We're not neutral about these filters

We're not neutral about these filters

We're not neutral about these filters

Neutral density filters are made to do just what they say, neutralise the exposure of an image for that perfect tone and contrast. Think of them almost as sunglasses for your lenses, reducing the brightness of the scene before them. They are incredibly useful for shooting longer exposure times in daylight, or for controlling scenes with split contrast between bright skies and darker foregrounds. The filters have 3 main practical applications: emphasizing the flow of movement, reducing the depth of field, and avoiding overexposure.

The Cokin H300-02 filter kit boasts 3 popular hard-transition neutral density filters rated at 1, 2, and 3-stops of exposure reduction. They are half clear and half darkened with a hard graduation between the two halves to give you variations of control over exposure in landscapes settings or subjects with defined horizons.

These filters are perfect for capturing beautiful photos without sacrificing balanced exposure from sky to ground or restricting image quality by adding gradient effects in post-production software. Below are a couple examples of images with, and without the use of the filters to show the purpose of them in practice:

One thing I found with the filters is that some glare and flare was visible in near to direct sunlight, however this could be reduced by adopting a polariser or a UV filter with the lens or by removing the artifacts in post-production.

The hard-edged gradient of the filter allows for a greater contrast in scenes with a defined horizon line, so I wouldn’t necessarily recommend them for more uneven or complex settings like forests or hills as the photo may appear to have a noticeable contrast split running through the middle of your subject which could look very unnatural. However, a soft/medium transition version of the filter is also available for such moments and I find it works a charm; as seen in these black and white photos where I was using a mixture of foreground elements to accentuate shadows and tones, whilst retaining wonderful control of the sky’s exposure in the background to really add atmosphere to the photo.

I took the filter kit to Baiter Park in Poole for an early morning shoot around 6am and experimented with the three different variations to see what results I could get with the clear skies and beautifully still waters. The scene here was perfect for creating soft background gradients to direct attention onto foreground subjects for a more minimalist aesthetic. The filters also work perfectly well for portrait shots as well as landscape shots.

The filters sat tight in the dedicated lens mount and didn’t rotate or become loose during shooting, which made it quick and easy to set up for new shots. They were also easy to switch in and out by just slotting into the partitions of the holder; this has 3 slots that allow you to be able to stack multiple filters for even more control over your image. You could add a full ND to gain longer exposures in bright environments, or add another grad filter to really emphasise the horizon in subjects with clear water foregrounds.

Overall I find that these filters are a great addition to a photographers arsenal, and would say they are essential for the budding landscape photographer to explore new dimensions of creativity and control over their work.

Cokin offer an extensive range of creative filters to suit all of your needs, including Neutral density, Polarising, UV, Protective, Infrared and various colour filters; as well as their dedicated mounting systems to adapt to most lenses. If you'd like to know more about Cokin's range or just have a few questions, check out our FAQ's page. Alternatively give us a call or send us a message and we will give you the advice you need.