How To Choose The Best ND Filters For A DSLR Camera
Have you ever tried to capture a gorgeous sunrise only to find that compensating for the brightness of the sky made your foreground too dark? The solution is to us Neutral Density filters. In this post, I’ll show you how to choose the best ND filters for a DSLR camera and some creative ways to use them to get jaw dropping landscape photos.
What Is A Neutral Density Filter?
Put simply, Neutral Density (ND) filters allow photographers to balance their exposures when light conditions aren’t optimal. They act like sunglasses for your camera, either for a portion of the frame or for your entire shot.
NOTE: If this is already over your head, you might want to check out our “Start Here” page: Landscape Photography For Beginners.
Some Creative Ways To Use An ND Filter:
- Make moving clouds appear soft
- Smooth out waves and choppy water
- Make waterfalls look milky and dreamlike
- Turn car headlights into streaks of color
- Blur moving tourists or even make them disappear
- Capture lightning from a thunderstorm
Photo Above:15mm, f20, 61s, ISO 100, Lee Big Stopper (10-stop filter)
Two Types Of ND Filters
1. Solid ND Filters
The first kind of neutral density filter is called a solid ND filter. It acts like a dark pair of sunglasses for your whole frame. It reduces the amount of light entering your lens and allows you to use a slower shutter speed in brighter conditions.
You’ll typically find these anywhere from 1-10 stops. Meaning, that’s the amount of stops by which you can reduce your shutter speed once you’ve mounted the filter on your lens.
Photo Above: 10mm, f22, 30s, ISO 100 B+W 77mm ND 3.0 (10-Stop Filter)
For example, I used a 10-stop ND filter in the photo above to make the crashing waves against the rocks look milky on a bright sunny day. By reducing the amount of light I needed to make a balanced exposure, I was able to leave leave the shutter open for 30 seconds, blurring the movement of the water.In my opinion, a good 10-stop filter is one of the best ND filters for a DSLR camera you can own.
You can choose a threaded ring style filter that screws right onto your lens. Or you can opt for a flat panel filter kit that mounts onto your lens and allows you to easily slide the filter in and out of the holder. This second method makes it simple to stack multiple filters for different effects.
Circular Solid ND Filters I Recommend:
- 10 Stop exposure correction.
- Slim: 3.6mm deep (not inc rear threads)
- Ideal for Wide Angle Lenses.
- Double threaded metal frame for additional filters or Hood.
- Superfine matte black frame.
- GOBE IS NOW URTH | We changed our name to better reflect what we?re working to protect. To find the equivalent Urth product, search code B088C2V799
- 10 F-STOP REDUCTION | Gobe Neutral Density ND1000 provides a fixed 10 f-stop light reduction, which allows long exposure and motion blur techniques in bright light. Recommended for landscape photography.
- COLOUR NEUTRAL | Consciously designed to maintain colour neutrality with no colour cast for better image quality and truer colours.
- NO VIGNETTING | Consciously designed durable magnalium rims are double-threaded for stacking and slim profile to avoid vignetting. This is a Fixed Neutral Density lens filter not a Variable ND. To find your correct filter size, check final image in gallery.
- International products have separate terms, are sold from abroad and may differ from local products, including fit, age ratings, and language of product, labeling or instructions.
- This filter uses our standard B+W F-Pro filter mount, which has a front accessory thread and is made of brass
- Truly Neutral Gray design
- Manufactured from Water-White Schott Glass
Compare Circular Solid ND Filters
Flat Panel Solid ND Filter Kits I Recommend:
- The Square filter kit includes 1x ND1000 filter + 1x metal filter holder + 8 x filter adapter rings + 1x filter case.
- Neutral density filter is made by import optical Japanesr AGC glass, which 28 multi-layer coatings,waterrpoof , scratch resistant fit for the rigors of adventure photography.
- Filter holder made by metal, allowing for creative use of light correction or special effects. Simply slide in different filters to take beautiful, colorful shots.
- There are 8 filter rings adapter, includes 49mm/52mm/ 58mm/ 62mm/67mm/ 72mm/ 77mm/ 82mm, allows you use the nd filter on your kinds of size camera lens.
- Manufactured by a professional team for photography enthusiasts to provide a very exciting experience. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed.
- Extremely durable Aluminum frame equipped with rubberized grips, allowing for a secure fit for Tiffen 4x4, 4x6 and 4x6.50 4mm glass filters
- Holds up to two, 4mm thick filters by sliding them into the PRO100 adapter
- PRO100 holder is fully rotatable when attached to the adapter ring giving you full control of a filters graduated line when shooting landscape
- Edge sealed to prevent light leaks when taking long exposure images (Edge seal provided for easy fitting)
- Comes with a 77mm adapter ring which screws on to the front of your lens to hold the PRO100 adapter
Compare Flat Panel Solid ND Filter Kits
2. Graduated ND Filters
The second kind of neutral density filter is a Graduated Neutral Density filter [or a GND filter]. This filter is used primarily to bring balance to your photographs. It reduces the dynamic range of the scene you’re photographing. And it allows you to capture proper details in both the highlights and shadows of your image. Think of a GND filter as half a pair of sunglasses where only the top half are shaded.
The challenge of taking any kind of daytime shot, especially sunrises and sunsets, is that you’ll likely be struggling to expose what’s in the bottom part of your frame without blowing out the highlights in the sky. A Graduated ND Filter is the perfect tool for these situations.
In the photo above, you can see that I was exposing for the rocks in the foreground. So I had to use a soft GND filter in order not to overexpose the sky.
Yes, you can reproduce the effects of a GND filter in Lightroom, but I’d much rather get it right in camera so I have more flexibility in my post processing workflow.
There are 2 types of Graduated ND filters:
- Soft Edge Grad: Contains a smooth taper from the dark end to the clear end, which gives you softer transitions in your image.
- Hard Edge Grad: Has an abrupt demarcation between the dark end and the clear end, which is useful when you have a very flat horizon line in your image.
Circular GND Filters I Recommend:
- Half Color, half clear with a graduated density transition for a smooth blending of Color
- Also for use in black and White imaging
- 72 millimeter diameter
- Neutral gray appearance drops exposure
- Darkens bright areas of an image, such as Skies, while leaving the remainder of the frame unaffected
- Provides up to a 2-stop reduction in light in Selective areas
- Soft-edged line of transition between the dense and clear areas
- Multicoated to prevent internal ghosting and reflections while maximising light transmission
- Useful for images that do not have a strongly defined transition between the sky and the foreground
Compare Circular GND Filters
Flat Panel GND Filter Kits I Recommend:
- Gradual ND2 filter (P121L) with 1-stop density and hard-edged transition
- Gradual ND4 filter (P121M) with 2-stop density and hard-edged transition
- Gradual ND8 filter (P121S) with 3-stop density and soft-edged transition
- P-Series filter holder ('M' size)
- P121L FilterP121M FilterP121S FilterP Holder
- This 100mm filter kit is usable with Hitech 100mm holder systems or any 100mm holder system
- Soft edge grads have a smooth transition from clear to ND
- Made from the highest quality optical resin
- Made in the UK on advanced computer-controlled manufacturing equipment
- Compatible with Canon, Sony, Nikon, Tokina, Sigma, Zeiss, Panasonic, Tamron, Samyang, Rokinon and other lens brands
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Compare Flat Panel GND Filter Kits
The Absolute Best ND Filters For A DSLR Camera I Recommend
If you’re ready to dive headlong into the world of Long Exposure Photography and want a wide range of ND filters and GND filters packaged in an all-in-one kit, here’s what I recommend:
You’ll have everything you need to create stunning landscape photos!
No Limits To ND Filter Experimentation
Now that you know what the best ND filters for a DSLR camera are and what you can do with them, go out and experiment to your heart’s content!
And if you get some shots you’re really proud of, post a link to them in the comments below.
Happy shooting!
P.S. Watch my photography gear reviews to help you save money on things like the best external hard drive for photographers and the best table top tripod.
Last update on 2024-04-19 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API