12/20/23, 4:19 PM ND Buying Guide – Breakthrough Filters

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ND Buying Guide

With a multitude of ND filters how is the photographer to

know which one to confidently buy? In this ND Buying
Guide you’ll discover which density is right for you
depending on what you shoot, and which to avoid.

6-stop Neutral Density

Best ND Filter for Landscape
Photographers

If you’re a landscape photographer who wants to shoot

long exposure sunsets, sunrises, waterfalls and moving
water, the 6-stop ND is without question the best
performing and the most versatile ND filter. I use the 6-
stop ND 90% of the time when shooting long exposure
landscape photography, and if I had to carry just one into
the field this would be the one.

Why is the 6-stop ND the ideal ND for

landscape?
2-4 minutes is the ideal exposure range when shooting
sunset, sunrise, twilight and other golden hour
moments, when shooting at ISO 100 between F11 to F18,
a 6-stop ND puts you right squarely in the 2-4 minute
exposure range for golden hour.

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A 6-stop ND can also more than double exposure time

when you drop from ISO 100 to 50, thereby increasing it’s
versatility quite a bit.

What types of subjects is the 6-stop ND

best for?
The 6-stop ND the ideal ND filter for shooting waterfalls,
sunsets in the mountains, on the coast or in the desert, and
even in urban environments where you want to reduce
human subjects from a composition.

The 6-stop has the greatest versatility of the

various densities, and it can be maximized further by
stacking a 3-stop with a 6-stop for a total of 9-stops.

X4 ND 6-STOP

Is the 6-stop ND right for me?

If you shoot landscape 80% of the time or more, get the
6-stop.

If you’re a wedding or portrait

photographer shooting human subjects at low F-
numbers at low ISOs, or if you’re a landscape
photographer who wants to maximize golden hour light
get the 3-stop.
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If you shoot abstract B&W, urban environments and

midday long exposures get the 10-stop, however also
consider shooting a 6-stop at ISO 50 or stacking a 3-stop
+ 6-stop for greater versatility.

6-stop ND Gallery

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All 6-stop ND Gallery photographs by Graham Clark.

Grand Teton Surprise

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120s – ISO 100 – F18 – X4 ND 6-stop

Even without moving subjects in a landscape image, an
often overlooked use case for a 6-stop ND is to capture a
wider range of colors within a long exposure. Here in the
above Grand Teton Sunrise photograph the peaks were
changing colors from dark red to light yellow, and this 120
second exposure captured the color change as light pink.

3-stop Neutral Density

Best ND Filter for Wedding & Portrait
Photographers

Best ND Filter for Filmmakers

Second Best ND Filter for Landscape

Photographers

If you shoot weddings, portraits, video or any other type of

shooting where you need the lowest F-number for
shallow DOF combined with the lowest ISO for best
sharpness and saturation, the 3-stop ND is the best
performer.

Towards the end of sunset the 6-stop ND exposure times

will hit 4 minutes, which is the maximum I recommend

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shooting as anything more than 4 minutes will result in lots

of sensor noise in shadow details. But there’s so much
golden light left!

Remove the 6-stop, put on a 3-stop and you immediately

go back down to 2 minutes with the same parameters,
adding 15 seconds in-between each exposure to account
for light loss.

X4 ND 3-STOP

Some compositions and subjects simply don’t call for 2

minute or longer exposure times, such as the one above.
Without cloud definition the above Banff National Park
Sunset photograph may not have been as impactful, and
no meaningful change occurred in the water with the
increased exposure.

One often overlooked technique with a 3-stop ND filter is

using ISO 50 to double exposure time close to what a 6-
stop would be, which further increases the versatility of the
3-stop.

A 3-stop could be used during sunset and sunrise if

shooting at ISO 50, but the 3-stop really shines about 30
minutes after sunset, after the exposure exceeds 4 minutes
with the 6-stop.

A 10-stop is completely useless for sunsets, sunrises, or

any shooting during the golden hour because it goes way

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past the ideal exposure range, usually leading to exposure

times that exceed the sunset or sunrise itself.

3-stop ND Gallery

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All 3-stop ND Gallery photographs by Graham Clark.

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10-stop Neutral Density

Best ND Filter for Abstract Black &
White

Best ND for Urban Long Exposures

The 10-stop ND filter excels for pushing exposure times

out very far for abstract and urban subjects, especially in
harsh, direct light.

Pushing exposure times out very far when shooting

otherwise ordinary subject matter can create incredibly
dramatic results if the composition is strong and the
technique sound.

Unfortunately, the 10-stop ND cannot be used for

sunsets or sunrises, and it is for this reason the 10-stop
should be avoided completely when shooting golden hour
light.

If at ISO 100 between F11 – F18 with a 6-stop ND puts

you in the 2-4 minute range, a 10-stop ND would push
the exposure past 8 minutes, which doesn’t work for two
important reasons: sensor noise after 4 minutes makes an
image essentially useless, and the sunset sometimes
doesn’t last that long.

The 10-stop ND does however become very useful

between 10AM – 4PM, when the light is directly overhead
and flat, or in environments such as Alaska or Iceland
where daylight can last a full day.

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X4 ND 10-STOP

10-stop ND Gallery

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All 10-stop ND Gallery photographs by Deepak Ghosh.

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Neutral Density Conclusion

What you primarily shoot will ultimately determine which of

the ND densities are most important to you. Here are my
recommendations to a few of our most frequently asked
questions:

Which ND filters are the best for

landscape photography?
The 3-stop and 6-stop are by far the best performers and
at the same time allow for the greatest versatility. If you’re
shooting golden light (sunset, sunrise, twilight etc.) the 6-
stop will always be your go-to ND for 2-4 minute
exposures, with the 3-stop coming into play after you’ve hit
the 4 minute mark at ISO 100.

By stacking the 3 + 6 you get an effective 9-stops in those

rare instances that you need to go that high. This increases
versatility while at the same time may introduce a small
amount of vignetting between 16mm and 18mm on a full-
frame setup, but the tradeoff is in my opinion definitely
worth it if you shoot landscape photography 80% of the
time or more.

If I had to just get one ND filter for

landscape photography which would
you recommend?
X4 ND 6-stop ND. And by dropping your ISO down to 50
the you can easily double exposure time, but just make
sure to add +15 to +20 seconds in-between exposures to
account for light loss.

If I’m a wedding photographer or a

portrait photographer which ND is best
for me?

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The 3-stop is the preferred ND filter for 90% of wedding

and portrait photographers. This will allow you to control
shutter speed below the cameras maximum 1/4000 or
1/8000 and lower your shutter speed to control flash sync
more effectively.

If your camera goes down to ISO 50 then get the 3-stop. If

your camera only goes down to ISO 100 you may consider
the 6-stop.

If I want to shoot abstract subjects and

I’m not interested in shooting golden
light, is the 10-stop ND the best filter?
Yes! The 10-stop ND is perfect for pushing exposure times
out very far in bright or normal light conditions, especially
where there’s movement.

Shooting with one single 10-stop over a 3-stop stacked

with a 6-stop means you have no vignetting down to 16mm
on a full-frame setup, where as stacking two X4 NDs adds
a small bit of light falloff down to 18mm and wider.

Go back to X4 ND

View X4 ND Performance Gallery

Download X4 ND White Paper

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