K&F Concept Nano-X True Color variable ND filter ND2–ND32 + CPL 2-in-1 82 mm

Nano-X True Color variable ND filter ND2–ND32 + CPL 2-in-1 82 mm, changes the amount of light steplessly as you turn it. It is a favourite for filming on bright days, as it lets you keep a cinematic shutter and a wide aperture without blown highlights or swapping filters between takes.

• 28 anti-reflective layers
• Screws onto a lens with an 82 mm thread.
• Water-, grease- and scratch-resistant surface

Light under control with one turn

A variable ND replaces a whole set of fixed grey filters — turning the front ring changes how much light gets through, steplessly. While filming the shutter stays at 1/50 s even as the sun goes behind a cloud and comes back, with no need to stop the take or swap a filter.

ND and polarisation at once

The filter combines two pieces of glass that otherwise have to be stacked: a polariser and a variable ND from ND2 to ND32. That removes one element from the light path and with it the vignetting risk of two stacked filters. The darkening is set with a lever on the rim, so it can be changed with an eye at the finder.

The surface repels water and grease, so drops run off and fingerprints wipe away without smears; the coating also stands up to cleaning in the field. Ordinary variable NDs pull the picture towards yellow-green and the colours then have to be straightened out in post. The titanium coating suppresses that shift, so snow stays white and water keeps the tone it actually had.