In today’s article, we will be going over our Hoya ND filters review that we have seen requested from a few people. After publishing our Gobe Filters Review we have seen a number of other people reaching out for assistance on other types of filters so we have decided to start covering other filter brands too.
Although Hoya is an established photography lens filter brand, we were unable to find many Hoya variable ND filter reviews from other outlets when researching this article so we decided to try and be the first to release one. Our plan is that this article will be able to help as many of our readers as possible who are interested in Hoya filters as well as anyone else who finds us via tools such as Google.
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Table of Contents
The Hoya ND 500 Filter Review
Kicking off our Hoya ND filters review we have the Hoya ND 500 (Click here to check for product prices and availability). If you are planning to take your photographs in the middle of the day with a slow shutter speed while having a water feature in your target area then this could be the filter for you. It does an excellent job of blocking out additional light that can flare up your photograph while still allowing you to capture the image, even when using lower shutter speeds.
The filter has six individual Hoya coats of each of its sides to help minimize reflections while also being very low profile, easy to store and small. The reinforced frame of the filter also helps it deal with any accidental knocks or bumps that it may encounter while in your photography bag too.
The Hoya ND 500 is currently available in the following sizes and we do not expect any additional size ranges to be released:-
- 49mm
- 52mm
- 55mm
- 58mm
- 62mm
- 67mm
- 72mm
- 77mm
- 82mm
The filter has been specifically designed to minimize the chances of any color shift when moving from one density to another. This can be a common problem with other neutral density filters even at this higher price point on the market.
The glass in the filter is Hoyas exclusive clear optical glass that has earned itself an excellent reputation within the photography community over the years. That said, newer products on the market such as the Gobe ND1000 (Click here to check for product prices and availability) are starting to exploit this though.
Even the two peak version of the ND1000 has excellent premium Japan Optics glass that offers a very similar quality of glass and performance to the Hoya ND 500 products while being retailed at a much lower price point, in some cases less than half the price of the ND 500 range.
Although it is not confirmed, there is speculation that Gobe will soon be releasing their three peaks ND1000 featuring German Schott glass that we expect to quickly dominate the neutral density niche as they have with many other lens filter niches. Before settling on a Hoya, we would highly recommend that you check out some independent reviews of the Gobe ND1000 left by various third-party photographers.
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The Hoya Pro ND 64 Filter Review
Both sides of the ND64 are coated with Hoyas Accu ND coating solution to help increase the performance of the filter when there is a high amount of light in your potential photograph. This coating also helps to protect the lens glass helping to increase its usable lifetime.
The low profile aluminum ring on the filter is outstanding. It is lightweight, firm, and robust while also being very low profile. The threads on the frame are solid and help prevent any potential cross threading and wear and tear. Simply place the lens filter on the end of your lens and tighten it until it is securely attached.
Once on, the weatherproof seal of the lens will help prevent water, dust, dirt, sand, or any other unwanted particle getting between the lens filter and the lens and spoiling your photographs. Unlike some other lens filters out there the tight, firm, and secure fit also offers you peace of mind that the lens filter will not accidentally fall off during your shoot and end up at the bottom of a cliff or in a body of water.
The Hoya ND64 is currently available in the following lens cap sizes and we doubt any additional sizes will be released for the range:-
- 46mm
- 49mm
- 52mm
- 55mm
- 58mm
- 62mm
- 67mm
- 72mm
- 77mm
- 82mm
With Hoya being one of, if not the largest optical glass manufacturer in the world right now their brand reputation often increases the reputation of their actual individual products. Thankfully, this is not the case and the Hoya ND64 is an excellent lens filter although a little on the pricey side. Again, the Gobe ND1000 (Click here to check for product prices and availability) offers very similar performance at a much lower price point so it may be worth checking it out if you are on a budget or an entry level photographer.
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The Hoya Pro ND 400 Filter Review
That said, we still feel that the filter performs well for its price point but again, we would recommend that our readers take a look at the one peak Gobe ND1000 (Click here to check for product prices and availability) as it is cheaper and offers very similar functionality and in our opinion at least, earns the title of best budget variable ND filter. The two peak Gobe ND1000 (Click here to check for product prices and availability) is a similar price to the Hoya Pro ND 400 while also outperforming it in areas too.
The Hoya Pro ND 400 Filter has proven its ability to minimize reflection, flare, and ghosting for photographers all over the world. The filter is multi-coated to help enhance its anti-reflection capabilities and allow you to take longer exposures during your photography sessions allowing you to capture some amazing images merging both time and movement.
Again, the frame of the lens filters is sturdy with solid threads that allow you to quickly and easily attach and detach the filter from your lens as and when required. The threads on the lens filter have been designed to help minimize the risk of cross threading the threads on the end of your lens to allow you to quickly and easily swap between filters when needed.
The Hoya Pro ND 400 Filter is currently available in the following lens cap filters and we do not expect additional sizes to be released for the range at this stage:-
- 49mm
- 52mm
- 55mm
- 58mm
- 62mm
- 67mm
- 72mm
- 77mm
- 82mm
The video below goes over some key points and shows some test shots taken with the Hoya Pro ND 400 Filter over long exposures to show the difference that you are able to get with this product. You are able to use this to get your own milky white water images when including the ocean, rivers, streams, and waterfalls in your photography sessions!
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Some Independent Hoya Variable Neutral Density Filter Reviews
Below are a number of third-party, independent reviews left by other photographers using the various sizes of Hoya variable ND filters. We feel that sharing these third-party reviews will offer our readers a better, well-rounded opinion of the filters before they commit to purchasing them.
We have tried to cover reviews for all sizes of Hoya ND filters currently available so you are able to read specific reviews for the lens filter size that your preferred lens of choice requires.
- Hoya 52mm variable ND filter reviews
- Hoya 58mm variable ND filter reviews
- Hoya 62mm variable ND filter reviews
- Hoya 67mm variable ND filter reviews
- Hoya 72mm variable ND filter reviews
- Hoya 77mm variable ND filter reviews
- Hoya 82mm variable ND filter reviews
Are Hoya ND Filters Good
We have touched on this a few times throughout the article now. Although Hoya lens filters have an excellent reputation within the photography community we feel that some of their products reputations are artificially inflated due to the reputation of other Hoya products.
When a brand feels that its position is cemented within its niche they often become complacent and take their reputation and core customer base for granted. This gives competitors and smaller, hungrier brands the chance they need to start taking the market share away from the more established brands.
Although Hoya is still producing excellent quality lens filters, developments in technology and production methods are allowing competing companies to produce similar quality, if not better filters cheaper.
Ask yourself, if I can get a lens filter that offers ninety-five percent of the functionality for fifty percent of the price, what option would I take? That is where brands like Gobe come in to take advantage of the situation with their filters to get almost exponential growth.
How To Use Hoya ND Filter
Again, we have touched on this earlier in the article but Hoya filters are extremely easy to use. Their build quality, design, materials, and production process have helped to allow photographers quickly and easily attach or detach the filters as and when required.
Simply match your Hoya filter up with the threads on the end of your lens of choice and start screwing until you are confident it is firmly secure. This will make a weatherproof seal between the lens and filter to prevent water, dust, and other common impurities to have an effect on your image allowing you to take photographs as you please.
When it comes to how best to use your filter for photography then you are only limited by your imagination. Toy with your exposure timer, ISO settings, and aperture settings and experiment to your heart’s content.
Using a neutral density filter really does allow you to capture some unique photographs that show a beautiful blend of natural motion and time. Some of our personal favorites include waterfalls, waves, and streams but there are a large number of things that you can photograph if you put your mind to it.
How To Clean Hoya ND Filter
There are a few ways that you are able to efficiently clean your Hoya lens filter and some methods of cleaning change depending on the type of lens filter you are using.
We usually just recommend that you clean your filter with a standard lens cleaning kit (Click here to check for product prices and availability). They are cheap enough, readily available, and very easy to use allowing you to quickly clean your filter.
The coating on your Hoya ND filter can actually help to keep the filter clean though due to it being able to repel some substances.
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