Nisi ND Vario 1-5 Stops VND filter review

My in-depth Nisi ND Vario 1-5 stops VND filter Review

Hello and welcome to my Nisi True Colour ND Vario 1-5 stops VND filter review where I talk you through how this filter has worked for me and we run it through the following tests to check its colour neutrality, X pattern and vignetting tests.

I have been using this VND filter now for several weeks and the first thing that impressed me was the build quality. I run you through all this in my video review above. 

This ND Vario VND filter feels very well made and better still it’s stacked with features…

  • The most important being colour neutrality (which we will test of course).
  • No X pattern (tested out fully in the video below).
  • No vignetting (down to 16mm) which can be an issue with VND filters.
  • Nano coating to help water run off the front element which is great for seascapes or shooting in light rain or drizzle.
  • Great build quality.
  • De-clicked stops insuring a smooth transition between stops.
  • Labelled stops on the side of the VND filter.

My top tips for buying a VND filter

Filter size

I always buy my VND filters so they fit the largest lens thread size I need, which for me is 82mm and when I want to use it on a smaller lens threads I use a step ring to adapt the filter thread size for the smaller ring then. This means you only need one VND filter for all your lenses then and those lens thread adaptors are cheap enough.

Colour Neutrality

Obviously colour neutrality is a huge deal with any VND filter and you need to make sure the VND filter you are buying is as colour neutral as possible.

Now if you are wondering why that’s important let me explain…

VND filters are prone to shifting the colour temperature and even tint of your footage which isn’t the end of the world as you can correct that in post processing but when you are filming and moving from bright to dark areas in a scene and changing the strength of your VND filter this can also then change the colour of your footage and that is a real pain to try and correct in post processing.

That’s why a good colour neutral filter is very important and the real test of a VND filter is to adjust it while filming a colour chart like I did in the video above.

Now, every single piece of equipment you put on your cameras optics will always have a very slight tint if you look close enough, heck even lenses have tints to them but what we are looking for here is an exaggerated tint and this Nisi True Colour ND Vario 1-5 stop VND filter really does live up to its name as you can clearly see in the video above.

X pattern

It’s hugely important that your VND filter doesn’t have this defect as it can destroy your photographs and video footage. So why does this x pattern happen?

First we need to understand how VND filters are made and basically VND filters are made of two circular polarizing filters combined so that when they are twist they work against each other and they block some of the light passing through, so the more you twist them the great this reduction is.

As a result of this cross polarization you can get defects like the X pattern which is dark banding in the shape of an X in your shot or footage which effectively destroys it.

Hence one of the Reason I checked the ND Vario VND filter and it passed with flying colours as you can see in the video above.

If you have any question about the Nisi ND Vario VND filter then please do feel free to ask them in the comments in the video.

See you out there,
Kieran.

Nisi ND Vario 1-5 stops review : Everything you need to know

Nisi ND Vario 1-5 stops review and just how good is it really? Where we look at its colour neutrality, vignetting and if it has any X pattern effect?

Editor's Rating:
4.8

Pros

  • Great Build Quality
  • Colour Neutral
  • No X pattern

Cons

  • Not Cheap