Dplus visuals :: commercials :: 3D animation :: film/video :: graphics

Well I had this Lightcraft Workshop fader lying around and thought I’d give it a test versus a normal IRND Tiffen filter.
The faders are very popular by DSLR shooters and there are various brands which produce various quality.

So I used a 70-200 Canon L II 2.8 on my Epic and did a quick video test.
By no means this is a full scientific test but I was just curious how soft the footage would become when using the LCW Vari ND.

Here are two 100% crop images. You can clearly see how soft the image becomes with this LCW vari filter.
The image is even softer than I would have imagined. So I’ll keep this LCW filter on my 5D because of the softness it’ll probably reduce the moire effect.

This week I will receive a new Heliopan vari ND filter and give that one a quick test.
100% crop from 5K  R3D footage with a LCW fader:

100% crop from 5K  R3D footage with a single Tiffen IRND filter:

UPDATE:

I just received a Heliopan 77mm Vari ND filter and gave it a quick test.
Shot with a Canon 70-200mm @ 200mm. Tis Helipan filter performs way better than the Lightcraft Workshop fader.
Not as good as a single IRND filter, but accaptable to use as a walk-a-raound option. There is a slight color shift but nothing you cannot fix in Post.

here are the quick results: