accessory$50–100used in 2 side quests
Variable ND filter (3-8 stop)
Rotating lens filter that darkens your image by 3-8 stops, letting you use slow shutter speeds or wide apertures in bright daylight. Enables motion blur and depth effects that would otherwise overexpose.
What to look for
- 13-8 stop range minimum (wider range adds creative flexibility)
- 2Matches your lens diameter in millimeters
- 3Hard stops at min/max rotation to prevent cross-pattern artifacts
- 4Multi-coating to reduce reflections and flare
Skip
- Filters without hard stops (easy to rotate into unusable range)
- Cheap filters on wide-angle lenses under 35mm (cause vignetting)
- Ultra-thin frames if you stack other filters
Used for: Blurring pedestrian traffic in plazas · Smoothing fountain or stream water · Wide aperture portraits in harsh sun · Daytime long exposures of moving subjects
Side quests that use it
Pick the adventure first; the gear follows.
