Anyone try the "Schneider True Match Vari-ND Kit" yet?

Just curious as I was getting ready to order the Singh-Ray Vari-ND and came across the "Schneider True Match Vari-ND Kit".

Never heard of this particular Vari-ND before and I wasn't able to really track down any photo specific samples. So if anyone has any info on this kit or how well it performs against the other premium Vari-ND's I'd appreciate hearing how you felt about it.

Thorrulz wrote in post #15748363
Just curious as I was getting ready to order the Singh-Ray Vari-ND and came across the "Schneider True Match Vari-ND Kit".

Never heard of this particular Vari-ND before and I wasn't able to really track down any photo specific samples. So if anyone has any info on this kit or how well it performs against the other premium Vari-ND's I'd appreciate hearing how you felt about it.

Singh-Ray VND is your best bet. I have the Hoya VND and it seems to work fine for me. If you shoot with wide lens, you'll see the dark X in your shots.

fashionrider wrote in post #15748868
Singh-Ray VND is your best bet. I have the Hoya VND and it seems to work fine for me. If you shoot with wide lens, you'll see the dark X in your shots.

Thanks for the advice on the Singh-Ray version fashionrider. I primarily plan on using whichever Vari-ND I purchase for portraits in the 50mm-200mm range. Since I will be using the filter in the 135mm-200mm range extensively, image degradation is a large concern for me while shooting. Shooting up to 200mm with little to no loss in image quality is supposedly a strength over the other Vari-NDs when it comes to the Schneider version.

Well I just ordered one of the Scnieder kits tonight. It was just to tempting seeing that it compared favorably to the few users that had also used the Heliopan. Plus it allows two more stops over the Singh-Ray Vari-ND.

Hopefully I'll be able to test the bad boy out this upcoming weekend and post pics.

Delivered in the mail yesterday and took my first series of shots just a few minutes ago with the Schneider Vari-ND kit. All I can say is "Wow" can this bad boy perform. I had previously owned the Fader MII and there is absolutely no contest in the quality of the images taken in the first series of pics I took today. Out of the 20 pics every single shot was tack sharp and not a hint of softness or missed focus.

Here is one of my Granddaughters taken at f/2 and I easily could have shot at f/1.4 with no problem whatsoever. In fact I will be taking more completely wide open pics later today and this weekend to show how well this new addition performs.

A couple of another Granddaughter already in the Easter spirit.

I've been reading some very good reviews about this filter. I am seriously considering it for video work. Would like to see some results around the -9 stop setting.

Bob

I have one and really like it, actually it's the 2nd one I've owned. The 1st one was a bit off and would tend to not work well at the higher settings. Luckily they were only about 45 min away, so I took it in & they exchanged it for me...

Hot Bob wrote in post #15773807
I've been reading some very good reviews about this filter. I am seriously considering it for video work. Would like to see some results around the -9 stop setting.

Bob

I should be able to get some of those tomorrow and will post when I do.

Here are a few unscientific shots with the exposure info.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/rickzphoto/8652​830663/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/rickzphoto/8652​830549/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/rickzphoto/8652​830421/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/rickzphoto/8653​930988/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/rickzphoto/8653​930874/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/rickzphoto/8652​830097/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/rickzphoto/8653​930650/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/rickzphoto/8652​829863/

And the last.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/rickzphoto/8653​930420/

Last bit of info as to why there is slight variances in the pics.

I had highlight tone priority turned on therefor I shot at iso 200 and it was a partly overcast day with clouds messing with the exposure as well.

Once the weather is more agreeable for outdoor portraits I will update with those as well.

Something inside tells me "Don't trust Vari-NDs".
But then I have no personal experience and was curious about them first time I saw one.

If I shot primarily landscapes then a Vari-ND would not be my first choice for a filter. I do shoot portraits however and a Vari-ND fits my needs better than a regular ND filter. My biggest concern in whichever Vari-ND I decided on was which would give me the least amount of color shift at the greater densities and could the image sharpness not be degraded to an unacceptable level? My selections came down to the Singh-Ray, Heliopan and the Schneider versions.

Why did I finally go with the Schneider? Not only are the filters top notch but I also have access to many other options with the Lee kit. It may be a little more cumbersome having the Lee filter kit at the end of the lens but I don't see any image degradation or sharpness loss in my images at around the 5-7 stop range I find myself shooting at when I'm outdoors. Pricey, yes of course but I see it as a necessary tool in my bag that's just as important as any of my lens.

samsen wrote in post #15831788
Something inside tells me "Don't trust Vari-NDs".
But then I have no personal experience and was curious about them first time I saw one.

Solid NDs are always better quality than VNDs. One of the cons of buying an entire set of solid NDs is that it is more expensive than a single VND (if you were to buy enough NDs to cover the VND's range). I only shoot portraits, and I do a lot with a sunset backlighting a subject. In other words, the light changes RAPIDLY. The VND is my only option. If I shot at times which had more consistent lighting, I'd use solid NDs.