Formatt Hitech Hard Edge Graduated ND Camera Filter Kit 5 (85 x 110mm)

This 85 x 110mm Hard Edge Graduated ND Camera Filter Kit 5 from Hitech has several uses and offers the possibility to achieve otherwise unachievable results. This kit contains one 0.3, one 0.6 and one 0.9 Graduated Neutral Density filter. These filters enable the shooter to adjust exposure without affecting color balance. A Graduated ND filter appears gray and reduces the amount of light reaching either the sensor of a digital camera or the film plane of a traditional film camera. It is clear at the bottom with a gradual transition to darker gray at the top. Primarily, this filter is used to control exposure when shooting bright landscapes where your horizon line displays a great exposure difference between sky and foreground, and you need to balance them out for a pleasing exposure.

A Graduated Neutral Density filter is also used to create some unusual special effects such as capturing the "blur" of the rippling water of a waterfall or the swirling effect of city traffic. Since the filter allows the use of slower shutter speeds in bright light, it becomes possible to create these special effects that would normally be impossible to capture without the filter. And since the ND filter can also help to control your depth of field, it permits you to shoot at wider apertures. Ultimately, its value is in helping to prevent bright, overly washed out images shot in bright light. Soft/Hard designation indicates the degree of transition of the filter. Soft edge grads have a smooth transition from clear to ND. Hard edge grads like the ones included in this kit have a more defined hard line transition and should be used for longer lenses.