A 1/4 black mist you can leave on all day is enough for daytime streets. But when direct sodium lamps and neon signs come on, you need lower glass reflection, not a stronger diffusion grade.

When street lights hit your lens at night, swapping filters is not about stepping up to a heavier density. Both filters are 1/4 strength. The difference is the coating and reflectance: you want lower reflection off bright lamps, not a heavier grade that washes out contrast across the entire frame.

Start on 1/4, then look at the lights

For all-day walking, a 1/4 density is the working floor. Specular edges soften a little. Dark jackets and shaded alleys stay black. That is why our XT888 Bottom 1/4 ($49.99–$119.99) sits in the daily lane: 39mm to 105mm, including Leica and Fuji 39mm threads and the 49mm sizes used on Leica Q3 43 and adapted Fujifilm X100 bodies.

On Hong Kong street days I carry a Lumix GH7 with an OM SYSTEM 12–40mm f/2.8 PRO II, about 1.2kg handheld, the same kit I have used for city walks since March 2025. Daylight with a 1/4 on that setup still reads as a street frame, not a fogged still. Night is a different test.

When the poles and signs still look flat

After sunset, point sources get sparse and bright: street poles, shop neon, wet asphalt reflections. A 1/4 still takes a bite out of sensor harshness, but the bloom around those lights can stay thin. If the lamps look like hard dots with a polite haze instead of a soft envelope, that is the cue to change glass, not to crank exposure until the blacks lift.

That night swap is our XT925 Black Mist ($79.99–$359.99). Same 1/4 strength. What changes is the glass: double-sided 36–48 layer coating and average reflectance of ≈0.1% (compared to ≈0.3% and 28–36 layers on the XT888 Bottom). It is cut for mid to long focal lengths, night portraits and video, 39mm through 112mm. I also reach for it when chasing a cinematic glow on a Leica at night.

How I decide on the sidewalk

I treat the swap as a light check, not a brand loyalty ritual.

  1. Start the day on Bottom 1/4 for daily shooting with lenses under 135mm.
  2. At night, look at direct lamps against a dark background. If stray reflections show up around bright bulbs, swap to the XT925 1/4 for its ≈0.1% reflectance and heavier coating stack.
  3. If you run into fog, harsh backlighting, or flat architecture, remember when to take off black mist entirely.

We only sell 1/4. Every black mist in our line sits at that strength. The choice comes down to focal length and coating: the XT888 Bottom 1/4 for daily walks under 135mm, and the XT925 1/4 for night scenes and lower reflectance.

Stay on the Bottom 1/4 for daily walking. Shop XT925 when you need lower reflectance under night street lights.

· Leo Liang