Hoya Neutral Density X4 46mm

Neutral Density filters (ND) filters are often ignored by photographers, but they have several uses and offer the the possibility to achieve otherwise unacheivable results. ND filters appear grey and reduce the amount of light reaching the film, they have no affect on colour balance. They have 4 main uses:

i) To eneable low shutter speeds to be used, especially with fast films, to record movement in subjects such as waterfalls, clouds, cars, seas etc.

ii) To decrease depth of field by allowing wider apertures to be used, which helps separate background and foreground.

iii) To decrease the effective ISO of high speed film (ie: above IOS400) and allow it to be used outdoors in bright situations.

iv) To allow cine and video cameras (which have fixed shutter speeds) to film subjects such as snow, sand or other bright scenes which would normally cause over-exposure.