Hoya Debuts New Line of Infrared ND Filters that Prevent IR ‘Contamination’

Hoya, Kenko Tokina’s filter making branch, just announced a new line of IRND (Infrared Neutral Density) filters that promise to keep both exposure and infrared contamination at bay for the landscape photographers out there.

“As digital imaging sensors become more and more sensitive to light they are also more susceptible to overexposure and more sensitive to infrared light,” writes Hoya. “To address these two sensor issues, Hoya developed the SOLAS line of IRND filters.”

The SOLAS filters promise to deliver neutral color balance across the spectrum of density options—ranging from just 1 stop all the way up to whopping 10. But it’s not just about neutral color balance, the IR in the filter name means these filters will prevent infrared contamination, which can present as “red noise or difficult to correct color-shift in the shadow areas.”

“Normal ND filters often have a transmission spike in the near infrared (A.K.A High Red) area of the color spectrum that leads to color casting,” explains Hoya. “The Hoya SOLAS IRND filters are designed to evenly suppress IR across red, near-IR and IR areas of the spectrum to avoid any spectrum spikes that can add a color cast to the image.”

Adding IR protection to ND filters isn’t a new idea, but the Hoya SOLAS filters are the first budget option we’ve seen with this protection built in. SOLAS filters start at $49; to learn more or pick up any of the 10 density options available, click here.