55mm Variable ND3-ND1000 (1.5-10 Stops) Filter Nano-Xcel Series - 28 Multi-Layer Coatings for Camera Lens
SKU: KF01.2006
Transparency notice:
The product was made available to me free of charge as an evaluation sample, free from any influence or expectations. My review is based solely on my personal assessment and experience of using the product.
Review:
For quick readers, I'll anticipate my review, below I'll explain the details of my decision making, my impressions of the product.
It is not difficult for me to give it a 5 star rating, because the ND filter meets my expectations accurately, its function is impeccable, the mechanical manufacturing quality is also more than convincing, not forgetting the useful and practical storage case.
One small thing bothers me in the product description, the suitability for 8K videos. What's the point, is that pure marketing? It seems that way. I find this advice unnecessary, because you could also say that you can also take photos with it, or is also suitable for color rendering, as well as for b/w. A useless statement.
I have a piece of workmanship in my hands and I can tell that from the first impression, purely from the mechanical quality. Wow, what a milled part, the mount ring. No material has been spared here, nor has the precision of its processing, so the fine thread is also precisely cut and, of course, there is no manufacturing residue on the filter.
The glass, which is high-quality coated optical glass, is absolutely pure and flat, with a straight and oblique view, rotating, I do not recognize any distortion, which is later confirmed in my photos too, and the sharpness of my lens is not adversely affected either.
For direct image comparison, I took a picture with a filter and one without on a tripod, of course with an adjusted exposure in each case. I left the aperture and time as I did, I adjusted the light difference via the sensor sensitivity on the ISO controller, and my premium class German full-frame camera offers plenty of work space.
I see almost no differences, only in contrast do I think the filter recognizes a minimally more inanimate image, slightly less brilliance. With regard to the shades, I recognize a slightly “colder” image, i.e. minimally bluish.
I can easily adjust both in the RAW Converter and I think these minor influences are acceptable, and I only recognize them in a direct comparison and you don't normally have them. As you would expect, K&F Concept really delivers quality.
I also really like the grip of the filter, so I can grip and unscrew it securely even now in winter with cold fingers, without having to worry about it slipping on my fingers.
For another smaller filter thread, I have a comparable ND filter from a well-known German brand, it is significantly more expensive and only slightly surpasses the image quality of the K&F Concept filter. Direct comparison is not possible, they are different lenses, which is why the filter diameter is different.
In conclusion, I fully recommend buying the K&F Concept ND filter. It clearly serves the premium class, at least the lower premium class; it clearly stands out in terms of quality from the cheap ND filters in the 20-30 € class.
Thanks for your attention while reading my review. If you would like, feel free to give me feedback or a “thumbs up”, I would be happy to hear from you.
The product was made available to me free of charge as an evaluation sample, free from any influence or expectations. My review is based solely on my personal assessment and experience of using the product.
Review:
For quick readers, I'll anticipate my review, below I'll explain the details of my decision making, my impressions of the product.
It is not difficult for me to give it a 5 star rating, because the ND filter meets my expectations accurately, its function is impeccable, the mechanical manufacturing quality is also more than convincing, not forgetting the useful and practical storage case.
One small thing bothers me in the product description, the suitability for 8K videos. What's the point, is that pure marketing? It seems that way. I find this advice unnecessary, because you could also say that you can also take photos with it, or is also suitable for color rendering, as well as for b/w. A useless statement.
I have a piece of workmanship in my hands and I can tell that from the first impression, purely from the mechanical quality. Wow, what a milled part, the mount ring. No material has been spared here, nor has the precision of its processing, so the fine thread is also precisely cut and, of course, there is no manufacturing residue on the filter.
The glass, which is high-quality coated optical glass, is absolutely pure and flat, with a straight and oblique view, rotating, I do not recognize any distortion, which is later confirmed in my photos too, and the sharpness of my lens is not adversely affected either.
For direct image comparison, I took a picture with a filter and one without on a tripod, of course with an adjusted exposure in each case. I left the aperture and time as I did, I adjusted the light difference via the sensor sensitivity on the ISO controller, and my premium class German full-frame camera offers plenty of work space.
I see almost no differences, only in contrast do I think the filter recognizes a minimally more inanimate image, slightly less brilliance. With regard to the shades, I recognize a slightly “colder” image, i.e. minimally bluish.
I can easily adjust both in the RAW Converter and I think these minor influences are acceptable, and I only recognize them in a direct comparison and you don't normally have them. As you would expect, K&F Concept really delivers quality.
I also really like the grip of the filter, so I can grip and unscrew it securely even now in winter with cold fingers, without having to worry about it slipping on my fingers.
For another smaller filter thread, I have a comparable ND filter from a well-known German brand, it is significantly more expensive and only slightly surpasses the image quality of the K&F Concept filter. Direct comparison is not possible, they are different lenses, which is why the filter diameter is different.
In conclusion, I fully recommend buying the K&F Concept ND filter. It clearly serves the premium class, at least the lower premium class; it clearly stands out in terms of quality from the cheap ND filters in the 20-30 € class.
Thanks for your attention while reading my review. If you would like, feel free to give me feedback or a “thumbs up”, I would be happy to hear from you.
20/04/2023
I already know other filters from K&F and was able to request this one here for testing.
The packaging alone makes a good impression and when you open it, it continues with the case. That makes a difference. But okay, it's about the filter. The filter itself is a variable filter of ND3-1000, which is quite a bandwidth. I've never had a variable ND filter before and was skeptical at first whether it really worked. But yes, it works.
The filter itself makes a high-quality impression. It can be easily screwed onto the filter thread of the lenses and, above all, removed again. Adjusting the filter works wonderfully with the orange lever on the side. I could not notice any loss in image quality.
The price is quite high, but the filter is also very well made.
The packaging alone makes a good impression and when you open it, it continues with the case. That makes a difference. But okay, it's about the filter. The filter itself is a variable filter of ND3-1000, which is quite a bandwidth. I've never had a variable ND filter before and was skeptical at first whether it really worked. But yes, it works.
The filter itself makes a high-quality impression. It can be easily screwed onto the filter thread of the lenses and, above all, removed again. Adjusting the filter works wonderfully with the orange lever on the side. I could not notice any loss in image quality.
The price is quite high, but the filter is also very well made.
20/04/2023
Sometimes you want to be able to take pictures with an open aperture even in very bright surroundings, for example to be able to take a portrait and show the person in front of the blurred background. Sometimes it's not enough to shorten the shutter speed or regulate the ISO values down. Then an ND filter is needed to soften the light in a color-neutral way. In my opinion, this filter here from K&F is a great choice. Because with this filter you are very flexible, since it not only has one strength, but can "save or gain" up to 10 f-stops. It is of extremely high quality, can be screwed on without any problems and then adjusted steplessly with an easy-to-grasp lever. I don't understand why it has to be in orange of all things. I would have preferred that to be more subtle. The optical quality of this filter is unique, the coating is excellent, the feel is great, the price is correspondingly high, but justified. I give full 5 stars.
18/12/2022
As usual with K&F Concept you get solid quality for a good price. With this filter, however, you clearly have to consider the range of the stop-down. In my opinion, ND3-ND1000 is just too much to implement it really perfectly. Color shift, difficult fine adjustment, etc. So if you really only want to use a single filter, you are well advised to start with the price. However, I would recommend fixed ND levels for photography. A much smaller range is also sufficient for filming. So I don't quite see the purpose of this filter, but you have to say unbeaten in the price range. So full marks!
17/12/2022
The filter's mounting rings (one of which is a rotating ring) are heavy brass. This filter will therefore not jam on the lens and can no longer be removed without tools like its "brothers" from other manufacturers, which are mostly made of aluminum. The high-quality filter consists of two polarizing filters connected in series, which can be twisted against each other until it is almost completely dark. The brilliance of the photos does not suffer at all. The filter is a high-performance product and is therefore comparable in price to similar products from German manufacturers. This price is justified and I can therefore warmly recommend the ND filter.
16/12/2022