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Neutral Density filters (ND) are long exposure shots. ND filters reduce the total amount of light entering the lens, making this filter ideal for using larger apertures and/or slower shutter speeds in order to achieve motion blur (waterfalls, ocean, clouds...) in bright conditions.. As they are appear neutral grey , ND filters have no affect on color balance. ND filters come in different levels such as ND2, ND4, ND8, and many other variances. The number indicates the fraction by which light is reduced; for example, ND2 cuts the light entering the lens by 1/2, ND4 by 1/4, and ND8 by 1/8. There are the main uses: 1. To enable slow shutter speeds to be used, especially with fast film, to record movement in subjects such as waterfalls, clouds, cars, the sea, etc. 2. To decrease depth of field by allowing wider apertures to be used, which helps separate subjects from their background. 3. To decrease the effective ISO of high speed film (i.e., above ISO 400) and allow it to be used outdoors in bright situations. 4. To allow movie and video cameras (which have fixed shutter speeds) to film subjects such as snow, sand or other bright scenes which would normally cause overexposure.