I’ve been enjoying amateur photography for years, but there’s one piece of kit I’ve never owned up until this month: a variable ND filter. I can’t believe I waited so long to get one–it’s completely changed my photography capabilities.
What Is a VND (Variable ND) Filter?
For those unfamiliar, a variable ND filter (VND from now on) is basically like sunglasses for your camera. There are standard ND filters that come in fixed ND values, each equating to an exposure stop value. A variable ND filter will typically spin in some form or fashion, offering a variable amount of exposure to stop darkness for your camera lens.
VND filters are used quite often by landscape photographers. However, that’s not the only group that uses the filters.
One major use of a VND filter is to be able to slow your shutter speed down without blowing an image out. Take a waterfall, for instance. Without the VND, I was able to go as slow as 1/13 of a second for my shutter speed without blowing out the waterfall. Once I put the VND on my lens, I was able to effectively go as slow as I wanted. For the type of shot I wanted, I really only went up to 2.5 seconds, but that’s still quite slow for a midday shoot.
Why Didn’t I Buy One Sooner?
This is where I kick myself in the butt. I’ve been doing amateur photography for nearly a decade. I’ve been doing landscape (on and off) for about half a decade. And I’ve never owned a VND filter before. I didn’t even buy the ones I have now, in fact. They came with my A7 III when I bought it from someone who used it.
The thing is, this is a relatively cheap piece of kit that’s completely changed my capabilities as a landscape photographer. I hadn’t bought one previously because I thought I wouldn’t use it much, and I thought they were expensive.
While expensive VNDs do exist, there are affordable ones that will easily get the job done just the same. For example, K&F Concept has a VND filter that goes from ND2 to ND400 (one to nine stops), and it’s just $25 on Amazon for a 67mm (lens thread size). Different thread sizes cost different amounts, so you’ll need to pick the one for your specific lens.
But, at the end of the day, the VND isn’t nearly as expensive as I thought it would be to buy, and it’s totally changed what I’m able to capture. I can’t believe I waited so long to get one.
I Now Have Two VND Filters, so I Can Always Have One With Me
The A7 III I bought actually came with two VND filters. One is the K&F Concept Nano-X ND2 to ND32 (one to five stops) with a built-in CPL (circular polarizing filter). This is my primary VND that I keep in my primary camera bag that I take with me almost anywhere I go.
I also have a Platinum MC VND ND2 to ND400 (one to nine stops) from Best Buy that’s no longer sold. This one gets quite a bit darker than the K&F Concept, but it doesn’t have the CPL built in, and I feel like the optics aren’t quite as clear as the K&F as well. So, the Platinum stays in my backup, small camera bag in case I forget to grab the K&F when walking out the door.
Having a VND with me everywhere means I can easily take the shot I want, not the shot I’m forced to take. Like the waterfall pictures above, without the VND, the waterfall looked somewhat smoothed, but it wasn’t anywhere near as clear as the 2.5-second exposure. And, without the VND, I could never have taken the 2.5-second exposure.
K&F Concept 67mm ND2-ND32 with CPL Filter
The K&F Concept 67mm ND2-ND32 with CPL Filter is perfect for amateur and professional photographers alike. It features an integrated circular polarizing filter as well as a ND2 to ND32 variable ND function. Acting as sunglasses for your camera, this VND is versatile and would be a great part of any photography kit.
So, a VND has become a permanent part of my photography toolkit. I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to get one and that I had to get it as part of a bundle. But I have one now, and that’s all that matters. You should go pick one up, too. I don’t think you’ll regret it one bit.
