The Hoya Variable Density filter uses two polarizing layers to control the amount of light that passes through the filter and into the camera lens. At it's minimum effect the filter passes 1/3 of the light in a scene. That is equal to 1.5 stops on the aperture or shutter speed. At it maximum effect the filter passes just 1/400 of the light in a scene. That is equal to 9 stops on the aperture or shutter speed. After the filter is mounted on the lens, turning the filter ring between “Min” and “Max” can greatly control the amount of light entering the lens. With the Hoya Variable Density filter it is possible to shoot with fast lenses like a 50mm f/1.4 lens wide open at f/1.4 in full sun for a very shallow depth of field. Or, to slow down the shutter speed to where the shutter can be open for several seconds in full sunlight. This is enough to create artistic blurring shots of motion on water, cars, people or almost anything that moves. The creative possibilities are endless.
The Hoya Variable Density filter uses two polarizing layers to control the amount of light that passes through the filter and into the camera lens. At it's minimum effect the filter passes 1/3 of the light in a scene. That is equal to 1.5 stops on the aperture or shutter speed. At it maximum effect the filter passes just 1/400 of the light in a scene. That is equal to 9 stops on the aperture or shutter speed. After the filter is mounted on the lens, turning the filter ring between “Min” and “Max” can greatly control the amount of light entering the lens. With the Hoya Variable Density filter it is possible to shoot with fast lenses like a 50mm f/1.4 lens wide open at f/1.4 in full sun for a very shallow depth of field. Or, to slow down the shutter speed to where the shutter can be open for several seconds in full sunlight. This is enough to create artistic blurring shots of motion on water, cars, people or almost anything that moves. The creative possibilities are endless.
The Hoya Variable Density filter uses two polarizing layers to control the amount of light that passes through the filter and into the camera lens. At it's minimum effect the filter passes 1/3 of the light in a scene. That is equal to 1.5 stops on the aperture or shutter speed. At it maximum effect the filter passes just 1/400 of the light in a scene. That is equal to 9 stops on the aperture or shutter speed. After the filter is mounted on the lens, turning the filter ring between “Min” and “Max” can greatly control the amount of light entering the lens. With the Hoya Variable Density filter it is possible to shoot with fast lenses like a 50mm f/1.4 lens wide open at f/1.4 in full sun for a very shallow depth of field. Or, to slow down the shutter speed to where the shutter can be open for several seconds in full sunlight. This is enough to create artistic blurring shots of motion on water, cars, people or almost anything that moves. The creative possibilities are endless.
The Hoya Variable Density filter uses two polarizing layers to control the amount of light that passes through the filter and into the camera lens. At it's minimum effect the filter passes 1/3 of the light in a scene. That is equal to 1.5 stops on the aperture or shutter speed. At it maximum effect the filter passes just 1/400 of the light in a scene. That is equal to 9 stops on the aperture or shutter speed. After the filter is mounted on the lens, turning the filter ring between “Min” and “Max” can greatly control the amount of light entering the lens. With the Hoya Variable Density filter it is possible to shoot with fast lenses like a 50mm f/1.4 lens wide open at f/1.4 in full sun for a very shallow depth of field. Or, to slow down the shutter speed to where the shutter can be open for several seconds in full sunlight. This is enough to create artistic blurring shots of motion on water, cars, people or almost anything that moves. The creative possibilities are endless.
Last updated at 05/11/2026 03:56:42
Hoya VND Variable Neutral Density ND3-400 Filter (Made in Japan)
Delivery between 14–20 May $14.55
Hoya 67mm ND Variable
Free delivery
originally posted on bhphotovideo.com
This filter definitely succeeded at blocking light at a variable level according to how i adjusted the filter, itself. However, reducing the light through the filter added a visible green to of all the white on my small set which didn't exist if i reduced the exposure in camera through other means. .Unfortunately, this is for video use, so I have to rely on ND to reduce the light and even doing color correction in post doesn't quite fix it (similarly to how white balance is difficult to fix later on).Maybe mine is a fluke, since this problem does not seem widely reported, but still worth considering before making a purchase.
originally posted on adorama.com
I waited a long time before ordering a variable ND filter. I've been meaning to do so for a while now, but all the reviews I read had some negative comments to make, either regarding image softness or funny color casts. It seemed like the only alternatives were either dirt-cheap copycats or super-expensive originals. But when Hoya finally released their own variable density filters at a reasonable price, I had to give it a try.Optically, this thing is amazing. It works nearly flawlessly. There's no added color cast or softness, everything just looks beautiful. I can slow my shutter speed with the lens wide open even in bright sunlight, and the results are fantastic. There's some minor visible crosshatch when the filter is at its absolute darkest, but that's a very ... MoreI waited a long time before ordering a variable ND filter. I've been meaning to do so for a while now, but all the reviews I read had some negative comments to make, either regarding image softness or funny color casts. It seemed like the only alternatives were either dirt-cheap copycats or super-expensive originals. But when Hoya finally released their own variable density filters at a reasonable price, I had to give it a try.Optically, this thing is amazing. It works nearly flawlessly. There's no added color cast or softness, everything just looks beautiful. I can slow my shutter speed with the lens wide open even in bright sunlight, and the results are fantastic. There's some minor visible crosshatch when the filter is at its absolute darkest, but that's a very minor issue which can be resolved by turning it ever so slightly lighter. We're talking a difference of less than half a stop here, so it's no great loss.My main reasons for docking a star come from handling. The filter is super easy to use and well marked, but it has NO front threads. That means I can't attach a hood to the front of it. The main reason I got this filter is to use it in sunlight, which is precisely when I want to attach a hood, but this filter won't let me. If you have a hood that clips on around the lens' filter threads, then this isn't an issue for you. But if you use hoods that attach to filter threads, then you're out of luck.Also, this filter isn't available in a 49mm size. The smallest available is 52mm. This annoys me greatly, since most of my favorite lenses have a 49mm filter thread. 52mm seems like such an arbitrary number to stop at... I'm almost tempted tp knock another star off just because of this limitation. But the optical performance impresses me enough to give it 4 stars despite the bizarre limitations.
originally posted on bhphotovideo.com
I'll give this 4 out of 5 stars and here's why. I had purchased this a couple of years back and tried to use it for landscape photography and was disappointed. It didn't seem to block that much light AND the dreaded X cross appeared way too early in the filters adjustment. So I ended up just buying LEE drop in filters and returning this. I ended up coming back to this filter though. Why? Because before I was using it on an ultra wide angle lens. But.... I find if you use it on a moderate zoom or lengthier prime it functions way better. So if you shoot landscapes with a longer focal length its a good filter. I use it to work with speedlights when shooting outdoors and its great for that so far. I bought the 82mm as my one lens is 82mm and the other is 77mm. The ... MoreI'll give this 4 out of 5 stars and here's why. I had purchased this a couple of years back and tried to use it for landscape photography and was disappointed. It didn't seem to block that much light AND the dreaded X cross appeared way too early in the filters adjustment. So I ended up just buying LEE drop in filters and returning this. I ended up coming back to this filter though. Why? Because before I was using it on an ultra wide angle lens. But.... I find if you use it on a moderate zoom or lengthier prime it functions way better. So if you shoot landscapes with a longer focal length its a good filter. I use it to work with speedlights when shooting outdoors and its great for that so far. I bought the 82mm as my one lens is 82mm and the other is 77mm. The trouble is that using a stepper ring to mount an 82 onto a 77 lens did not allow my lens hood to fit. So B&H was cool as always with the return where I bought a 77 and use a stepper ring up to mount to my 82mm lens. Do I get vignetting at the low end of the wider 82mm lens? Yes..... but again because of the X if I go wide I use the LEE filter anyway so I don't get vignetting in practice. So... For wide angle I wasn't happy. For longer lengths I'm happy. I own LEE, B&W and Hoya Filters. For the money Hoya is right there in quality.
| General | |
| Product Type | Filter |
| Form Factor | Round |
| Filter Diameter | 67 mm |
| Filter |
Hoya VND Variable Neutral Density ND3-400 Filter (Made in Japan)
Delivery between 14–20 May $14.55
Hoya 67mm ND Variable
Free delivery
This filter definitely succeeded at blocking light at a variable level according to how i adjusted the filter, itself. However, reducing the light through the filter added a visible green to of all the white on my small set which didn't exist if i reduced the exposure in camera through other means. .Unfortunately, this is for video use, so I have to rely on ND to reduce the light and even doing color correction in post doesn't quite fix it (similarly to how white balance is difficult to fix later on).Maybe mine is a fluke, since this problem does not seem widely reported, but still worth considering before making a purchase.
I waited a long time before ordering a variable ND filter. I've been meaning to do so for a while now, but all the reviews I read had some negative comments to make, either regarding image softness or funny color casts. It seemed like the only alternatives were either dirt-cheap copycats or super-expensive originals. But when Hoya finally released their own variable density filters at a reasonable price, I had to give it a try.Optically, this thing is amazing. It works nearly flawlessly. There's no added color cast or softness, everything just looks beautiful. I can slow my shutter speed with the lens wide open even in bright sunlight, and the results are fantastic. There's some minor visible crosshatch when the filter is at its absolute darkest, but that's a very ... MoreI waited a long time before ordering a variable ND filter. I've been meaning to do so for a while now, but all the reviews I read had some negative comments to make, either regarding image softness or funny color casts. It seemed like the only alternatives were either dirt-cheap copycats or super-expensive originals. But when Hoya finally released their own variable density filters at a reasonable price, I had to give it a try.Optically, this thing is amazing. It works nearly flawlessly. There's no added color cast or softness, everything just looks beautiful. I can slow my shutter speed with the lens wide open even in bright sunlight, and the results are fantastic. There's some minor visible crosshatch when the filter is at its absolute darkest, but that's a very minor issue which can be resolved by turning it ever so slightly lighter. We're talking a difference of less than half a stop here, so it's no great loss.My main reasons for docking a star come from handling. The filter is super easy to use and well marked, but it has NO front threads. That means I can't attach a hood to the front of it. The main reason I got this filter is to use it in sunlight, which is precisely when I want to attach a hood, but this filter won't let me. If you have a hood that clips on around the lens' filter threads, then this isn't an issue for you. But if you use hoods that attach to filter threads, then you're out of luck.Also, this filter isn't available in a 49mm size. The smallest available is 52mm. This annoys me greatly, since most of my favorite lenses have a 49mm filter thread. 52mm seems like such an arbitrary number to stop at... I'm almost tempted tp knock another star off just because of this limitation. But the optical performance impresses me enough to give it 4 stars despite the bizarre limitations.
I'll give this 4 out of 5 stars and here's why. I had purchased this a couple of years back and tried to use it for landscape photography and was disappointed. It didn't seem to block that much light AND the dreaded X cross appeared way too early in the filters adjustment. So I ended up just buying LEE drop in filters and returning this. I ended up coming back to this filter though. Why? Because before I was using it on an ultra wide angle lens. But.... I find if you use it on a moderate zoom or lengthier prime it functions way better. So if you shoot landscapes with a longer focal length its a good filter. I use it to work with speedlights when shooting outdoors and its great for that so far. I bought the 82mm as my one lens is 82mm and the other is 77mm. The ... MoreI'll give this 4 out of 5 stars and here's why. I had purchased this a couple of years back and tried to use it for landscape photography and was disappointed. It didn't seem to block that much light AND the dreaded X cross appeared way too early in the filters adjustment. So I ended up just buying LEE drop in filters and returning this. I ended up coming back to this filter though. Why? Because before I was using it on an ultra wide angle lens. But.... I find if you use it on a moderate zoom or lengthier prime it functions way better. So if you shoot landscapes with a longer focal length its a good filter. I use it to work with speedlights when shooting outdoors and its great for that so far. I bought the 82mm as my one lens is 82mm and the other is 77mm. The trouble is that using a stepper ring to mount an 82 onto a 77 lens did not allow my lens hood to fit. So B&H was cool as always with the return where I bought a 77 and use a stepper ring up to mount to my 82mm lens. Do I get vignetting at the low end of the wider 82mm lens? Yes..... but again because of the X if I go wide I use the LEE filter anyway so I don't get vignetting in practice. So... For wide angle I wasn't happy. For longer lengths I'm happy. I own LEE, B&W and Hoya Filters. For the money Hoya is right there in quality.
The Short: This is a great filter that performs as described and expected. It is constructed of solid materials and was easily mounted and removed from the front of my lenses. You will not be disappointed as long as you understand how these filters work and what their limitations are when using different lenses. The Long: I had always avoided the variable neutral density filters because of cost and confusion so when I saw this on special a few weeks ago I decided to give it a try after doing a little research with the guys over at Hoya. I had a few questions that had been bugging me that I needed answered and Glenn in customer support answered all of my questions. Here ae the 2 main questions I had: 1 Why does Hoya call it a Variable Density filter instead of a ... MoreThe Short: This is a great filter that performs as described and expected. It is constructed of solid materials and was easily mounted and removed from the front of my lenses. You will not be disappointed as long as you understand how these filters work and what their limitations are when using different lenses. The Long: I had always avoided the variable neutral density filters because of cost and confusion so when I saw this on special a few weeks ago I decided to give it a try after doing a little research with the guys over at Hoya. I had a few questions that had been bugging me that I needed answered and Glenn in customer support answered all of my questions. Here ae the 2 main questions I had: 1 Why does Hoya call it a Variable Density filter instead of a Variable Neutral Density filter? Answer: Because it is not neutral, said Glenn at Hoya. He explained that all but one filter in the world is truly a variable neutral density filter and the engineers at Hoya will not let them call it that because the filter color-shifts as the density increases, therefore it is not neutral. I noticed a slight greenish/yellow shift in my images during my testing. He also explained that unless a third polarizing layer is added to the filter design All other filters will color shift as well and depending on the coatings and type of glass the filter is using can create a more dramatic color shift than others. He said the only filter he is aware of that demonstrates virtually no color shift is one made by Kenko in Japan. It sells here in the US for over $300 which is way outside my budget. 2 What is the deal with the X and why does there seem to be a difference in the amount of usable density range the wider the lens I use? Answer: Glenn was very knowledgeable on the subject but very technical. I will do my best to explain and hope I get it right. The X occurs because the filter uses 2 polarizing filters that as you rotate the front one it cancels out the visible light until it reaches a point of cross polarization. It is at this point you will begin to see an X develop in the frame and increase in density the more you rotate it past the maximum range of 9 stops. In my experiments I have found this to be true but very hard to see through the viewfinder unless it is extremely bright outside. It was certainly there on the final image but I did get to 9 stops before it appeared when I used a 35mm lens or longer. As for the reason the X appears sooner on a wide angle lens or before you reach the maximum of 9 stops as the filter claims, he explained that it has to do with the angle of light entering the lens. Just like a regular polarizer has difficulty creating a uniform polarization effect across the entire image when using let's say a 20mm lens, the variable neutral density filter also has difficulty managing the extreme angle of light lens is capable of capturing. He pointed out that I would not see an actual X but only part of it as I rotated the lens past around 6 stops because the early cross polarization will shift around on the image until I got past the max range of 9 stops. My very rough test showed this to be pretty much true. Not sure if any of this will be helpful but I learned a lot and thought I would share. I am giving this filter 5 stars because it performs as stated, it is well built, and there was someone to answer the phone at Hoya that knew their stuff.
For the money, I expected more. I read all the reviews on variable ND Filters and I was aware of the 'X' ing problem on the images vs. fixed ND filters, but I didn't expect to see them across the entire spectrum. I could dial it away by lessening the amount of f-stop, but as you can see in the examples, it doesn't go away. In order for it to go away completely, I had to dial it back to practically zero, which made the filter useless. I'm shooting a Canon 1Dx with a Canon 24-70 f2.8 lens. The camera has an internal eyepiece black-out so there's no extraneous light getting in the camera. I've read the arguments regarding a variable having 2 pieces of glass where the outside piece turns and increases/decreases the light coming in, and the possibility that light can ... MoreFor the money, I expected more. I read all the reviews on variable ND Filters and I was aware of the 'X' ing problem on the images vs. fixed ND filters, but I didn't expect to see them across the entire spectrum. I could dial it away by lessening the amount of f-stop, but as you can see in the examples, it doesn't go away. In order for it to go away completely, I had to dial it back to practically zero, which made the filter useless. I'm shooting a Canon 1Dx with a Canon 24-70 f2.8 lens. The camera has an internal eyepiece black-out so there's no extraneous light getting in the camera. I've read the arguments regarding a variable having 2 pieces of glass where the outside piece turns and increases/decreases the light coming in, and the possibility that light can sneak in between the sandwich, but all-in-all it seemed like a pretty good idea. After 2 days of shooting with it, I returned it and ordered a Solas IRND 1.5 Filter (5-Stop) fixed ND filter, hoping for better results. The Solas was more expensive than the variable, so I opted for the middle of the road 5 stop. A follow-up review on that one when the mail arrives.
Do not buy. I'm not sure if I'm using this thing wrong but it causes severe lens discoloring in the edges, even at f11 and higher f stops. Requires some heavy editing to fix, most images are not usable at all. I bought two of these same filters for two different lenses and each causes the same problems. Not sure why Hoya or B&H sells a filter that is so bad for imaging. Maybe I got a bad batch, who knows. But I'm very disappointed. I've read that a constant density , versus variable, is a better option so maybe I'll go down that route. Disappointing waste of 60 bucks. Love B&H though, not their fault!
I've gotten great footage while this filter was on my lens, but in spite of the filter. When you compare side by side with other VND filters in the same price range (such as Tiffen), you'll see the Hoya has a significant green color shift and undesirable softening of the image.PROS:-Passable image-Affordable-Better than an overexposed imageCONS:-Poor build quality makes it a challenge to screw on and off lens-Outer diameter isn't wide enough, and causes unusable mechanical vignetting on wide angle lens when stacked with UV filter-Green color cast-Undesirably soft image
The filter works great but it has one flaw, and its a big one. You cant fit a your lens cap over it. I normally leave my filters on especially an ND filter. Im using this on my 85mm f1.8 lens so I shoot wide open for portraits and my plan was to never take it off. But that was not the case with this one as it doesnt have any filter treads on the front, and all my filters do. Also you cant even fit the lens cap over it. So I have to carry the case with with me every where and put it back on every time I want to take a picture and take it off when I put it back in my bag. Apparently no one thought about this during the testing phase of the product because if I knew that going in I would have bought a different one, especially for the price I paid for it.
I got this filter after reading several reviews, one by Ron Martinsen, in which he did a comparison between this filter and an older Singh-Ray he owned. His impressions were that it worked very well. Then I found an article by Peter Hill from Sydney, Australia. His article is very informative, and his example photos using this filter with the camera that I use, was good enough to fully convince me I would soon own one. Peter's pictures are just really nice. There is no limiter on the range so you need to set your density level looking at the scale on the filter. If you go beyond the limits you get some really undesirable effects. It is probably a much less usable filter for someone who has a camera without live view, which permits you to see your composition where ... MoreI got this filter after reading several reviews, one by Ron Martinsen, in which he did a comparison between this filter and an older Singh-Ray he owned. His impressions were that it worked very well. Then I found an article by Peter Hill from Sydney, Australia. His article is very informative, and his example photos using this filter with the camera that I use, was good enough to fully convince me I would soon own one. Peter's pictures are just really nice. There is no limiter on the range so you need to set your density level looking at the scale on the filter. If you go beyond the limits you get some really undesirable effects. It is probably a much less usable filter for someone who has a camera without live view, which permits you to see your composition where as the view finder only lets you see black, if you are at the black end. I have reluctantly kept a circular polarizer on my 24-105 for quite a long time simply because I don't like to be taking filters off and on constantly. It does backfire now and again because you need to tend to it for almost every shot, but i have trained my self to do that. Having said that, I have left the Hoya on my lens since it went on, and I will probably leave it on for a long time. The only issue I really have with it is that my lens cap will not clip onto it. I will need to solve that problem before too long. I think its fair to say that using this filter takes some getting used to. If you are shooting with your camera on BULB with the aperture set where you want it, you must give your best guess for your exposure time. It may take a couple of try's to get the exposure the way you like it, but this is kind of fun and probably good for your brain. The longer exposures are less critical. I have not taken much over a two minute exposure and to do that you have to be in some shade. It kind of goes without saying that you are on a tripod and have some kind of shutter release so you don't have to jiggle the camera. It is a lot of fun and a nice departure. I like to get out at night especially when there is fog. the more the better, and take 30 second exposures with the camera setting on aperture priority, so Im used to the process, Now I will more than likely start doing that in BULB, to remove the camera's 30 second limit. Read Peter Hill, The Ultimate Guide To Neutral Density Filters both for the information and the inspiration.
I used this filter at its darkest setting while pointing my camera north as the sun was rising in the east. I encountered a very prominent and unexpected polarizing effect where the brightness of the sky varied dramatically across the wide-angle field of view. The sky literally went from blue at the edges to nearly black in the middle. I noticed this effect in the waves on the water, the ice and even in the snow banks. The combination of settings I used unintentionally amplified the effect. I was able to mitigate the effect to a fair degree by changing camera position, zooming the lens, waiting for the sun to move and reducing the darkening effect. I've only used this filter a couple times with varying levels of success and think it will become more valuable as I ... MoreI used this filter at its darkest setting while pointing my camera north as the sun was rising in the east. I encountered a very prominent and unexpected polarizing effect where the brightness of the sky varied dramatically across the wide-angle field of view. The sky literally went from blue at the edges to nearly black in the middle. I noticed this effect in the waves on the water, the ice and even in the snow banks. The combination of settings I used unintentionally amplified the effect. I was able to mitigate the effect to a fair degree by changing camera position, zooming the lens, waiting for the sun to move and reducing the darkening effect. I've only used this filter a couple times with varying levels of success and think it will become more valuable as I learn to better leverage its occasionally quirky behavior in my favor. My suggestion to others would be to get some practice with this filter before using it on an important shoot. If you expect this filter to always act just like a traditional neutral density filter, you too will get a surprise. I also suggest shooting raw to make it easier to tune white balance in post; I usually leave my camera in AWB mode where the filter occasionally confuses the auto-white-balance setting my camera computes. It might be possible to circumvent this by setting camera white balance to match the lighting conditions, but I never tried. I'm pretty excited about this filter, because I expect to be able to do some creative things with it, maybe in combination with a polarizing filter over my flash.
| General | |
| Product Type | Filter |
| Form Factor | Round |
| Filter Diameter | 67 mm |
| Filter |
