Variable ND Filters

[thebrothersthre3]

Yeah its really best to white balance off a card if possible when using ND's. I am personally using the Hoya Variable RN, simply out of convenience. If I was on a really high end shoot I would get something better, or rent a camera with internal ND's. 

[mercer]

You get what you pay for, luckily there are some great inexpensive options. I swear by Bower Variable ND filters. They’re very neutral and only affect sharpness a little bit. They have hard stops and they cost $30 or less.

I also like B+W Vario ND. It also has hard stops, is very neutral, and has a great dust repellent coating on it. The one issue is that it only gives 6 stops of ND but that also forces me to stop down the lens a couple stops which usually results in sharper images and deeper colors.

I recommend owning a good cheap one and a good higher priced one. I shoot a lot at the beach and I often use the Bower vnd because I know saltwater and sand could end up damaging the filter... that’s much better on a $30 vnd than a $150 one.