🕶️ Best ND Filters for Action Cameras in 2025 (With Real-World Use Cases)
- gear4greatness
- May 2, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 14, 2025
🕶️ Best ND Filters for Action Cameras in 2025 (With Real-World Use Cases)
I’ve learned over hundreds of shoots — biking, walking, filming sunrises from the balcony, capturing pelicans drifting across the water, recording hyperlapses down Portage, everything — that light can either make your footage look like a dream… or completely ruin it. And the difference almost always comes down to one thing: ND filters. 🕶️✨
It’s funny because I used to think of ND filters as “advanced creator gear,” something only cinematographers needed. But once you start filming in bright Winnipeg sun — shooting the DJI Action 5 Pro in 4K/60 on a cloudless day, or throwing the Insta360 X4 on a selfie stick under the afternoon glare — you realize very quickly that the camera is fighting the light more than it’s capturing the moment. I’ve seen highlights blow out, skies turn chalky, subjects shimmer with harsh edges. No amount of color grading brings that back. ND filters changed everything for me. They let me control the image instead of reacting to it.
The first set I ever bought was from Freewell, and I’ll be honest — that was the first time I felt like I’d “leveled up” as a creator. The ND16, ND32, and ND64 transformed my shots instantly. Motion blur started looking right. Clouds flowed instead of stuttering. Bike rides felt smoother. Even the reflections on the Royal Mint’s metal panels calmed down when I shot there with an ND16. Later, I picked up a budget Telesin kit for quick travel shoots and, surprisingly, it held up really well. And when I moved into deeper color grading and more cinematic projects, PolarPro became my go-to for that polished, high-end look.
These days, ND filters feel like part of my rhythm — almost like prepping the camera for the day ahead. When I’m shooting Action 5 Pro hyperlapsing on a sunny ride, it’s ND16 or ND32. Overcast? ND8. Shooting slow cinematic pans across the water at golden hour? ND4 or even no filter at all. They’ve become part of how I see light — not as a challenge, but as something I can shape. That’s the real power of ND filters: they give you control over time, motion, mood, and memory all at once. 🌤️🎬
Best ND Filters for Action Cameras in 2025 (With Real-World Use Cases)
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🌄 Final Thoughts
Every time I slide an ND filter onto one of my cameras, it feels like I’m stepping into a more intentional version of filmmaking — like I’m telling the camera, “Slow down. Let’s make this beautiful.” ND filters taught me that cinematic footage isn’t about expensive gear or complicated setups; it’s about respecting the light and giving the scene room to breathe. Shooting with them makes me feel more connected to the moment, more aware of how shadows fall, and more appreciative of those small changes in the sky that I used to ignore. 🌤️💭
I’ve noticed that ND filters actually make my creative process calmer. When the shutter hits 1/60 and everything starts moving with that natural blur, the footage feels more human — less mechanical. Whether I’m filming a sunrise from my balcony, capturing fans flooding Portage for a Jets game, or recording a bike ride with the Pocket 3 strapped to my chest, ND filters help me translate the moment the way I felt it. They make everyday scenes look intentional, which is really what G4G is all about: turning ordinary life into something worth remembering.
It’s wild how something so small makes such a massive difference. I’ve had shoots where the footage looked almost too perfect to be real — not because of the camera, but because the ND filter balanced everything just right. It’s one of those tools that becomes part of your identity as a creator. Once you start using ND filters consistently, there’s no going back; everything else starts looking too sharp, too bright, too frantic. ND is the difference between video and cinema. 🌅🎥
So when I think about all the moments I’ve captured — the golden reflections at the Mint, the pelicans drifting into the water, the roar of a Whiteout crowd, the soft light spilling across the city — ND filters were always part of the magic. They helped translate how I saw the moment, not just what the camera recorded. And that, to me, is the heart of filmmaking: showing people not just what happened, but how it felt. ✨
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