Details
Hoya PROND EX ND Filter Set 8/64/1000 52 mm
Hoya PRO ND EX Neutral Density (ND) filters are the most sought after and important type of photographic filters for several reasons. For photographers, ND filters provide precise control over the amount of light passing through the lens for better creative control over exposure. For video content creators, ND filters are very helpful in adjusting shutter speeds to match the frame rate while maintaining the depth of field of the footage.
Among the varieties of ND filters from ND2 to ND1000 and even ND100000, ND filters can generally be categorized into three basic groups:
- Light density filters (ND2 - ND8)
- Medium density filters (ND16 - ND200)
- Depth filters (ND500 - ND1000 / ND100000)
Light density filters reduce the shutter speed on bright, sunny days so that you can reduce the depth of field in very bright light or use a larger aperture to stay below the diffraction limit. These filters are necessary, for example, to shoot with your fast lenses such as F1.4 or F1.2 with a wide open aperture for a softer and more beautiful bokeh.
Medium density filters help you to add motion blur to the subject when the camera's shutter speed generally does not allow this.
If you prefer more creative shots based on extremely slow shutter speeds, deep density filters are recommended. ND filters such as ND500 or ND1000 help to capture dramatic, unreal fantasy worlds that are invisible to the human eye.
Solution for color shift problems
HOYA offers its own exclusive and wide range of ND filters integrated into the PROND EX series for photographers and filmmakers. PROND EX filters use HOYA's clear optical glass mounted in a lightweight precision machined aluminum frame. The frame has front filter threads so you can attach additional filters or a lens cap.
Thanks to the ACCU-ND technology that puts HOYA ND filters far ahead of other brands, the image is not affected by color shifts that can occur due to inferior materials, poor quality control in manufacturing or problems with the leakage of the infrared band of light. HOYA's exclusive ACCU-ND technology achieves an even reduction of light in the visible and IR spectrum. Therefore, the photographer does not have to worry about color shift problems when using HOYA ND filters under different shooting conditions.
PROND filters in video production
ND filters are also an irreplaceable tool for video recordings. For example, when shooting with a camera in slog mode, ISO cannot be set below 800. To get natural movement, it is recommended to adjust the shutter speed to the frame/rate setting. During the day, PROND EX 8, PROND EX 64 PROND EX 1000 or their combination (such as PROND EX 8 + PROND EX 64) would be required to achieve cinema quality.
Combinations of PROND filters
The choice of ND filters depends on the photographer's intentions to achieve the desired effect in the image. If the effect of using a single ND filter does not satisfy the photographer's vision, a combination of PROND EX filters can also be useful. For example, the combination of PROND EX 8 + PROND EX 64 gives the same effect as an ND500 filter, which can be used to express an unreal fantasy world. The combination of PROND EX 8 + PROND EX 1000 gives the same effect as ND8000, which makes it possible to capture the surface of the sun without overexposure with solid color and visibility of black dots.
PROND EX 8 (ND 0.9)
Gray filter that reduces the light to an equivalent of 3 f-stops. HOYA PROND EX 8 is essential for shooting with fast lenses at wide open aperture during the day, which is perfect for portraits with shallow depth of field. The subject appears sharp and clear on the soft blurred background. Other recommended scenes are night trails fireworks and lightning.
PROND EX 64 (ND1.8)
Gray filter that reduces the light to an equivalent of 6 f-stops. HOYA PROND EX 64 is essential to show the subject in blurred motion during the day, which cannot be realized with camera settings only. Recommended for landscapes, city snapshots, videos and other photographic genres.
PROND EX 1000 (ND 3.0)
Gray filter that reduces the light to an equivalent of 10 f-stops. HOYA PROND EX 1000 is essential to express an unreal fantasy world thanks to its 10-stop reduction in the amount of light. Widely used in seascapes to blur the waves, street snap to apply cloud movement, and architecture to erase moving people.
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