Get a cheap rubber lens hood that has a front filter thread that you can screw the ND on to?

@Grue DOH! Thanks. I never even thought of that! The 77mm rubber Hoya hood I got with the Heliopan didn't have a front thread but after just ringing around three camera stores I finally located a 77mm rubber hood with a front thread- Cheers!

Hi mate!

Finally a topic about the Heliopan Vari ND!

I look for a good ND filter for my GH2 since 2 months. The quality is important for me, so after 2 months research left only 3 solutions: Individual Tiffen ND filters, Heliopan Vari ND or Schneider Vari ND. If I consider the prices, then Heliopan is the best solution. Heliopan has actually two versions: slim and normal. The normal version has front thread! This version was released only a few months back, because users wanted to use hood, so Heliopan decided to make front threaded versions.

The 77mm version is out of stock in Germany at this moment, still waiting to get one. I know that in US it has a huge price, while in Germany this filter "only" 200 euro!

A guy who owns the 77mm version, suggested this hood:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-77-77mm-3-in-1-lens-hood-3-Stage-Collapsible-Rubber-Camera-Lens-Hood-Z008-/160813319762?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2571388652

It is cheap, but works fine.

I have to ask: are you happy with the Heliopan? Really a good ND? Good quality? Not X ray effect? No vignetting? What type of step up rings do you use with the 46mm filter sized Pancake lenses? Do you use a 46mm to 77mm step up ring (which is hard to find), or use two step up rings attached, like 46 to 55 and 55 to 77mm ring?

Waiting for your reply!

@JCVD I only received the Heliopan yesterday and haven't tested it properly as I was on the verge of sending it back to B&H over the lack of a front thread. I did also order a Hoya collapsible lens hood similar to the one you suggested except the Hoya had no front thread either. I have since found a hood from an Australian supplier. It will cost me around $15 shipped but it will arrive in two days instead of a month. How they can sell anything for $2.76 shipped is beyond me!

I could be wrong but that 77mm hood wouldn't fit anyway, as the front thread would be 82mm, no?

@peaceonearth I'm yet to even see the standard (front threaded) version. As I said the B&H website doesn't show it.

@last_SHIFT The 77mm LCW Fader ND MkII has a 82mm front thread. I don't know if that is the same for the front threaded Heliopan because I can't find one on the net.

@JCVD Which distributor are you referring to?

@JCVD Okay I checked Fotomayr's website and can see both versions. The non-threaded version is just referred to as 'slim'. It appears very few sellers even offer the standard version. I would have expected B&H to list both versions but they don't, only the slim. However it should have stated clearly in the description that the slim version has no front thread.

I missed your question re step-up rings. So far the smallest lens filter size I have is 49mm. 49-77mm step-up rings are no problem to obtain. I have mostly Pentax glass with the widest being the Pentax DA15 Limited.

@jean claude van damme

I would imagine that a 77 mm front thread would vignette pretty badly compared to an 82.

I have a 77mm Tiffen Vari ND - great quality and construction but no front thread.

@JCVD

I'm pretty happy with my Heliopan after having gone through a bunch of ND filter options. I started with a Fader ND, but the color cast and lack of sharpness at longer focal lengths made me switch to some cheap Chinese Cokin P-sized ND filters. Those also had a cast, but sharpness wasn't affected. Then I upgraded to Hitech filters, but they also had some color cast. Finally I got the Heliopan since Frank Glencairn was selling his for a good price. It was the non-threaded one, but it doesn't matter since I use a mattebox anyways. Now I have less color cast, sharpness at any focal length, and the convenience of just rotating the filter to get my exposure. I would have gotten the Heliopan in the first place, but it was too expensive for me in the US.

Oh, another bonus is that it doesn't vignette on my four thirds Zuiko 9-18mm. It has 72mm threads and I have the 72mm Heliopan, so I thought that was pretty impressive. I guess that's the advantage of the slim version?

You can always gaff some black cinefoil on it.