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Photography vocabulary · Lenses & Focus

ND filter

Meaning in photography, with examples

nounCommon term

In photography, ND filter means: A neutral density filter: a dark piece of glass placed in front of the lens that reduces the light evenly without changing the colors.

In Turkish: ND filtre, nötr yoğunluk filtresi

How it is used

Used for long exposures in daylight, for wide apertures in bright sun and for video. Strength is given in stops or as ND8 (3 stops), ND64 (6 stops) or ND1000 (about 10 stops). A variable ND is adjusted by rotating it.

Example sentences

  1. Put on the six-stop ND filter so we can blur the waterfall.

  2. Without an ND filter, f/1.4 in this sun is overexposed even at 1/8000.

Common collocations

  • 10-stop ND filter
  • variable ND filter
  • screw-on ND filter
  • ND filter kit
  • long exposureA photo taken with a slow shutter speed, from about a second to several minutes, so that moving things blur while still things stay sharp.
  • stopA unit for changes in exposure. One stop more doubles the light and one stop less halves it, whether you change the aperture, shutter speed or ISO.
  • landscape photographyPhotography of natural scenery such as mountains, coasts, forests and skies, usually showing a wide view of the place.
  • shutter speedThe length of time the shutter stays open to let light reach the sensor, such as 1/1000 of a second or two seconds.

More terms: Lenses & Focus

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