Jump to: How do ND filters work? What to use ND filters for Types of ND filters How to use an ND filter How to choose an ND filter FAQ How do neutral density (ND) filters work? Neutral density filters, commonly known as ND filters, are pieces of glass or resin that reduce the amount of light entering your camera lens. These filters are painted in grey fully or partially, which allows them to block the incoming light by a specific number of stops while maintaining the original colours of the image. ND filters act like sunglasses for your camera, allowing you to use slower shutter speeds or wider apertures in bright light conditions without overexposing your photos. By reducing the light, ND filters help create effects like motion blur in waterfalls, silky smooth seas or dramatic skies. Simply saying, they give you greater control over your exposure settings and creative possibilities that wouldn't be achievable otherwise. Using ND filters: When and for what? ND filters are particularly popular among landscape photographers, however, they are quite versatile and can be used also for other types of photography. Here are some uses for ND filters: Long exposure photography Long-exposure photography requires using slow shutter speeds to capture motion. Using ND filters is essential for this technique, especially in bright daylight. By reducing the amount of light entering the lens, ND filters allow you to use longer shutter speeds without overexposing your image. Without an ND filter, these long exposures would be impossible in daylight as too much light would enter the lens, resulting in a completely white, overexposed photo. With the long exposure, you can achieve a motion blur effect, make the water silky in the photo or capture dramatic skies with moving clouds. Learn how to use ND filters for long exposures. Balancing exposures in bright conditions One of the primary challenges for photographers shooting in bright conditions is balancing the exposure between the sky and the ground. ND filters help to prevent overexposure by lowering the brightness of the entire screen and to preserve details in both highlights and shadows. For example, when shooting a landscape with a bright sky and a darker foreground, a graduated ND filter can darken the sky without affecting the foreground, resulting in a well-balanced photo. Read more about how to use ND filters for landscapes. Shallow depth of field In bright conditions, using a wide aperture to achieve a shallow depth of field without overexposing the image can be challenging. ND filters solve this problem by blocking the extra light, allowing you to use wide apertures even in bright sunlight. With reduced light, you can create a blurred background and creamy bokeh effect. For example, if you're taking a portrait outdoors on a sunny day, an ND filter lets you use a wide aperture to blur the background beautifully while keeping the exposure balanced. Read more about using ND filters for portrait photography. Different types of ND filters ND filters come in various forms, types and strengths and each of them suits different needs and preferences. Below you can see a breakdown of all the types of ND filters. ND filters by form and attachment Circular screw-in and magnetic ND filters: These filters screw directly onto the front of your lens or attach magnetically, which is even quicker and easier. They're convenient for everyday shooting and come in various sizes to fit different lenses. Square/rectangular ND filters: Square and rectangular filters are typically used with a filter holder system. They are less convenient to carry but can be easily combined with different lenses. This type of ND filters is favoured by professional landscape photographers for its versatility and the ability to stack multiple filters. Clip-in ND filters: Clip-in filters are designed for mirrorless cameras to be installed inside the camera body. Explore ND filters from Kase Screw-in ND Filters Magnetic circular ND Filters Rectangular ND filters Clip-in ND filters

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are shooting during sunrise or sunset, take into account that the lighting conditions change fast. Calculate 1 stop less for a sunrise and 1 stop more for a sunset when adjusting the shutter speed. Alternatively, you can adjust the aperture or ISO instead of prolonging the shutter speed even more, for example.

By reducing the light, ND filters help create effects like motion blur in waterfalls, silky smooth seas or dramatic skies. Simply saying, they give you greater control over your exposure settings and creative possibilities that wouldn't be achievable otherwise.

ND filters come in various forms, types and strengths and each of them suits different needs and preferences. Below you can see a breakdown of all the types of ND filters.

Aperture diaphragmmicroscope Function

Now, you will need to adjust the settings to compensate for the ND filter. To adjust the shutter speed, you can use an ND filter exposure table or calculate it manually the following formula to adjust your shutter speed:

For instance, if your original shutter speed is 1/30s and you're using a 6-stop ND64 filter, the new shutter speed will be approximately 2 seconds (1/30s × 64 = 2s).

Many modern course microscopes are equipped with a condenser and an associated condenser diaphragm. The purpose of the condenser is to concentrate the light onto the specimen, its diaphragm regulates resolution, contrast and depth of field. There is a trade-off to consider:

With the long exposure, you can achieve a motion blur effect, make the water silky in the photo or capture dramatic skies with moving clouds.

It is up to the microscopist to find the optimum setting of the aperture diaphragm, but for optimum resolution the setting of the diaphragm should be more or equal to the numerical aperture of the objective (this value is printed on the objective). Visit the Microscopy Shop! >>> USA Shop | Germany Shop | UK Shop | Canada Shop <<< As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn a commission but it does not cost you more. Many beginning microscope users prefer to generally close the aperture diaphragm all the way. The image possesses more contrast and subjectively appears more crisp. The image looks less “washed-out” The increased depth of field also makes it easier to find the plane of focus.

Aperture diaphragmradiology

One of the primary challenges for photographers shooting in bright conditions is balancing the exposure between the sky and the ground. ND filters help to prevent overexposure by lowering the brightness of the entire screen and to preserve details in both highlights and shadows.

For example, when shooting a landscape with a bright sky and a darker foreground, a graduated ND filter can darken the sky without affecting the foreground, resulting in a well-balanced photo.