Formatt BF4X5SEND12HD4 - HItech Glass 4x5.65

Formatt Graduated Neutral Density HD Glass Filters enable the shooter to adjust exposure without affecting color balance. Exposure can be increased by 1, 2, 3 or 4 stops to suit individual situations. This filter has been specifically designed for today's High Definition cameras which tend to be ultrasharp and somewhat unforgiving when it comes to skin tones.

Often it is necessary or desirable to balance the light intensity in one part of a scene with another. This is especially true in situations where you don't have total light control, as in bright contrasty landscapes. Exposing for the foreground will produce a washed-out, over-exposed sky while exposing for the sky will leave the foreground dark and under-exposed. This filter enables cloud detail to be kept correctly exposed in the picture.

Determining which graduated neutral density filter yields ideal results for any given lighting situation takes knowledge, experience and a collection of such filters. Choose the filter strength which adjusts the lighting to stay within the exposure latitude (greatest difference between bright/dark values) which still shows details in both of the digital or film medium in use.

Speaking generally, the 2-stop value (ND 0.6 - the filter's clear portion allows 4x more light to pass vs. darkest portion) effectively compensates average bright sky-to-foreground situations, and the soft transition is applicable more often to a scene than the hard transition.

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


- This filter allows the user more precise control; Designed for HD (High Definition) technology, these filters can be used to enhance color contrast as well as normal light reduction - An example is increased sky detail on a dull overcast day

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

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


Neutral Density Filters Have Four Main Uses

- To enable slow shutter speeds to be used, especially with high speed films, to record movement in subjects such as waterfalls, clouds, or cars
- To decrease depth of field by allowing wider apertures to be used, which helps separate subjects from their background
- To decrease the effective ISO of high speed film (above ISO 400) and allow it to be used outdoors in bright situations
- To allow cine 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 1/2)
- ND.6 (exposure adjustment = 2 stops, reduces ISO 1/4)
- ND.9 (exposure adjustment = 3 stops, reduces ISO 1/8)
- ND1.2 (exposure adjustment = 4 stops, reduces ISO 1/16)


Formatt Grads are Available in Four Ttypes

- Soft Edge - Half clear, half coloured with a smooth transition to full density. Generally used with medium to wide angle lenses
- Hard Edge - Half clear, half coloured with a definite less subtle transition. For use with long focal length lenses
- Razor Edge - As hard edge but with a solid transition line for shooting corners of buildings, knife-edge horizons or when a very bold transition is required
- Attenuator/Blender - The grad line is right at one edge of the filter so the colour change runs from top to bottom. Perfect for irregular objects and skylines