82mm Variable ND Filter Black Diffusion 1/4 Effect & ND2-32 Filter 2-in-1, with 28 Multi-Layer Coatings - Nano X Series
SKU: KF01.1816
When used on a Nikon D3400 18-55mm it gives great results! Since I was curious to see the result before I buy it, I thought some people would like to see a comparison between a picture with the filter and another without the filter...
20/11/2023
K&F Concept is really stepping up their filter game and this one is awesome. This review is for the K&F concept 82 mm black diffusion 1/4 effect with variable ND2-ND32 2-in-1 filter. For this filter, K&F stepped up its packaging, utilizing a magnetic lid box and a magnetic leather pouch. The filter itself is stored in a clear plastic bag, which unfortunately uses an adhesive folding closure (just be careful when removing/inserting the lens to not let the band of adhesive touch the filter). Still, the overall package is much nicer than the plastic snap box with foam cutout, but I can't say if it's more practical or "better" as I feel it provides less protection than the hard plastic snap box. Anyways, on to the filter itself.
The filter looks and feels great. It has a solid metal construction with a premium feel to it. The inner stationary ring has two large areas of knurling and the outer movable ring is fully knurled. One section of the outer ring has an orange metal tab sticking out for easy turning. This particular filter has hard stops built into it for the minimum and the maximum. I am unable to appreciate much or any X effect on my 18-35 mm lens (not that the X effect is typically a significant issue at these lower stop levels from 1-5 anyways). I really like the built-in hard stops though because it lets me know when I'm at the minimum and the maximum and I can make more efficient adjustments instead of just blindly rotating well past each end and going all the way around. The variable ND portion works well, but how's the black diffusion? I'll be honest, it's my first time using a black diffusion filter, but the effects were definitely noticeable between having it vs not having it. It provides that soft cinematic feel and tones down the highlights and contrast. I can't believe I've never used one until now.
The K&F Concept 82 mm black diffusion 1/4 effect with variable ND2-ND32 2-in-1 filter provides premium functionality at a budget price point, especially when compared to the bigger brands. At that point, you're paying extra hundreds of dollars for minor gains in optical performance. If you need the absolute best because it's your profession, then just move on and pay the big dollars. But if you're looking to test the waters or need a strong working filter without breaking the bank, then K&F has the glass you need.
The filter looks and feels great. It has a solid metal construction with a premium feel to it. The inner stationary ring has two large areas of knurling and the outer movable ring is fully knurled. One section of the outer ring has an orange metal tab sticking out for easy turning. This particular filter has hard stops built into it for the minimum and the maximum. I am unable to appreciate much or any X effect on my 18-35 mm lens (not that the X effect is typically a significant issue at these lower stop levels from 1-5 anyways). I really like the built-in hard stops though because it lets me know when I'm at the minimum and the maximum and I can make more efficient adjustments instead of just blindly rotating well past each end and going all the way around. The variable ND portion works well, but how's the black diffusion? I'll be honest, it's my first time using a black diffusion filter, but the effects were definitely noticeable between having it vs not having it. It provides that soft cinematic feel and tones down the highlights and contrast. I can't believe I've never used one until now.
The K&F Concept 82 mm black diffusion 1/4 effect with variable ND2-ND32 2-in-1 filter provides premium functionality at a budget price point, especially when compared to the bigger brands. At that point, you're paying extra hundreds of dollars for minor gains in optical performance. If you need the absolute best because it's your profession, then just move on and pay the big dollars. But if you're looking to test the waters or need a strong working filter without breaking the bank, then K&F has the glass you need.
12/06/2023
I got this thinking it was a typical ND filter and completely skipping over the black diffusion part of the description. So I was a little surprised when I put this on my camera and all of a sudden my video looked soft.
The black diffusion part of this filter adds a special effect of softening the footage to give it a dreamy look. It's akin to stretching a thin, mostly see through piece of fabric over your lens. Except this filter gives you a far more consistent and easy to work with image. The black part of the diffusion adds darker overtones to what is otherwise a dreamy image. The example photo in the images really captures it well. If that's a look you like or are going for in your image, then this lens is fantastic.
I did play around with trying to remove the look from the image. The softening effect means you'll need to shoot much higher resolution than you are delivering in in order to sharpen the image without making it over processed. Even then, the dark dreamy look never entirely goes away. So I would recommend only using this filter when you're wanting that type of look.
The ND part of the filter works really well. The different stops are clearly marked on the edge of the filter and it clicks into place nicely. Adding the ND filters gives you so many more options for shooting wide open while in bright light without having to use a ridiculously high shutter speed.
If you're looking for a pure ND filter, this isn't quite it. But if you want an ND filter with the black diffusion to achieve a specific look, this is the easiest and best way to get that effect that I've ever seen.
The black diffusion part of this filter adds a special effect of softening the footage to give it a dreamy look. It's akin to stretching a thin, mostly see through piece of fabric over your lens. Except this filter gives you a far more consistent and easy to work with image. The black part of the diffusion adds darker overtones to what is otherwise a dreamy image. The example photo in the images really captures it well. If that's a look you like or are going for in your image, then this lens is fantastic.
I did play around with trying to remove the look from the image. The softening effect means you'll need to shoot much higher resolution than you are delivering in in order to sharpen the image without making it over processed. Even then, the dark dreamy look never entirely goes away. So I would recommend only using this filter when you're wanting that type of look.
The ND part of the filter works really well. The different stops are clearly marked on the edge of the filter and it clicks into place nicely. Adding the ND filters gives you so many more options for shooting wide open while in bright light without having to use a ridiculously high shutter speed.
If you're looking for a pure ND filter, this isn't quite it. But if you want an ND filter with the black diffusion to achieve a specific look, this is the easiest and best way to get that effect that I've ever seen.
11/06/2023
I purchased 82mm diameter for FE16-35f2.8GM.
As for the lens cap, I bought a variable ND lens cap from K&F Concept that was one size up (about 600 yen).
Surprisingly, the convenient things that camera enthusiasts really want haven't been commercialized yet, and it's K&F Concept and smallrig that give shape to products that are within reach.
The four corners were clearly projected without being kicked in the ultra-wide-angle range of a full-frame lens that can be attached with a filter (I'm video only, so it's 16: 9).
I haven't taken a live shot yet, but if there are some color casts or the mist is too strong, I will fix it somehow with the camera settings and da Vinci.
I usually use a black diffusion filter for making pictures, but the price is cheaper than buying two variable ND and black mist.
I might buy another one for the SEL1018 for APS-C, which inevitably gets kicked at the wide-angle end with two layers of variable ND and black mist, but before that, I'll try it with a step-up ring.
As for the lens cap, I bought a variable ND lens cap from K&F Concept that was one size up (about 600 yen).
Surprisingly, the convenient things that camera enthusiasts really want haven't been commercialized yet, and it's K&F Concept and smallrig that give shape to products that are within reach.
The four corners were clearly projected without being kicked in the ultra-wide-angle range of a full-frame lens that can be attached with a filter (I'm video only, so it's 16: 9).
I haven't taken a live shot yet, but if there are some color casts or the mist is too strong, I will fix it somehow with the camera settings and da Vinci.
I usually use a black diffusion filter for making pictures, but the price is cheaper than buying two variable ND and black mist.
I might buy another one for the SEL1018 for APS-C, which inevitably gets kicked at the wide-angle end with two layers of variable ND and black mist, but before that, I'll try it with a step-up ring.
05/06/2023
I was actually looking for a plain ND2-32 filter but this one sounded interesting so I gave it a try. Basically the diffusion effect softens the image a bit giving it a more dreamy look. It avoids the "you can count every pore/hair" look that can be kind of harsh when you use a high resolution digital camera. I was kind of hoping the black diffusion would be a separate filter stacked on top of the ND, but it's not. So if you want ND without diffusion you will have to buy a different ND filter to get it.
The machining of the filter is very well done and the filter itself is very thin. I think this is their main reason for combining diffusion with ND, to keep it very thin compared to stacked filters, avoiding vignetting.
As long as you are wanting that dreamy black diffusion look, this filter works great. The level of ND is easy to adjust and doesn't seem to modify the image other than making it darker. No weird color shifts or patterns appear as you rotate it. The high level of ND is great when you want to shoot with longer exposures to get an image blur effect, or to shoot with wide-open F-stop to get shallow depth of field.
The whole thing comes in K&F's fanciest case, leather with a magnet closure. It is a bit more bulky than their plastic cases but looks nice and is much easier to lift the filter out of.
Overall recommended, just make sure you want the black diffusion effect as it's built into this filter. If you don't, K&F have other ND filters without it.
The machining of the filter is very well done and the filter itself is very thin. I think this is their main reason for combining diffusion with ND, to keep it very thin compared to stacked filters, avoiding vignetting.
As long as you are wanting that dreamy black diffusion look, this filter works great. The level of ND is easy to adjust and doesn't seem to modify the image other than making it darker. No weird color shifts or patterns appear as you rotate it. The high level of ND is great when you want to shoot with longer exposures to get an image blur effect, or to shoot with wide-open F-stop to get shallow depth of field.
The whole thing comes in K&F's fanciest case, leather with a magnet closure. It is a bit more bulky than their plastic cases but looks nice and is much easier to lift the filter out of.
Overall recommended, just make sure you want the black diffusion effect as it's built into this filter. If you don't, K&F have other ND filters without it.
29/05/2023
I use a Fujifilm X-T3 camera and have this to match my 55-200mm zoom lens. The mounting ring attaches easily to the lens and I'm a big fan of the magnetic attachment for this filter. There are many different brands of diffusion filters. I have used Tiffen brand filters in the past and have always been happy with them, but when I came across the K&F filters I was dying to try them.
I have used K&F products in the past and have been particularly pleased with their lens adapter system (I have previously shot with Pentax cameras and lenses and their excellent lens adapter has enabled me to use my old Pentax lenses with my Fujifilm camera.
This magnet system does not disappoint. Replacing the filters is very easy with the magnetic attachment system. The lens cap for the filter system has been criticized by some but I think it works very well. It actually reminds me of some lens caps on my Pentax system, so I felt very comfortable with them.
As for the quality of the diffusion - excellent! I really enjoy the softer look this diffusion delivers without being too heavy.
However, one thing surprised me a bit. I expected to be able to install this filter system and then still use my tulip-shaped lens hood, but I can't do that with this K&F attached to my lens. To be honest I wouldn't be surprised if that really is the fault of the Fujifilm system as I've found the lens hoods to be difficult to attach compared to other camera systems I've used in the past. That said, I intend to purchase more K&F brand ND filters to take full advantage of this magnetic attachment system. It's a winner in my book.
I have used K&F products in the past and have been particularly pleased with their lens adapter system (I have previously shot with Pentax cameras and lenses and their excellent lens adapter has enabled me to use my old Pentax lenses with my Fujifilm camera.
This magnet system does not disappoint. Replacing the filters is very easy with the magnetic attachment system. The lens cap for the filter system has been criticized by some but I think it works very well. It actually reminds me of some lens caps on my Pentax system, so I felt very comfortable with them.
As for the quality of the diffusion - excellent! I really enjoy the softer look this diffusion delivers without being too heavy.
However, one thing surprised me a bit. I expected to be able to install this filter system and then still use my tulip-shaped lens hood, but I can't do that with this K&F attached to my lens. To be honest I wouldn't be surprised if that really is the fault of the Fujifilm system as I've found the lens hoods to be difficult to attach compared to other camera systems I've used in the past. That said, I intend to purchase more K&F brand ND filters to take full advantage of this magnetic attachment system. It's a winner in my book.
17/05/2023
The filter arrived neatly packaged. The feel is good so far, it feels valuable. I didn't notice color shifts negatively.
14/05/2023
Nice filter. Definitely useful in certain situations. Great for sharp lenses, especially those lacking character. That brings some mood. It's nice to have, looks good and I love that I can put it on a lens and still use the lens cover over the filter when not in use.
27/04/2023
This K&F Black Diffusion Filter is an excellent kit. It reduces the contrast, makes the blacks a bit grayer and provides a soft bloom around the highlights. Four filter strengths are available; from weakest to strongest they are 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 and 1.
17/10/2022