Tiffen 82VND 82mm Variable Neutral Density Camera Filter|2 to 8-Stop|Light Control|Film and Digital/Video/Photography

I debated for a while before I finally purchased this Variable ND filter. I knew it was important, but was always able to get by without using one for the most part unless I was shooting in broad daylight with no cloud coverage. After making this purchase, I don't know how I've gone so long without this. There are a few things to know when purchasing an ND filter. First, you want the Tiffen Variable ND. There are a few cheaper (as in $15ish), but they are extremely poorly made and will give a dark purple cast over the footage when the ND is turned up. Also, cheaper Variable ND's do not like zoom lenses, so prepare for nasty colors when zooming in. I have experienced none of those issues with the Tiffen. There's another, much more expensive Variable ND by Hoya, which in my opinion is not worth the money at all. Dave Dougdale did a very comprehensive review you should definitely check out comparing multiple ND's, and he preferred the look of the Tiffen over the Hoya which is twice as expensive. This is just personal preference, but when buying and ND, or any filter for that matter, buy the 82mm thread unless you absolutely don't want to for some odd reason. The reason for this is that they have multiple step down rigs that will allow you to change the filter thread. For example, I purchased the 82mm thread, and purchased a 82-77mm Step Down, 82-67mm Step Down, and 82-58mm Step Down ring. Now, instead of buying a new ND filter for all of my lenses and spending hundreds of extra dollars, I can buy a three dollar adapter. Yes, you'll have a much bigger filter on the end of your camera and it will look awkward, but you'll also have hundreds more in your pocket so it's all good. On a more technical term, I was able to keep 1/50 shutter at 24fps and f/4.0 with my A7s on a remotely sunny day with the ND set pretty high. I had to go up to a f/6.3 once, but without the NDI had to shoot at an f/22 and I was still +2 stops over exposed, so that just goes to show you how much range this ND gives you. If you ever plan on shooting out doors and keeping your shutter angle at 180 degrees without setting you aperture absurdly high, you need this. There's no other way to put it.

It screws in with no problem. Easy to rotate and control and clearly marked. As long as you stay withing marked minimum and maximum there are no issues. I like to create long exposures around sunrise or sunset and I put it on minimum to allow enough light to pass so I can get auto-focus and then move it to wherever I like. I didn't see any quality degradation or issues anywhere. Only bad part is that once you put this on, the hood can not be put on. That makes it easier to use but slight protection you might be getting from hood is gone. Then again, I use for my wide-angle lens and for most part hood is just for show anyway. Glad I trusted Tiffen as some of the other ones are way more priced and I really don't see the point now that this one is working for me.

Got this to use with my Rokinon 12mm F2.0 manual ultra wide angle lens and it has been fabulous. I'm just a beginner in photography, and it's just a hobby I enjoy. I love having the variable ND filter as I don't need have a ton of these on hand and figure out which one I want- I just pop it on and rotate it to what I need for the settings and conditions I'm shooting at the moment. Works great. I'm sure there are other options too, but I've gotten great results with this filter when shooting out in the middle of a sunny day. I think that even as I grow in skill, I will still be using this filter for those slower shutter speed shots.

I purchased this for video use. I am a non-professional hobbyist when it comes to videography. I mostly film run and gun style family moments. Pros 82mm Six stops of coverage Cons Thick lack of hard stops Lack of protection when on camera and not in use As a consumer at this price point, I think this is a great purchase. I helped me control light and get my desired shutter speed. I feel that the image quality is great. There is a slight color cast, but nothing I can't correct in post. I color correct all of my footage, so this is not a setback for me. When I purchase filters, I always buy in 82mm and use step-up rings to size to my smaller glass. I like that this unit came in the 82mm width. Secondly, the coverage is an excellent range for stops 2 - 8. It is easy to use, and I have not noticed artifacts while using. A few features that I do not like and that I do not think would be expensive to fix. While the filter is easy to use and use while rolling, it does not have a tactile indicator telling you that you have hit a stop or endpoint. This likely keeps things smoother while filming, but it would be nice to have a hard stop at the endpoints. The filter is thick. You can see this in pictures compared to other filters with similar functionality. I did not think of this when purchasing, but it makes it difficult to put in my filter sleeve to carry multiple filters/step-up rings. It is a tight squeeze for just the filter, a filter with a ring attached does not fit; this requires a complete disassembly every time which dissuades use. Lastly, an 82mm lens cap does not fit this filter once attached to the camera. I'm not particularly eager to leave my glass unprotected when not in use. Not being willing to leave the filter attached due to lack of a protective cover means I miss opportunities because I have to assemble first. This may be an amateurish complaint, but I do not make money off of my gear. I have to treat it with care so that it lasts. Overall, I would purchase this filter again. I think it provides great utility, especially when used for video. I've spent more words on this review detailing cons, but it is a reliable variable ND filter that performs as expected. The best gear is the gear you use. Tiffen if you monitor the comments. I know I would get more use of this filter if it had a protective covering. Following that, please figure out hard stops.

I'm a professional photographer and videographer so when I was looking for an ND filter for my DSLR's I was looking for something that had good quality and will not negatively impact the photo. This filter you can adjust to the setting you need which is great because you only need one for your lens. The physical glass is very strong. One of my team members managed to break one of these once, but it was from a quite substantial fall with the pressure of the camera body leaving 1 single crack down the middle. The physical image that comes out of this is awesome and if you're doing a lot of outdoor shoots this filter will help to bring back the sky in many shots.

Sony S-LOG3 video can be shot at midday while using a wide aperture with this filter. S-LOG3 minimum ISO is 800, so shooting during the day usually requires a fast shutter and tight aperture. With this filter dialed down to its darkest setting, I can maintain 1/50 second shutter and around f2-2.8 aperture. This makes all the difference in video quality. And the price is about as low as you'll find for a quality filter. Slightly warm color rendition. Vignetting may occur depending on your lens, but I have shot with a 17mm lens (Super35 crop) and encountered no issues. Made in USA!

I am semi-pro photographer and do fashion/senior/family photos. I have always schedule my outdoor shoots early in the morning or later in the afternoon, because I can then use my 1 or 2 speedlights to get the light I want on the subjects. There have been situations where I had to do a session during bright daylight and I have had light control issues. Recently, I attended a class on mixing strobes with bright sunlight by using ND filters. The instructor had a $400 VARI-ND filter. I had a reputed brand ND2-ND400 Vari ND filter that I got here. When I attached that to my 85/1.8, I could not achieve sharp focus at all! That happened at all levels of stops. I had to use a Hoya 58mm 3X filter, which limited my creativity as I could not open up the aperture as wide as I wanted to. I bought this Tiffen filter with some trepidation. I use this on my 50mm/1.4 & 85mm/1.8 in conjunction with a set of Fotodiox step down rings. I have done 4 shoots with this filter, my AB800 in a Fotodiox 18" BD and I am beyond impressed! The focus is tack sharp and I have no color cast issues. I do use a digital target and/or Expodisk 2.0 to set custom WB. I can now get the creamy, dreamy Bokeh, and have the subject properly lit! They say that in Vari-ND filters, you get what you pay for. I don't know what a $400 filter does, but so far, for what I do, this filter fits the bill.

So here's the deal. After much praise for this filter from many photography review websites and from the Amazon reviews, I gave this guy a shot, and it's "meh". Here are the issues: - You "TECHNICALLY" get 6 stops worth of range but only the first 3 are good and could be considered "NEUTRAL". - The last 3 stops are between the last dot on the filter dot scale and the A in the MAX text on the filter. This is very likely due to cosine effect between the two linear polarizers which make up the Variable ND filter. - The color change in the last 3 stops is atrocious, going WAY blue/purple. If you correct the color for the first 3 stops, it'll be hideous for the last 3. - At 29mm zoom range (in full frame) or 18mm in APC, you'll see the dreaded X feature come in at the edges juuuust after the first 3 stops. If you are imaging at that or wider, the X is so obvious it'll ruin your shot. - At 64mm zoom (in full frame) or 40mm in APC, you won't see the X definition as the discoloration will encompass the entire frame, but it'll look terrible. - Therefore, the real effective range of this filter is 2-5 stops (and you will have to custom white balance for that zone) (setting it to 4100K actually worked very well) (a grey card works also of course). I'm going to end up looking at a static ND of about 6 stops, as I already have a circular polarizer which is good for about 2. I didn't feel like I gained much of anything by having the variability between 2 and 5 stops. And if you want to do long exposures in the day, that last 3 stops will destroy the color (In my opinion) so I'd say either stack ND filters or get a 9 stop static filter.