Will a variable neutral density filter produce similar results to a fixed neutral density filter?

I've decided to look at experimenting with neutral density filters and I found this variable neutral density filter on Amazon here in the UK.

It's a lot cheaper than buying a set of filters of different densities, so I was wondering if it would produce similar results to a fixed filter when set appropriately? I realise I have the added complication of setting the filter to the desired density, but as this would be my first foray into this area I don't want to spend a lot of money if I'm not going to use it a lot or get serious with the effect.

Answer

I have just trialled a variable ND filter and have written a review about it

Yes, it will produce similar results. It's very handy in photographing things like waterfalls, as you can dial in whatever effect you need.

The drawback is that it acts like a polarising filters, so if you have large expanses of sky, the sky will not be uniform - the polarising effect is such that parts of the sky will be darker than others. With a fixed ND filter, you should get uniform darkening across the image.

Also with some of the less expensive variable ND filters, you can get color casts or dark bands in the image. I didn't experience much of that under most operating conditions - you will tend to see those at very wide angles (i.e. under 18mm DX) and at maximum density. You can also get color casts with some brands of fixed ND filters, especially when stacked with other ND filters, or with polarising filters.