ND Filter Density & Exposure Chart
Neutral density (ND) filters reduce the amount of light entering your lens without affecting colour. They let you use slower shutter speeds for motion blur or wider apertures for shallow depth of field in bright conditions. This chart covers every common ND filter strength with the shutter speed adjustments you need for accurate exposures.
ND Filter Strengths
| Filter Name | Optical Density | Stops Reduced | Light Transmission | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ND2 | 0.3 | 1 | 50% | Mild light reduction, portraits outdoors |
| ND4 | 0.6 | 2 | 25% | Wide aperture in bright light |
| ND8 | 0.9 | 3 | 12.5% | Waterfalls, slight motion blur |
| ND16 | 1.2 | 4 | 6.25% | Water smoothing, cloud streaks |
| ND32 | 1.5 | 5 | 3.1% | Long exposure landscapes |
| ND64 | 1.8 | 6 | 1.6% | Long exposure, removing people |
| ND256 | 2.4 | 8 | 0.4% | Very long exposures in daylight |
| ND400 | 2.6 | ~8.6 | 0.25% | Multi-minute daytime exposures |
| ND1000 | 3.0 | 10 | 0.1% | Extreme long exposure, silky water |
Shutter Speed Adjustment Table
Find your base shutter speed (without the filter) in the left column, then read across to see the adjusted speed for each ND filter strength.
| Base Speed | ND8 (3 stops) | ND64 (6 stops) | ND256 (8 stops) | ND1000 (10 stops) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/1000 s | 1/125 s | 1/15 s | 1/4 s | 1 s |
| 1/500 s | 1/60 s | 1/8 s | 1/2 s | 2 s |
| 1/250 s | 1/30 s | 1/4 s | 1 s | 4 s |
| 1/125 s | 1/15 s | 1/2 s | 2 s | 8 s |
| 1/60 s | 1/8 s | 1 s | 4 s | 15 s |
| 1/30 s | 1/4 s | 2 s | 8 s | 30 s |
| 1/15 s | 1/2 s | 4 s | 15 s | 1 min |
| 1/8 s | 1 s | 8 s | 30 s | 2 min |
| 1/4 s | 2 s | 15 s | 1 min | 4 min |
| 1/2 s | 4 s | 30 s | 2 min | 8 min |
Calculate Your ND Exposure
For exact calculations with any filter combination, use our dedicated calculator:
- ND Filter Calculator — enter your base exposure and filter strength to get the precise adjusted shutter speed
Shutter speeds are rounded to the nearest standard camera value. Stacking multiple ND filters adds their stop values together (e.g. ND8 + ND64 = 9 stops total). Cheap ND filters may introduce a colour cast — higher-quality multi-coated filters maintain neutral colours.