marked on the filter itself are intended to be used as reference points and do not actually signify official stops.
In real-life use of this filter, it was great to be able to visually see how the adjustments affected the image and maintain the integrity of the shot I wanted to take. Many of my clients enjoy my stylistic aesthetic of consistently using very low aperture numbers and a shallow depth of field in my work. This filter allows me to maintain this effect even on the brightest of days.
The test images here all featured my lively white dog, who previously was nearly impossible to properly expose with a wide aperture in the clear, bright noon sun. Each photograph features the same settings, with the ND ring being rotated to showcase how dark it can truly get.
These images were shot at high noon, in bright sun, with a 50mm f/1.2 lens wide open at 1.2. The ISO was set to 100, and the shutter speed to 1/1600th. The variable ND filter allowed me to darken the frame enough to ensure that the depth of field was kept intact.
Right off the bat, what I was really fond of about this filter is the ease at which I could adjust the stops; the rotation is very smooth and fluid. The filter itself is lightweight and features pristine Tiffen glass. The actual filter rim is intended to expand past the parameter of the lens glass to avoid an unintentional vignette, a welcome addition.
My only complaint would be there is a bit of a learning curve on actually attaching the filter to my lens, it took longer time than I would have initially liked due to the chunky rotating mount being in the way. It initially felt a bit loose on the lens, only to find that it was strictly my misuse/improper attachment causing the minor mishap.
Once this was remedied with a bit of practice, all was well. Unfortunately, the filter scale is hidden under the lens, so it also took some finagling to realign the filter stops. These are all minor inconveniences in the grand scheme of things, however.
Bonus tip: I went and purchased a step-down and step-up ring to be able to attach the filter to several of my other lenses, and I found that the addition of the ring actually helped screw the variable ND filter to my lenses because there was an additional amount of space to grip while I spun.
You should only range within the marked stops in order to use this filter effectively. I did experience chromatic aberration while using this filter but much of that is affected by the lens itself. This can easily be remedied in post-processing.
Notice how as the filter strength was increased, she was able to slow the shutter speed to change the effect of the flowing water. Attempting this in bright sun without a variable ND filter would result in extremely overexposed images.
For reference, her exposure without the filter was ISO 100, f/22, 1/20th, so the last shot above would have been 9 stops too bright. So having such a filter in your toolkit gives you a lot more options than shooting without it.
I don't talk much about gear. However, this I thought I should talk about. If you're a landscape photographer (probably, if you've landed on my page), you either own or are thinking about buying a neutral density filter.
I've had a Tiffen Variable Neutral Density (ND) filter in my camera bag for a while. I've not used it much since my polarizers cut 2 stops of light and that's typically been enough. This past weekend, I decided to give this filter a proper field test. There's two parts to this review. The Tiffen part and the variable ND part.
For those that may be new to the concept of a neutral density filter, it's a dark piece of glass put between your lens and the scene you're shooting. An ND filter cuts down on the amount of light coming into your camera, allowing longer shutter speeds, without having to narrow your aperture. You can keep the aperture set for the depth of field you want and use an ND to take a longer exposure.
These filters are used to get pleasing "blur" effects for things in motion in the scene. Think clouds streaking across the sky, cars zipping by leaving light trails, smooth silky water, and so on. There's other uses too, but smoothing motion is the most interesting to me as a landscape shooter.
There's a variety of ND filters. If you've ever seen a photographer with a square-shaped front on their camera, it's probably a glass plate filter of some kind. The glass plate NDs I've seen are single density. 2 stop, 4 stop, 10 stop, etc. Each plate cuts a specific, fixed amount of light. A holder that fits around your camera lens is also required. There are also ND filters that screw on to the front of your lens, like the Tiffen one I'm talking about here. My model is a variable ND filter, ranging from 2 stops to 8 stops of light. You control how much light enters the camera by rotating the outer ring.
That's a limitation and introduces a little guesswork into determining the right shutter speed. Other brands I read up on (Hoya, B+W, Bower) do not call out this limitations. Maybe the other brands have it, maybe not.
The convenience of 2-8 stops of density at your fingertips is the key advantage. Attach one filter and simply rotate to taste. It's a cost effective solution, too. The cost of a single variable ND is much lower than 7 glass plates. And that's about where the advantages end.
Overall, I'm not unhappy with the filter. It has uses, and I'll use it for now since I have it. Although I can't recommend a variable ND filter with any any level of fervor. The convenience of 6 stops of density with the turn of the wrist is attractive. And the price point is pretty good. However, for me, the drawbacks significantly outweigh the convenience.
Hi Jonas,
Thanks for this blog. I was also just about to buy a variable ND, but had concerns about the X issue. I just purchased the Fuji XT-1 and I am STILL waiting for my Fuji 56mm, so I have a couple of questions if that is okay:
1. Can you use the 62mm Hoya 8X ND with the bayonet lens hood or is it too big for the hood to fit? I want to use the ND with backlit portraits and so I want to avoid unnecessary flare if I can. Is the B+W version any different?
2. With the 8X (3 stops), does that give you close to f1.2 on a very sunny day (probably backlit)?
3. Can you autofocus with the 8X ND filter and see well through the EVF?
Thanks for any experience you can share. I am ready to purchase when you have a moment to reply.
Thanks again!
Marshall
As you know the latest X-T1 firmware release (last December) Fuji gave us, basically, a new camera! And one of the interesting features is the 3 stop improvement in shutter speeds employing an electronic shutter. I am wondering if this changes the need to use a 3 stop (like the Hoya NDx8) or just a weaker ND filter or nothing, e.g, with your recently acquired Rikenon 55mm, f/1.2 lens shooting wide open on a sunny day?
In regards of using ND filters with the Fujinon XF56mm f1.2 while shooting with a flash during a sunny day would you recommend Hoya 8xND or would you prefer Hoya ND PRO 16x which gives you 4 stops step down to be able to shoot wide open while staying within the maximum sync speed 1/180s of X-T1. If 4 stops step down would suit better is Hoya ND PRO 16x a good option, or would you choose different brand/filter type?
My friend with whom we were preparing our kits for the India trip advised me to get Tiffen Variable ND filter for the video shooting. I have Xt1 and wanted to take mostly photos but also some video shots and make a short document clip. After reading your post I decided not to go for it as I take photos 75% of the time and only 25% is video. However, If I look at my friends video that he made with his GH4 and tiffen variable set on sigma 18-35,1.8; I do not see any artefacts or issues with bokeh / out of focus areas, etc. Does that mean that your post and the issues you are desribing are applicable only on the photography? Can I conclude that I can use variable ND for video shots without having same issues as artefacts, etc?
Jeg holdt p g i variabelfella, men leste denne posten i tillegg til andre. etter ha lest og sett dine bildeeksempler s ble det bestilt et B+W nd106 isteden. Hadde Lee 100100, men ble stort p Fuji synes jeg ?
Well, imaging is everything and expediency a necessity. In these posts there are 2 addressing the true value of a variable ND filter, which I believe is in cinematography/videography. In those disciplines, maintaining a preferred f stop and preferred shutter speed are of paramount importance. A VND filter makes this task simple. I would like to add that while technically great images benefit from technically great equipment and practices, truly great images know no such restraints.
Thank you, this is exactly my observation. We are doing wedding photography and cinematography, mostly at the beach in broad daylight. We have tried many variable ND-filters. The best and consistent results we get with a normal Tiffen ND filter.
If so, you need a neutral density filter to darken your exposure by 1 or more stops to get the correct exposure for your long exposure shot. While it is true you can use your max f-stop number and minimum ISO to get a long exposure, sometimes the day is just too bright for your desired exposure for that silky smooth water effect. Long exposures are fun with moving lights (think cars) and many other uses too.
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