Benro Master 100x150 Soft-edged graduated ND filter 4 stop

The Benro Master 100x150 Soft-edged Graduated ND Filter 4 Stop is a professional rectangular filter designed to help photographers and filmmakers control exposure in high-contrast scenes. By reducing light transmission by 4 stops in one portion of the frame while leaving the other portion clear, it allows you to retain detail in bright skies without underexposing the landscape below.

Compatible With

• Compatible with Benro 100mm filter holder systems
• Compatible with many standard 100mm rectangular filter holders from other manufacturers
• Designed for lenses that can use 100mm holder-based filter systems

Why Choose a Soft-Edge 4-Stop Grad ND

A soft-edge graduated ND filter is especially useful when the transition between bright and dark areas in a scene is not perfectly straight. This makes it an excellent choice for mountain ranges, forests, rolling hills, and urban skylines. The 4-stop density provides a meaningful reduction in brightness, helping preserve highlight detail during sunrise, sunset, and midday landscape shooting.

100x150mm Rectangular Design

The 100 x 150mm size offers flexible positioning inside a filter holder, allowing you to move the graduation line up or down to match the composition. This is one of the key advantages of a rectangular graduated filter over a fixed screw-in design. It is particularly valuable for wide-angle landscape work where careful horizon placement is essential.

Master Series Performance

Benro's Master filter series is aimed at image makers who need dependable optical quality and practical field performance. Filters in this class are built for photographers who want better control over dynamic range in-camera, reducing the need for excessive bracketing or heavy post-processing. The result can be more natural skies, richer cloud detail, and better tonal separation across the scene.

Optical Benefits

Using a graduated neutral density filter remains one of the most effective ways to manage exposure at the moment of capture. Instead of relying entirely on software recovery, this filter helps protect highlights before they are clipped. For video creators, it can also help maintain more consistent exposure across bright outdoor scenes while preserving a more cinematic look.

Ideal Applications

This filter is well suited to landscape photography, travel photography, seascapes, architecture, and outdoor video. It is particularly effective in scenes where the sky is significantly brighter than the foreground. The soft-edged graduation gives a natural transition that is often less noticeable in complex scenes than a hard-edge alternative.

How It Compares

Compared with a solid ND filter, a graduated ND affects only part of the frame, making it a better solution when you need selective light reduction rather than an overall longer exposure. Compared with a hard-edge grad, the soft-edge version is more forgiving and typically preferred when the horizon is irregular. A 4-stop grad also offers stronger light control than milder 2-stop or 3-stop options, making it a good choice for more dramatic lighting conditions.

Usage Tips

For best results, mount the filter in a 100mm holder and compose the scene first. Then slide the filter until the transition line aligns naturally with the bright portion of the image. Use live view or your EVF to fine-tune placement. This filter is especially effective during golden hour, near water, and whenever clouds are much brighter than the land below.

Recommended Accessories

To build a versatile landscape kit, pair this filter with a compatible 100mm filter holder, adapter rings for your lens diameters, a solid ND filter for long exposures, and a circular polarizer if your holder system supports it. A protective filter pouch and microfiber cleaning cloth are also highly recommended for transport and maintenance in the field.

In the Field

Photographers often use a 4-stop soft grad when shooting bright dawn skies, coastal sunsets, and dramatic weather scenes. It can reduce the need to blend multiple exposures and helps create a more finished file straight out of camera. For those who prefer careful in-camera craftsmanship, this kind of filter remains an essential tool.