Lee filters Big stopper or Vari-N-Duo?

I have a Lee filter digital starter kit and I am considering selling it to get a Singh Ray Vari N Duo filter mainly because it would seem more versatile. Any*shortcoming going this route? any one with experience with both.

I have been waiting on a big stopper for some time with no luck so thinking since I have a screw on ND and CPL the Singh ray may make more sense. Thinking I could just hand hold a GND when needed.

Any thoughts appreciated since my experience with filters is pretty minimal.

Thanks

Each way offers advantages ad disadvantages the other does not. The Singh-Ray will vignette relatively soon, whereas the Lee will not (with any of your lenses) using all three tiers, but the S-R can be composed in the viewfinder then dialed up without removing or adding filters.

Have you considered trying the new HiTech 10-stop ND? I've been hearing good things about the change. It should hold you over until the Lee becomes available, if you still even need one at that point.

I guess its all a matter of various advantages/disadvantag​es. The S-R just seems to be a versatile option. I would imagine it vignettes on the wide end pretty easily?

No experience with HiTech, I always hear Lee is better but I seem to favor screw on filters just for the ease of use. I pretty much always keep them in my bag.

Tommydigi wrote in post #13936750
I guess its all a matter of various advantages/disadvantag​es. The S-R just seems to be a versatile option. I would imagine it vignettes on the wide end pretty easily?

Yes, even the thin mount version vignettes (you should see it start at 19mm or so, on your 5D).

I guess it really comes down to how much you value convenience. Either way will give you fantastic results and both have unimpeachable optics.

Indecent Exposure wrote in post #13936712
Each way offers advantages ad disadvantages the other does not. The Singh-Ray will vignette relatively soon, whereas the Lee will not (with any of your lenses) using all three tiers, but the S-R can be composed in the viewfinder then dialed up without removing or adding filters.

Have you considered trying the new HiTech 10-stop ND? I've been hearing good things about the change. It should hold you over until the Lee becomes available, if you still even need one at that point.

Do you know if this is the new HiTech version
http://www.adorama.com​/HT100NDPS30L.html

That's the one. You can tell by looking - if it has a gasket it's the new one.

The vari-ND is pretty neat but with the Lee system, you can have your ND, then also stack a polarizer and a hard/soft GND. With the Lee system it just seems like you have more options but you do have to purchase a few ND's to have the same stops that are on the SR vari-ND.

Tommydigi wrote in post #13936526
I have a Lee filter digital starter kit and I am considering selling it to get a Singh Ray Vari N Duo filter mainly because it would seem more versatile. Any*shortcoming going this route? any one with experience with both.

I have been waiting on a big stopper for some time with no luck so thinking since I have a screw on ND and CPL the Singh ray may make more sense. Thinking I could just hand hold a GND when needed.

Any thoughts appreciated since my experience with filters is pretty minimal.

Thanks

I use both...Lee arrangement as well as the Singh-Ray Vari-N-Duo...just depends on the situation at the time. Variable filters offer convenience, but they also have some idiosyncrasies that you need to deal with, some brands more so than others.

argyle wrote in post #13937537
I use both...Lee arrangement as well as the Singh-Ray Vari-N-Duo...just depends on the situation at the time. Variable filters offer convenience, but they also have some idiosyncrasies that you need to deal with, some brands more so than others.

Would you mind telling me what some of those idiosyncrasies are? The Singh-Ray Vari-N-Duo is what I was interested in.
thanks

Tommydigi wrote in post #13937542
Would you mind telling me what some of those idiosyncrasies are? The Singh-Ray Vari-N-Duo is what I was interested in.
thanks

I first tried the standard mount of the Vari-N-Duo, but the vignetting was a bit much (all the way up to 35mm focal length). I sent the filter back, and the folks at S-R converted it to the slim mount, which improved things quite a bit. It still vignettes, but not as severe (up to 24mm). I knew this going in before I bought the filter, so I don't see it as a major problem.

Variable filters will create a X-pattern when shooting at very wide focal lengths, depending on how much ND strength you have dialed. All variables do this...its simply the nature of the beast. With the S-R filter, the X-pattern will appear when I'm at max density or just beyond, and its completely gone by 35mm focal length. The knockoffs (Fader, Polaroid, others) will generally exhibit X-pattern much sooner, such as when only 5-stops of ND are dialed. There's also the IQ problems and color cast issues with some of the lower-tiered variable filters...lots of threads on these if you care to search the forum. As I mentioned, with the S-R filter the X-pattern is completely gone at 35mm and longer...can't speak to the knockoffs on this particular subject.

The S-R is a great filter, no obvious colorcast, and no adverse IQ problems...its what you'd expect from a high-quality filter. If you can deal with the idiosyncrasies (strength/focal length), its well worth the expense.

Thanks for the info, I just ordered a Lee big stopper so I will skip the S-R for now since I already have the Lee kit and I was lucky enough to find a Big stopper in stock.