Best ND Filters: Fixed, Variable and Magnetic Picks

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Think of a neutral density filter as sunglasses for your lens. It cuts light evenly, so you can slow the shutter or open the aperture without touching anything else in the exposure. Each stop of ND halves the light, which is how busy midday water turns into a smooth sheet.

The real decision is which kind to buy. A fixed ND is one density in one ring: screw it on and forget it. A variable ND (VND) is a pair of polarizing layers you rotate to dial the darkness in, which suits light that keeps changing. Magnetic circular systems and 100 mm square holders add speed or graduated filters on top. Our graduated ND guide covers that side of the choice, and our magnetic filter systems guide explains how the snap-on formats work. Even a magnetic setup begins with a threaded base ring on the lens.

This guide is based on manufacturer specs and documentation, not on our own testing, and performance figures are labelled as manufacturer claims.

Reading the label: stops, ND numbers and density

ND filters carry several names for the same thing. Per B+W:

Multiply the density by about 3.3 and you get the stop count. An ND1000 works out to just under 10 stops on paper and is sold as a 10-stop filter. Hoya's PROND EX names follow the same logic: 8 (ND 0.9), 64 (1.8), 500 (2.7) and 1000 (3.0). Per Hoya, an EX 8 stacked on an EX 1000 gives ND8000.

Treat the stop number as nominal. LEE states that the density of its Stoppers may vary by as much as 1/6 of a stop and recommends test exposures.

Fixed, variable or magnetic: what you trade

Fixed. One density, no moving parts, nothing that can cross-polarize. The cost is swapping glass when the light changes.

Variable. Per PolarPro, a VND is built from two circular polarizing layers rotated against each other. Turn too far and you can get a dark X across the frame. K&F's own FAQ says the X can appear at the highest stop and clears if you rotate back, and that lenses under 24 mm may show a slight X within the 1-5 stop range. LEE, NiSi, PolarPro and Freewell each claim that hard or preset stops on their VNDs prevent it. A hard stop is a design choice, not a rule of the glass: K&F sells stepless ND2-400 filters and separate hard-stop ND2-32 models. LEE adds that some vignetting can appear near the top of a VND range on wide lenses.

Magnetic circular. A threaded base ring stays on the lens and filters snap on. Swaps are fast, but a circular filter can only be a fixed graduation, never a grad slid to the horizon. For that you need a square system.

Fit: thread size, vignetting, caps and hoods

The filter thread diameter is printed under your lens cap or on the barrel. Match it, or follow Kase's advice: find the largest thread in your lens collection, go up one size and adapt down with step-up rings. Our step-up and step-down rings guide and the ND filter size and fit guide walk through the sizing.

Two limits come straight from the makers. Stacking filters increases vignetting, and Kase notes that lens hoods cannot be used with step-up rings. And several makers use a wider front ring to fight vignetting (NiSi's 82 mm filter carries an 86 mm front thread; PolarPro and Tiffen use wide outer rings), so some caps and hoods will not fit. Our lens hood and cap guide covers the workarounds. For vignetting, use the focal length each maker quotes for its own product rather than a general rule.

Quick picks

Fixed ND filters

Breakthrough Photography X4 ND

Breakthrough sells the X4 as a screw-in fixed ND in 3, 6 and 10 stops, plus a 15-stop version offered in some sizes only. Round threads run from 39 mm to 112 mm, wider than most people assume. Per Breakthrough, the filter has MRC16 coating (16 layers, 8 per side) plus a nano coating on each side, in an ultra-thin, double-threaded brass frame. The maker backs it with a 25-year guarantee you activate online and calls it the most color-neutral ND available, which is a marketing claim to weigh as one. On density accuracy, Breakthrough reports an average transmission of 0.108% on its 10-stop against the 0.1% ideal. The Amazon listing for the 6-stop names Schott B270 glass.

The maker also lists an older X2 ND, a magnetic X4 and square X4 filters, so make sure the listing you open is the screw-in X4.

Check the Breakthrough Photography X4 6-Stop Fixed ND on Amazon (77 mm 6-stop listing, so pick your own thread size and strength).

B+W 806 ND 1.8 MASTER (MRC nano)

Schneider-Kreuznach lists this as the 806 ND 1.8 in its MASTER line; Amazon writes it as the 806M. The maker's table gives density 1.8, six stops, a filter factor of 64x and 1.6% transmission, in a high-precision brass mount with MRC nano coating and "finely ground specialty glass", made in Germany. B+W does not publish a layer count for the coating.

The draw is range. The MASTER line also includes 802 (2 stops), 803 (3 stops), 810 (10 stops) and 820 (20 stops). The 802, 803, 806 and 810 come in sizes from 37 mm to 95 mm, and the 820 runs from 72 mm to 105 mm, so one brand can cover a bag of mixed threads. The Amazon listing mentions a knurled thin-profile mount, a QR code for authenticity checks and suitability down to 17 mm on full frame. One US retailer listing notes that the filter passes UV and IR and is not for looking at the sun.

Check the B+W 806 ND 1.8 MRC Nano on Amazon (77 mm listing, so pick your own thread size).

Hoya PROND EX 1000

Hoya's 10-stop ND (ND 3.0) is for one job: long daytime exposures. It comes in 49, 52, 55, 58, 62, 67, 72, 77 and 82 mm. Hoya describes clear optical glass in a lightweight aluminum frame with front threads, and its ACCU-ND technology is claimed to reduce visible and infrared light equally. The Amazon listing adds that it blocks infrared.

Two practical notes. Hoya marks its older PROND1000 as discontinued, so the EX is the one to look for. And Hoya warns about counterfeits and advises buying from authorized dealers, so check who sells the listing you open. Hoya's catalog also has PROND EX 8, 64 and 500, and HD Mk II IRND in 8, 64 and 1000.

Check the Hoya PRO ND-EX ND1000 on Amazon (77 mm listing, so pick your own thread size).

LEE Elements Little Stopper and Big Stopper

LEE's screw-in Stoppers are a 6-stop Little Stopper and a 10-stop Big Stopper, in 67, 72, 77 and 82 mm. LEE's instructions are frank: density can vary by up to 1/6 of a stop, and a Stopper is not by design a neutral density filter, so it gives a different effect from a standard ND. Pick it for that look, not for a textbook neutral filter.

Check the LEE Filters Elements Little Stopper on Amazon

Check the LEE Filters Elements Big Stopper on Amazon

Variable ND filters

NiSi True Color ND-VARIO 1-5 stops

NiSi's circular VND covers 1-5 stops (0.3-1.5 density) in diameters from 40.5 to 105 mm. NiSi claims the preset stop range eliminates any chance of cross-polarization and that there is no vignetting down to 16 mm lenses. The Amazon listing for the 82 mm version recommends focal lengths of 35 mm and longer, so check it against your widest lens before assuming the 16 mm figure applies. The coating is described as waterproof and anti-reflective, and a lens cap and pouch are included. The 82 mm listing also mentions an 86 mm front thread to reduce vignetting, which is why some third-party caps will not fit.

The Swift version belongs to NiSi's press-on Swift System: four filters (UV-IR Cut, Black Mist 1/4, a 4-stop ND and the ND-VARIO 1-5) with an adapter ring and lens cap. Per NiSi, the Swift VND Kit reaches 1-9 stops by combining the 1-5 stop VND with the 4-stop filter. That is a stack of two filters, not one VND rated for 9 stops.

Check the NiSi Swift True Color ND-Vario 1-5 Stops on Amazon (82 mm listing, so pick your own thread size).

K&F Concept Variable ND2-ND400

K&F sells several lines of the same idea: the older B-Series, Nano-X and Nano-Xcel versions, a side-lever variant, and separate hard-stop ND2-32 models. The stepless ND2-400 versions cover 1-9 stops with 360-degree rotation, in sizes from 37 to 105 mm across the lines. The B-Series listing describes AGC optical glass in a 7.4 mm frame and warns that maximum stops may cause an X-shaped black cross. The Nano-X(cel) page claims Japanese AGC glass and 28-layer coatings and says nothing about a hard stop.

Given K&F's own FAQ, the habit to build is simple: do not push this kind of filter to the end of its range.

Check the K&F Concept Variable ND2-400 B-Series on Amazon (67 mm B-Series listing, so pick your own thread size and decide whether you want the Nano-X line instead).

LEE Elements VND 2-5 and 6-9

LEE's screw-in VNDs come as two units, 2-5 stops and 6-9 stops, in 67, 72, 77 and 82 mm. LEE says positive end stops eliminate the risk of a full cross X effect, and a case and cloth are included. The same instructions say some optical vignetting may show above 4 stops on the 2-5 and above 8 stops on the 6-9, reducible with a longer focal length.

Check the LEE Filters Elements VND 2-5 on Amazon

Tiffen Variable ND

Per Tiffen, its rotating-ring VND covers 2 to 8 stops (ND 0.6 to 2.4), uses ColorCore glass in a black aluminum ring and is made in the USA, with a wide outer ring to reduce vignetting. Sizes run 52, 58, 62, 67, 72, 77, 82 and 95 mm. The page does not mention a hard stop, so apply the same caution as with any stepless VND.

Check the Tiffen Variable ND Filter on Amazon

PolarPro Chroma VND/PL Helix

Added to PolarPro's store in January 2025, the Chroma VND/PL Helix combines a VND and a polarizer. Per PolarPro, its bi-rotational design lets you set the polarization independently of the VND amount. It comes in 2-5 and 6-9 stop versions, each also with Black Mist 1/4 or Gold Mist 1/8, with Chroma glass and a 16-layer coating. The Helix MagLock system attaches with a magnet and a quarter turn, on brass-frame base plates in 67, 72, 77 and 82 mm. PolarPro claims no vignetting down to 17 mm with one filter, or 16 mm on Canon and Nikon.

Check the PolarPro Chroma VND/PL Helix on Amazon

Magnetic and square systems

Kase Revolution Plus

Kase's current round magnetic line threads a base ring onto the lens and snaps on a CPL, ND8 (3 stops), ND64 (6 stops) and ND1000 (10 stops). Per Kase, the Entry Kit is CPL, ND8 and ND64, while the Pro Kit adds the ND1000, an inlaid adapter ring, a mounting tool and a pinch magnetic lens cap. Sizes run 46 to 112 mm. Kase describes KW optical glass, new nano coatings, thinner metal frames to reduce vignetting and a redesigned case, and says Revolution Plus works with Revolution filters and accessories. The Amazon listing says up to four filters can be stacked, and Kase advises buying the next size up from your largest lens.

Revolution Plus is not Kase's older Wolverine IV, which is a holder-based system, and Amazon may show the earlier Revolution kit beside it, so read the title. Graduation on any circular system is fixed, which is why Kase sells separate Armour and K9 holder systems for sliding grads.

Check the Kase Revolution Plus Pro Kit on Amazon

Freewell magnetic options

Freewell's M2 Magnetic Quick Swap is a direct rival to Kase, with ND8, ND64, ND1000, CPL and UV filters that the maker says swap in one second.

Check the Freewell M2 Magnetic Quick Swap on Amazon

The Freewell Brandon Li VND/CPL, launched in May 2026, is a magnetic 1-5 stop VND plus polarizer. Per Freewell, an ND32 on top gives 1-10 stops, and the maker calls it the slimmest locking VND/CPL, citing a 6.67 mm profile. Base-ring kits come in 67, 72, 77 and 82 mm.

Check the Freewell Brandon Li VND/CPL on Amazon

NiSi V7 100 mm holder kit

A square holder does the one thing circular filters cannot: slide a graduated ND up or down to meet a real horizon. NiSi's V7 holds up to three 100 mm square filters plus a circular polarizer. The kit has a CNC-machined aluminum holder that turns 360 degrees and locks with a screw, a True Color NC polarizer whose film is claimed to prevent the yellow cast of most CPLs, a V7 lens cap, a main adapter, 67, 72 and 77 mm rings and a pouch. NiSi claims no vignetting at 15 mm on full frame.

Ring lists and the polarizer diameter vary by listing (the maker's graphic shows an 82 mm main adapter and CPL, and retailers list rings from 67 to 82 mm), and the maker's box list does not include square ND or graduated filters, so plan to add those separately. Breakthrough's X100 and LEE100 are other 100 mm holders you may meet while shopping.

Check the NiSi V7 100mm Filter Holder Kit on Amazon

Which one to buy

Landscapes and long exposure, color first. A fixed ND removes the VND's two weak points, the X and the polarizer-style color shift. A 6-stop from Breakthrough or B+W is the everyday step, and a 10-stop from Hoya or Breakthrough takes you into smooth, misty water and streaked clouds. If you also want graduated filters, build around a square holder instead of buying circulars one by one. Long exposures need a steady base, so pair them with one of our camera tripod picks or the lighter travel tripods.

Video or hybrid work in changing light. A hard-stop VND is the practical choice, because swapping fixed filters between shade and sun is not realistic mid-shoot. NiSi's 1-5 stop VND, LEE's 2-5 and PolarPro's Helix are the models whose makers claim preset or hard stops. For handheld work, see our gimbal guide.

One ND for a whole bag of lenses. K&F's stepless ND2-400 covers 37 to 105 mm threads, with the X caution above. A B+W fixed set across 37-95 mm is the route if you prefer fixed densities.

Fast-changing conditions. Kase Revolution Plus or Freewell's M2 are the round magnetic options. Buy the size above your largest lens and use magnetic step-up rings, as Kase advises.

If you want protection rather than light reduction, a clear filter is a different tool: see our UV filters guide and the CPL and ND overview.

Questions buyers ask