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Light Craft Workshop Fader ND MK II: high quality variable ND filter

Oct 13, 2013 | camera equipment reviews | 0 comments

Written By Wim Arys

Light Craft Workshop Fader ND MK II

review: The Best ND Filter?

Review: what is the Light Craft Workshop Fader ND MK II?

The Light Craft Workshop Fader ND MK II is a high-quality variable neutral density filter from Hong Kong based company LCW.
This variable ND filter consists of 2 pieces of polarising glass that turn relative to one another, enabling a variable exposure reduction of 8 to 14 stops.
In order to facilitate this turning, the filter element has a larger surface size than your filter thread. The advantage of this larger filter size in that there is less vignetting when using wide angle lenses. The filter is neutral grey, so the light is only affected in intensity and not in colour.
Light Craft Workshop Fader ND MK II

What is an ND filter?

An ND filter or neutral density filter is a dark piece of glass (or other transparant material) that is placed in front of the lens to reduce the amount of light that enters the camera. This allows for longer exposure times, which can create some interesting effects, such as blurring moving water or making people appear to be ghosts.

They are often used in landscape photography to capture the movement of clouds or water. They can also be used in portrait photography to create a shallow depth of field when shooting at large apertures in bright light.

How it works:

They work by absorbing some of the light that would normally hit your sensor (or film). This reduces the overall brightness of your image, allowing you to use longer shutter speeds or wider apertures without blowing out your highlights.

Advantages:

ND filters offer several advantages, including:

  • They allow you to use longer shutter speeds, which can create some interesting effects.
  • Allowing you to shoot at large apertures with lots of sunlight.
  • They allow you to shoot in brighter conditions without blowing out your highlights.

Disadvantages:

There are a few disadvantages, including:

  • They can make it difficult to focus your camera, especially Canon, Nikon and Sony mirrorless.
  • They can cause vignetting (dark corners) in your images.

How to use an ND filter?

To use an neutral density filter, simply screw it on to the front of your lens. Then, set your camera to the desired aperture and shutter speed. The neutral density filter will reduce the amount of light that enters your camera, allowing you to shoot with a longer exposure or higher aperture without overexposing your image. A variable ND works in the same way, only you can change the amount of darkening by turning the front ring of the filter.

Light Craft Workshop Fader ND MK II

Light Craft Workshop Fader ND MK II specs

The Light Craft Workshop Fader ND Mark II is a very compact and lightweight filter, measuring just 2.2 x 1.6 inches (5.6 x 4.1 cm) and weighing only 0.4 ounces (11 grams). It features high-quality optics, with multi-coated glass elements that reduce flare and ghosting. It is very affordable, with a retail price of just $49 USD.

How does the Light Craft Workshop Fader ND MK II compare to otherfilters?

This filter that can be adjusted from 2 to 8 stops of light reduction. It is made of optical glass with a multicoated surface to reduce reflections and increase light transmission. The filter frame is made of aluminum and has a matte black finish to reduce reflections.

In use

The primary function of this filter for photographers is to use slower shutter speeds/long exposures. The 8 to 14 stops are sufficient if you want to use larger apertures in daylight or long exposures at night. Dependent on the lens, you’re using you might get a cross pattern in your exposure at extreme settings. This is a inherent design flaw of all variable neutral density filters, and this filter does no worse or better than the most expensive equivalents from Singh-Ray or B&W.
Light Craft Workshop Fader ND MK II

Conclusion

If you are a photographer who likes to do the math on long exposures, you’ll run into some problems with this variable neutral density filter since there are no clear markings on the number of f-stops you’re reducing with. This turned out to be no problem with my technique, but you should be aware of in none the less.
It produces very sharp photos with no offensive colour cast or noticeable loss of detail. I highly recommend it if you are in the market for a high quality yet affordable variable ND filter.

 

Written By Wim Arys

Wim Arys, a visionary photographer and educator, shares his expertise and passion for capturing the essence of life through the lens.
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