HD Formatt neutral graduated glass filters allow the photographer to adjust exposure without affecting colour balance. Exposure can be increased by 1, 2, 3 or 4 stops depending on the situation. This filter has been specially designed for today's high definition cameras which tend to be ultra-sharp and somewhat unforgiving when it comes to skin tones.

It is often necessary or desirable to balance the light intensity of one part of a scene with another. This is particularly true in situations where you do not have complete control over the light, such as in bright and contrasting landscapes. Exposing for the foreground will produce a washed-out and overexposed sky, whilst exposing for the sky will leave the foreground dark and underexposed. This filter allows the details of clouds in the image to be preserved correctly.

Determining which neutral graduated filter gives ideal results for a given lighting situation requires knowledge, experience and a collection of such filters. Choose the filter intensity that adjusts the lighting to stay within the exposure latitude (greatest difference between light/dark values) that still shows detail in the digital or film medium used.

Generally, the 2-stop value (ND 0.6 - the clear part of the filter lets through 4 times more light than the darkest part) effectively compensates for average situations of bright sky against foreground, and the soft transition is more often applicable to a scene than the hard transition.

The Soft or Hard label indicates the degree of colour graduation. Horizontal/Vertical indicates the direction of graduation.


- This filter allows the user more precise control; Designed for HD (high definition) technology, these filters can be used to enhance colour contrast as well as normal light reduction - One example is increasing sky detail in grey and overcast weather

- Formatt HD neutral density filters have the same densities and stops as Kodak Wratten standards

- A standard ND set includes 0.3, 0.6, 0.9 and 1.2. This represents 1 to 4 stops of light reduction


Neutral density filters have four main uses

- To allow the use of slow shutter speeds, particularly with high-speed films, to record the movement of subjects such as waterfalls, clouds or cars
- To decrease depth of field by allowing the use of wider apertures, which helps to separate subjects from their background
- To decrease the effective ISO sensitivity of high-speed films (above 400 ISO) and allow their use outdoors in bright situations
- To allow film and video cameras (which have fixed shutter speeds) to film subjects such as snow, sand or other bright scenes which could cause overexposure


Neutral density factors

- ND.3 (exposure adjustment = 1 stop, reduces ISO by 1/2)
- ND.6 (exposure adjustment = 2 stops, reduces ISO by 1/4)
- ND.9 (exposure adjustment = 3 stops, reduces ISO by 1/8)
- ND1.2 (exposure adjustment = 4 stops, reduces ISO by 1/16)


Formatt graduations are available in four types

- Soft edge - Half clear, half coloured with a smooth transition to maximum density. Generally used with medium to wide-angle lenses
- Hard edge - Half clear, half coloured with a less subtle defined transition. For use with long focal length lenses
- Attenuator edge - Like hard edge but with a solid transition line for photographing building corners, sharp horizons or when a very marked transition is needed
- Attenuator/Blender - The graduation line is right at one edge of the filter, so that the colour change extends from top to bottom. Perfect for irregular objects and horizon lines