Review: Two VND Filters from K&F Concept
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- čas přidán 7. 07. 2024
- K&F Concept (www.kentfaith.com) sent me two Variable ND filters to review - a ND2-ND32 VND and a ND2-ND32 CPL-VND.
I test them against 7 criteria - check out the video to see what I think of them.
[NOTE: I received no financial compensation for this review but was permitted to keep the filters]
ND2-ND32:
au.kentfaith.com/KF01.1063?ut...
ND+CPL:
au.kentfaith.com/KF01.1087?ut...
K&F Concept are offering a 10% discount across their site until 30 Jun 2020. Use the 10% OFF code: KFAU10
Hope you enjoy.
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Follow me at: www.iansmissenphotography.com / iansmissen
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Photography, video and editing
Ian Smissen
Music
On My Way Home (sting) by The 126ers
Cliffsides by Dan Lebowitz
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Photography gear
Panasonic Lumix G9 camera
Panasonic Lumix 12-35mm f/2.8 lens
Jobu Algonquin Tripod with Really Right Stuff BH-55 ballhead and Really Right Stuff L-bracket
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Video/audio gear
Panasonic Lumix GX8 camera
Panasonic Lumix G9 camera
Panasonic Lumix 12-35mm f/2.8 lens
Panasonic Lumix 25mm f/1.7 lens
Audio-Technica AT2020USB microphone
Sirui N3203X tripod + Sirui K-30X ballhead
iPhone 5 + Rode Lavalier microphone
Great review! You are the only photographer that makes both the use and features shine in their video.
you nailed it..you are the only one who explained it correctly.
Hi Ian, just bought my VND filter and doing some homework on how to use, this video is certainly one of the best I have seen, very clear and concise , thank you for that mate, best wishes from UK.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you Ian, a really great review. I am seriously considering buying this.
Ian..... this is one the best comparison and clearly understanding test ive ever seen about these two Variable ND filters. i definitely go for the ND2-ND32 VND...... Excellente vidéo, Thanks for your review , greeetzzz from Amsterdam👍
I liked you straight away because of your Santa Claus' beard ! Then I watched the review and liked you even more because it is such a detailed, carefully presented and well spoken review.
Great review Ian, many thanks.
Concise and straightforward. No extra babbling on about stuff that has no relevance. Good job!
Thanks Ian, Great Review, and I finally decided to go with ND + CPL
Glad I could help
Hello @Daniel ! How is the Nd+Cpl filter over all ? And how does the Cpl works ?
Thanks for your review. I've purchased the VND and CPL separate.
Glad it was helpful!
Really great and thorough review! Much appreciated
Thanks Bill
Glad it was useful.
Great review, thank you!
Helpful review. Thank you
Great video thanks Ian, greetings from Argentina.
Great review!
Great analysis!!!
Great review
Excellente vidéo. Merci from Quebec City!!
Awesome demo! To the point from the get go. No bullshit.
Great Detective work you did for me there , I think ill go with the standard VND. Cheers Boss
Happy to be helpful :-)
Thanks for the review!
My pleasure!
Thank you very much
Thanks Ian, as always clear and concise( the Aussie way, Ha Ha). So in summation, perhaps best to buy the non CPL version with an adaptor ring as I too have the 58mm lens. Can you recommend a CPL circular?
Mike in Oz
Hi Mike, these filters come in a range of sizes so you could get the 58mm and not need an adapter. K&F Concept make a CPL. While I haven’t tried it, if it is the quality of the two I reviewed, it may be worth considering. I have used Nisi and Hoya and both are excellent but there are other brands too.
Thank you for making this video.
I'm having a problem with the godox flash and my canon camera.
In HSS many banding appear in the image and I am looking for ND filters to solve the problem.
Did you do any tests with portrait photography?
Do you know if there is a color change in skin tone?
Thank's for your time.
All the best from Brazil.
Olá Thiago, I did not test on portraits but there is very little colour cast in outdoor shots. Good luck trying to fix your problem. Cheers from Australia
Thanks for the review! Any chance of reviewing any of their other products? They seem to be reasonably priced.
HI Anthony, thanks for the feedback. They have asked me to review some more gear so watch this space. Cheers, Ian
Ian, am i right to say that you wouldn't get vignetting, even at 16mm focal length, because you were using a 77mm filter on a 58mm lens?
I am watching reviews on these K&F filters, particularly interested to find out if I would get vignetting on the wider end of my 16-35mm Canon lens.
Excellent review!!
R Souza Correct. No vignette game. In this case I was sent the 77mm to test so needed the adapters but it’s not bad practice to use a larger filter if possible in wide-angle lenses. It’s also way cheaper to buy one filter and a few adapter rings than buy multiple filters.
Oh Sir. I am from Bangladesh. i was watching review (1-2years now) fixed nd and variable nd filter.... In our country not much option available for a good/near good other branded nd filter.i found 2-3 nd filter best such as *polar pro peter mckinnon variable nd....*b+w nd filter (German made i guess ) and k&f new versions nd filters as you review, (k&f old ones without the coating and without hard stops sucks ) I found fancy about k&f filter ever ever ever ever...because it is a bang for budget and it is available in our country via some online shopping from some china merchant. honestly this is my first comment i ever made on internet ever. i like the i like the k&f vnd 58mm (my largest fitting {but i was thinking to buy a [50/50 chance to buy] ...85mm lance fitting is 67mm })
now i have only some questions about some...sir if you please to answer.
i am not a professional or not even amateur level... ii just wanted to take some shots of my family and my kid.
i will be doing photos more and few videos only.
and of course portrait most and half/full body.
1 is . is the k&f VND is good or the Fixed K&F ND (2-4-8) is good? i don't know for sure.
2 is. should i go for a bigger thread fitting or a same 58mm fitting?
(i have a kit 18-55mm lance and 35mm and 50mm and a 70-300mm zoom )
3 is. is color cast will be to much an issue?
4 is. i don't know what ask any more...
Hi and thanks for watching. Quick answers to your Qs:
1. I have not tested the VND against individuals ND filters but in general, a plain ND filter should be better optically as it is less glass between your subject and the lens but the K&F VND filter is high quality glass and I could not detect a difference between it and my other (non K&F) filters.
2. I would choose the filter size to match your largest lens filter thread and get adapter rings for small filter threads.
3. There is a very slight colour cast with the VND filter but it's not bad and can easily be 'fixed' in post processing if you want to.
Cheers, Ian
@@IanSmissenPhotography Thank you very much sir , i go for the fixed k&f nd 2-4-8..package also has ( Uv + Cpl + Fld + Nd2+4+8 Lens Filter Kit + bag+cloth+cap+floral hood )...hope the nd will serve my purpose.
oh also step up and down ring ( Andoer brand ) buying, half the price of nd...( bit expensive just for 52mm and 55 mm had to buy whole 18 pices )
finally after 1-2 years of research over internet ...and @ this virus moment.... it is satisfactory .
my far next target is a tripod.
Great review, all the information needed without any hyperboles. In another review of these two filters, the reviewer complained (and demonstrated) a clear X pattern on the VND+CPL filter. I guess there can be some sample variation here but your demonstration shows that both filters should be fine. So if you happen to end up with a bad sample, just return it to the shop.
I've been thinking about getting the VND+CPL filter as I typically expect to use both on my trips simultaneously. The alternative would be to buy both a VND and a CPL and stack them as necessary with the added benefit of just using one when the other isn't needed, but I'm not sure how stacking them would work out. It would certainly not be easier to rotate one without disturbing the other, and I can also imagine that image quality might suffer from stacking these type of filters together. Do you happen to have any experience with that?
Haven't tried stacking with a VND filter. Depending on lens size you may encounter vignetting in corners.
10:55 I was of the impression circular polarisers and variable NDs could not be used together without (potentially severe) optical artefacts, due to the latter being two polarising films to which the former adds a third.
I found no artefacts using this filter
does the CPL+VND have a front filter thread or not?
Hi Bogdan, yes the filter has a front thread but the 77mm filter I have has a front thread of 82mm and I don't have an 82mm filter to test it.
Have you Experience with HAMA?
@Rune No, sorry
I used a test image for comparison of your K&F ND Ultra Slim Variable filter being on the lens and off the lens. First test was without your filter to make sure I was getting a sharp image also tried it with multiple lenses to make sure I did not have a problem with getting a sharp image with any of the lenses. All the images with the Two lenses I used were perfectly sharp without your filter. I then use your filter on the lenses using the same settings and got terrible results. The image was completely unusable blurry after installing the filter. Also the color shift was not acceptable. The lenses I used were of high quality Canon L glass series lenses. 28 to 300 mm and a 100 to 400 mm. Both lenses gave me the same results as far as I'm concerned, the filter is unacceptable and I would not recommend purchasing if you want any kind of quality sharpness to your images.
Sorry you had that experience. I have no affiliation with K&F Concept. I just reported my experience testing on my camera and lenses.
I think this Paul guy is a k&f competitor. He writes the same thing.