In conditions of extreme light intensity, such as sunshine on snowy mountains or on the beach, or when using a camcorder, ND (Neutral Density) filters are recommended as essential. Neutral Density filters are often ignored by photographers, but they have several uses and offer the possibility to achieve otherwise unachievable results. ND filters appear grey and reduce the amount of light reaching the film; they have no effect on colour balance.

They have four main uses:
 

1. To enable slow shutter speeds to be used, especially with fast films, to record movement in subjects such as waterfalls, clouds, cars, seas 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 (ie: above ISO400) and allow it to be used outdoors in blight situations.
4. To allow cine and video cameras (which have fixed shutter speeds) to film subjects such as snow, sand or other bright scenes that would normally cause over-exposure.

HMC (Hoya Multi-Coated) filters are renowned for their ability to minimise reflection at the filter surfaces which reduces flare and ghosting. The result is an average light transmission of over 97%, giving sharp contrast and well balanced colour. HOYA HMC filters are recommended for enhancing the performance of today's multicoated lenses.