- Decrease depth of field by allowing wider apertures to be used, which helps separate subjects from their background.
- Enable slow shutter speeds to be used, especially with fast films, to record movement in subjects such as waterfalls, clouds, cars, seas etc.
- Decrease the effective ISO of high speed film (ie: above ISO400) and allow it to be used outdoors in bright situations.
- Allow video cameras (which have fixed shutter speeds) to film subjects such as snow, sand or other bright scenes which would normally cause over-exposure.