Neutral Density (ND) filters are pieces of optical glasses that you put in the front of your lens to darken the images you are about to photograph. They make the images darker by reducing the amount of light entering the camera lens. So are ND filters suitable for photography?
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The simple answer is that aspiring or professional photographers can use neutral density filters, or ND filters, to achieve various creative effects. Such creative effects could include blurring water or making clouds stand out against a blue sky.
ND filters come in different strengths and colors, depending on their intended use. This article will discuss the difference between ND filters and other filters; when you should use an ND filter on a camera, and the filters’ impact on images.
What is the best ND filter for beginners?
The B+W ND110 filter is our top pick for beginners. It is an extremely strong neutral density filter, which allows you to photograph with a wider aperture or slower shutter speed than normally required to capture motion blur.
How Do ND Filters Work?
A neutral density filter reduces the intensity of light reaching the film or image sensor by a fixed amount of light called f-stops. So, neutral density filters reduce the brightness of all colors or lights by a fixed amount, independent of the color’s luminosity or the light’s intensity.
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A low-rated filter, like an ND4, can cut off only 2f-stops and therefore lets in more light into your camera. But, an ND2000 filter can cut off 20 f-stops and allows a little light into your camera. You can use either high, medium, or low-rated filters based on how you want your photographs to appear.
In videography and photography, experts use neutral density filters to smoothen motion images, reduce the depth of field, and darken a scene or protect specific lens elements from scratches without affecting sharpness.
What Are The Different Types Of Neutral Density (ND) Filters And Their Applications?
There are two distinct types of neutral density filters. And they include the fixed and variable ND filters.
Fixed ND Filters
As the name suggests, fixed Neutral Density filters are not adjustable. They block a fixed f-stop of light from entering your camera. And they come in different densities, depending on how much light they allow to pass through.
Photographers often use Fixed ND filters when shooting in stable lighting conditions, such as indoor photography. Photographers also use them in a relaxed photography setting where they can take time to change the filters if required.
Variable ND filters
Variable neutral density filters allow you to change your aperture easily and increase or reduce the passage of light into your camera. You can easily alter the amount of light coming into your camera by simply rotating the front element of a variable filter.
Many photographers prefer variable filters to fixed filters. Because, unlike the fixed filters, variable filters allow flexibility throughout the shooting process. However, whether you choose the former or the latter depends on the type of images you want to capture and your shooting location.
We recommend fixed ND filters if you are shooting in a stable lighting condition. But if otherwise, we advise that you use variable ND filters, especially for daylight outdoor photography.
Similarities And Differences Between ND Filters And Other Filters
This section of the article will discuss the differences between ND filters and other filters commonly used in photography. Other filters often used in photography include UV filters, color lens filters, polarizing filters, night photography filters, special effect filters, and close-up filters. However, we will examine only ND filters, UV filters, and polarizing filters.
Some General Impact Of Neutral Density Filters On Subjects
- ND filter also called graduated neutral density filter, helps balance out the exposure levels in a photo by reducing the light entering the camera and helps with motion blur.
- ND filters allow you to use a wide aperture without overexposing the pictures.
- They allow the use of slow shutter speed in low lighting conditions.
- They balance exposure across the entire image.
- They reduce the depth of field in bright areas.
When You Should Use Neutral Density Filters
Neutral density filters are used for daylight photography when there’s harsh and bright sunlight. They help balance your exposure over the frame. So, you can capture evenly exposed foregrounds and darkened panorama or sky images.
ND filters are also helpful for long exposure shots such as nighttime sky and stars photography, fast objects like moving cars and trains, or fast-flying birds. They also allow you to take panning shots when photographing with a shallow depth of field in areas where you do not have control over the bright lighting conditions.
Some other uses of ND filters you should know include
- They blur motion in a photo and make it look like an old-fashioned photo.
- ND filters can also be used for time-lapse photography when you want to show changes over time.
- They protect your lens.
You might be interested in learning How To Make Time-Lapse Photography Videos? Short and long videos, and How to make a timelapse of a flower or plant? Settings, and tricks.
Polarizing Filters: What are some impacts of polarizing filters on photographic subjects?
- They can make foliage photos appear more saturated by reducing the green tint found in the pictures.
- They protect the camera lens.
- Polarizing filters can also darken blue skies and make clouds stand out more clearly in photos taken from a distance.
- Polarizing filters can reduce the glare on surfaces such as water, glass, and metals.
- Polarizing filters provide better color and contrast when capturing images of the skies, water, metals, and bright or reflective substances.
- They increase overall color saturation.
Note: Photographers use polarizers or polarizing filters to reduce or prevent glares or reflections from reflective surfaces and make colors more saturated. But ND filters are used to balance exposure by altering the intensity of light entering the camera.
You can use polarizing filters when doing beach, sky, or water photography. They help you to darken blue skies and remove reflections from non-metallic surfaces. You can creatively stack a polarizing filter with other filters for even more control over your images.
No filter Polarizing filter
You can learn more about beach photography in our article Beach Photography Settings. Shooting in Daylight, Sunrise, And Sunset. You might also be interested in our article How to do Ocean Art Photography? Underwater Photography Guide.
UV Filters: What do UV filters do?
UV filters are one of the most popular and widely used tools in photography. They reduce the amount of ultraviolet (UV) light entering the camera. They help protect the lens from dust and scratches, reduce glare, and act as a filter to improve picture quality.
They are usually made from clear glass or plastic coated with a chemical filter.
- They block or absorb ultraviolet light entering your camera.
- UV filters can protect your lens from dust and scratches
- They can also reduce glare on photos
- UV filters also can act as a filter to improve picture quality
- The use of a UV filter can make it easier for your camera sensor to capture colors accurately
- A UV filter can also help you get better shots in low-light conditions.
However, the main purpose of a UV filter is to absorb ultraviolet light and reduce its intensity to protect the lens from being damaged by the sun’s rays. The filter can also help prevent haze and reflections, which can affect image quality.
UV filters should be used in outdoor photography; when shooting in areas where there is intense sunlight or shooting near water, sand, snow, or other reflective surfaces.
You might be interested in our article on How To Shoot Winter/Snow Portrait Photography? Tips And Ideas.
What Are The Best ND Filters You Can Use?
1. K & F Concept Neutral Density Filters
K & F concept ND filters are parts of the best variable ND filters. They help reduce the amount of light entering a camera without affecting the image qualities or colors.
The filters are available in different densities from ND0 to ND400, with each one reducing the light by 3f-stops. This makes it easier for photographers to shoot in bright or poor lighting conditions.
2. Singh-Ray Vari-ND Filter
Singh-Ray Vari-ND Filter is a variable neutral density filter that helps photographers take better images in varying light conditions.
This filter is made of optical glass and can be used with lenses of different diameters. The Vari-ND filter reduces the amount of light entering the camera by 3 to 8 stops, depending on its position. This allows photographers to use slower shutter speeds without overexposing their images, thereby capturing sharper and more detailed photos.
3. B+W 110mm Neutral Density Fader ND8 Filter
The ND8 filter is a neutral density filter used to reduce the amount of light entering the lens. Photographers often use this filter in a situation when they want a slow shutter speed or wider aperture while shooting outside in bright conditions.
When shooting with a long lens, you may need to increase your ISO setting to compensate for the little light entering the lens.
4. Lee Filters Little Stopper
The Lee Filters Little Stopper is a filter used in photography to create a long exposure effect. This filter can be adjusted to make the exposure time as short as 1/1000th of a second or as long as 10 seconds.
The Lee Filters Little Stopper works by absorbing light at the top of the frame and allowing light at the bottom of the frame to pass through. This creates an image with less light, making for perfect conditions for creating long exposures and motion blur effects.
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5. Formatt Hitech Firecrest ND Filter
The Formatt Hitech Firecrest ND Filter is a neutral density filter, which reduces the amount of light that enters the lens. It is used in landscape and seascape photography to create an even exposure across the entire frame or to allow slower shutter speeds for certain photographic effects.
The Firecrest ND filter has been designed with a slim profile and lightweight construction. This makes it easy to carry around and use on different lenses. The filters are available in three grades: 1, 2, and 3 stops of light reduction, as well as 0.3, 0.6, 1, 2, or 3 stops of color correction.
Conclusion
You can use ND filters to create dreamy effects on your images. They help you to capture epic images in varying light conditions. However, you should handle filters with caution to prevent poor images.
Do you want to learn more about filters? Check out our article What is a photographic filter? Best filters for photography