GobeNDX 82mm Variable ND Lens Filter (1Peak)

I'm giving this five stars all around.I'm going to start by saying: I found Gobe on the 1% for the Planet site, which is what attracted me to them initially.As a hobbyist with landscape I decided to take the gamble and order the inexpensive Gobe filter just to try out and figured I'd just return it if it wasn't any good.Upon opening, my first impression was that the case for the filter, alone, was much nicer than the cases you get for filters twice or thrice as expensive. It's mostly rigid, thick, translucent plastic with hard foam inside (and it comes with a cleaning cloth!). The box hugs the case so I keep it in the box so I can reference the size easily.The filter itself is beefy and VERY well constructed. The threads do get a little sticky, as see other reviews say (but that comes with the price) so you might want a filter wrench. The "scratches" on the glass, that some reviews speak of ARE NOT SCRATCHES. IT'S JUST PROTECTIVE OIL!! I was able to breathe on the filter and wipe it clean with the included cloth.Now for the most important part: the image!I haven't worked with any other ND filters, so I can't tell you about the behavior of the stopping but the image itself is crisp as can be. I mean WOW! This filter makes some Bower filters that I've seen/used for twice the price look like pure and utter garbage.I can honestly tell you that I think I'll be using Gobe from now on, based on this filter alone. I might even just replace my perfectly functional CPL because I like this one so much!10/10 would/will buy again!

I purchased this ND filter in the 55mm diameter for use with my Canon M50 for the purposes of shooting video. When properly used - paying attention to the Min/Max values printed on the frame - the filter performs fine. However, if you accidentally turn the filter PAST those Min/Max values, the filter will introduce black cross patterns into your footage (and thus ruin it). This can happen with ANY variable neutral density filter. So if you use this filter, keep a watchful eye on your Min/Max value, or instead purchase a variable ND which has "hard stops" at Min/Max so you don't accidentally turn it too far. K&F Concept makes one like this, and it works well.

This was my first time using an ND filter, I'm a complete novice and a hobbyist photographer. A lot of trial and error with setting the intensity of the stops between min and max. Maybe in the future I'll get a traditional hard stop ND filter so I don't have to fiddle around with the settings. All in all though, it was a fun experience. Always love testing new gear and GOBE's mission is pretty cool! I can't wait to try my variable ND filter in other settings. The pic below is what I achieved at the beach. An affordable ND filter --- worth every penny.

I'll start by saying that I have never experimented with an ND filter before. I am an amateur photographer at best and use a Nikon D5600. I fitted this filter on my 70-300mm and went to a local waterfall to try my hand at long exposure. The attached pictures are just 2 of my attempts. They're not the greatest (like I said, I am just learning), and it took a little bit of experimenting in order to find just the right aperture and adjustment on the filter to get a good exposure. I probably have 5 bad shots for every 1 good one. My editing isn't quite professional either so take my images with a grain of salt.With all of that being said, this filter is great. Once I figured out settings that worked well (f/9, 2.5s, ISO 100) I was able to get the effect I was looking for. The only issue that I experienced was that the graduated scale on the outer ring to line up the stops for the filter weren't enough. I am sure I could have closed my aperture down more and gotten less light into the exposure without exceeding the filter's "settings" but I realized I could just darken the filter beyond what the ring showed. Also, with it fully darkened I didn't notice (or just missed it) any of the "X" that many other ND filters produce on the images when they are stopped down.This filter came well packaged (I think there were at least 3 wrappers on it) in a nice tin case with a foam pad. The all-metal construction is solid and the glass is clear and great quality. There was also a lens wipe with it and a card that directs you to their website to input a code for them to plant your trees (this also, handily, registers your product with them).I plan to purchase a few fixed ND filters from Gobe as well as some adapters so that I can use them on all my lenses. Definitely would reccomend this to anyone looking to try their hand with an ND filter without spending the money on a premium filter just yet.

So two things to consider; are you an average consumer looking to purchase this for photographing and maybe doing light video for you and your family, or are you buying this for professional reasons?Most likely, you are looking to purchase this because you are a casual photographer/videographer. If that's the case, I can't say anything bad about this product at all.I was blown away by the quality of both the packaging, and the product itself.As mentioned, I'm returning it because I was intending to use this for a more professional sense. This was going to be slapped onto my camera for BTS shots for production and promo material for my company. I bought it thinking it might be a decent accessory for on the go, rapid capturing.IMMEDIATELY upon just playing with the filter without even shooting, I noticed as other reviewers have mentioned how inconsistent the ND filtering can get the darker you go.Once again, for those that are doing light photography and video, this is perfectly fine. But, if you are using this in a professional sense, definitely accept the fact that you CANNOT use a variable ND filter, and MUST purchase a set of fixed ND filters.

The main reason I chose GOBE was their environmental ethics. With 5 trees planted for every item purchased, they are well worth the cost, and do not disappoint in quality. As a semi professional photographer robustness and optical quality are key, the metal construction and the high quality glass give you confidence that you can get the shot when you need to. With an incredibly satisfying buttery smooth rotation there is no risk of the filter moving once set to the required ND setting. The scale printed on the rim of the filter is also a very useful feature.The image below is the first shot I took using the GOBE NDX, it was taken on an overcast but bright day rotated to almost MAX to allow for a 20 second exposure of some rocks in the sea, this is the kind of effect you can expect.TIP: if you have multiple lenses, buy the filter to fit the largest lens, then use step up rings on your smaller lenses.

I bought this to go with a Olympus OMD 10 iii purchased to take on vacation rather than carry a full frame D750, lenses, filter holders, 100 & 82 filters etc. When it arrived, the size startled me, I lhad ow expectations given prior experences with variable filters and initial trial shots in the garden were poor but this morning I gave the filter and camera a real go and I was positively surprised. At the max end of the ND scale there was some colour variation/vignetting on a flat grey sky but other than that it done what it said on the box.On the negative side Amazon had the order over a week before it was processed and when I chased it they referred me to GOBE who intern referred me back to Amazon

I'm a big fan of Gobe (now Urth) kit and this is a great addition to my arsenal of filters and converters. As always with Gobe/Urth, it's solidly built and it oozes quality. The rotation is well buffered - it feels positive and precise when you turn it.It's best used with your camera set to aperture priority, giving you shallow depth of field while avoiding over-exposure. Alternatively you can use it for ultra-long exposures (blurring moving water for example, although in my opinion that's a bit of an over-used trick).I bought the 46mm version, which is a fairly standard size for Micro Four Thirds lenses. One slight niggle with this (I can't comment on other sizes) is that the rotation mechanism is wider than the screw thread diameter, which means that you can't use a 46mm lens cap. And that's is a bit of a pain if you're carrying the camera around and want to protect the filter.The other minor beef is that the metal container hasn't got any retainer, which means that the filter rattles around inside when stowed away. Most of my other Gobe canisters have fitted padding to hold the filters in place. This one just has a thin sheet of padding on each section of the canister. Really minor issue though.The first image was shot hand-held with the filter mounted on a 30mm f/3.5 Olympus lens on a Panasonic Lumix GX-9 camera (Micro Four Thirds). The second image shows the issue with the canister.

The ND Filter arrived packaged really well and I love the metal case it comes in.On first use though I encountered a problem. I got the filter to go with my Canon 24-70/f2.8 and hoped i could now get some good long exposures but as soon as I go past what feels like ND8 I get arcs converging in from the sides on my images until it becomes a big dark 'X'Checking the GOBE website it turns out they do warn there may be problems on a wide or telephoto lens.Please keep this in mind when ordering the filter...From the GOBE FAQ site:I’m getting an X-pattern with my Variable ND2-400 filter, how do I fix it?Make sure your filter is set between the Min and Max marks. Adjust your focal length and your position and then reduce the ND’s density value by rotating the ring towards the Min mark until the pattern disappears.Because there are so many combinations of cameras, lenses, sensors, and other factors, it is very hard to predict which circumstances will create the x-effect. The x-pattern is usually caused by rotating your variable ND filter past its maximum setting. Using a variable ND with a wide-angle lens can increase your chances of encountering an x-pattern. The ND2-400 has limited application with wide angle lenses because the field of view is so broad. The filter can only be rotated about halfway along the Min to Max range without encountering the x-pattern – you can thank physics for this restriction. Variable ND filters consist of two polarizing filters, which can cause issues because the polarizing effect varies so much across the broad field of view of wide-angle lenses. For this reason, we recommend using fixed ND filters, or Variable ND2-32 or ND8-128 with wide-angle lenses, and suggest you avoid stacking filters to avoid any vignetting

I use a lot of vintage lenses which may or may not be coated against sunlight. By buying a bunch of cheap filter adaptors (49-77, 52-77, etc) I've been able to use this one filter on all of my lenses, and it's provided excellent protection against over exposed shots like a champ.Even my Helios 44-2 (which is legendary for its lens flares) benefits from this filter. I personally love image appropriate lens flares, and careful use of this filter gives me what I want without blowing out the image. It's cheap and the company has a great cause. If you're worried about the quality of this filter, don't be (this is coming from someone who triple checks reviews before buying anything!)