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NiSi NIC-4565-NGT 4
NiSi

NiSi NIC-4565-NGT 4" x 5.65" Natural Night Cinema Filter

Shoot cityscapes and Milky Way scenes without the muddy orange glow of sodium vapor — the NiSi Natural Night Cinema Filter cuts light pollution while preserving true sky color.

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Overview

The NiSi 4" x 5.65" Natural Night Cinema Filter is an interference filter designed to solve a specific optical problem: sodium vapor and mercury vapor streetlights emit light at narrow, predictable wavelength bands that saturate a camera sensor with yellow-orange energy, turning night skies muddy and washing out star detail. This filter selectively blocks those emission wavelengths while passing the broader visible spectrum, so the Milky Way, star trails, and naturally lit foreground subjects retain color fidelity that would otherwise require aggressive and imprecise color grading. The cinema-standard 4mm thickness and 4x5.65-inch format make it slot-compatible with professional matte box systems without modification. NiSi's Nano coating on both surfaces reduces surface reflections to near zero — important when shooting into urban environments where multiple bright point sources would otherwise generate visible flare and ghosting.

This filter belongs in the kit of cinematographers and dedicated astrophotographers working in or around urban environments on professional cinema rigs. The approximately 1-stop light reduction is a real but manageable cost — on a cinema camera where ISO performance and lens speed are already optimized for low-light work, one stop is an acceptable trade for materially better sky color. It is less useful in rural dark-sky locations where light pollution is minimal, and its effectiveness is reduced against modern broad-spectrum LED streetlights compared to traditional sodium vapor sources. For urban nightscape and city-lit cinema work with classic streetlighting, it remains one of the more targeted optical solutions available in the cinema filter format.

Key Features

Natural night filter for 4 x 5.65" matte box filter trays

Cinema filter standard 4mm thickness

Yellow light blocker; eliminates traces of light pollution and yellow Haze

Waterproof and oil-resistant Nano coating

Ultra-low reflection

Specifications

Filter Type
Natural Night (Light Pollution Reduction)
Size
4" x 5.65"
Thickness
4mm (cinema standard)
Coating
Nano coating, both surfaces (waterproof, oil-resistant, scratch-resistant)
Light Reduction
Approximately 1 stop
Reflection
Ultra-low (near zero color cast)
Compatibility
Matte box filter trays, 4x5.65" format
Target Application
Night cinematography, astrophotography, urban nightscapes

Pros & Cons

👍 Pros

  • Targets and blocks the specific sodium and mercury vapor emission bands responsible for urban sky glow, preserving accurate star field and sky color in ways that general ND filtration cannot.
  • 4mm cinema-standard thickness drops into professional matte box filter trays without modification, making it immediately field-deployable on established rigs.
  • Dual-sided Nano coating provides oil and water resistance, protecting the filter surface during outdoor night shoots where dew and handling are constant factors.
  • Ultra-low reflection coating reduces ghosting from bright point sources in frame — critical when streetlights or the moon are part of the composition.
  • Approximately 1-stop light reduction is modest enough to retain long-exposure flexibility for astrophotography without requiring extreme ISO or shutter times.

👎 Cons

  • 4x5.65" format requires a matte box system — this filter cannot be used with standard photographic screw-thread lens attachments, limiting it to cinema rigs.
  • 1-stop light reduction, while modest, compounds with the already-low light levels of nightscape work; fast glass or higher ISO is still required for the primary exposure.
  • The filter's light pollution blocking is most effective against sodium vapor and mercury vapor sources — modern broad-spectrum LED streetlights are not eliminated as effectively, a growing limitation as cities transition to LED infrastructure.
  • No case or storage pouch is specified — a 4x5.65" glass filter requires careful transport to protect the Nano coating and glass edges.
  • Effectiveness varies significantly by location; in areas with minimal light pollution, the optical trade-off of the 1-stop reduction offers limited return.

Frequently Asked Questions

The NiSi Natural Night filter targets the narrow emission bands produced by sodium vapor and mercury vapor streetlights — the yellow-orange wavelengths responsible for most urban sky glow. It passes the broader visible spectrum used by LED and natural sources with minimal interference, which means stars, the Milky Way core, and naturally lit foreground subjects retain accurate color rendition.
This is the standard cinema matte box format — 4x5.65-inch filter trays are used on professional matte boxes from Arri, Bright Tangerine, Tilta, and others. The 4mm thickness matches cinema filter standards, so it drops into the tray without shims or adapters. It is not compatible with standard photographic screw-thread filter mounts.
The filter absorbs roughly half the incoming light, requiring one additional stop of exposure — open the aperture one stop, double the ISO, or double the shutter duration to maintain equivalent exposure. For long-exposure nightscape work this is typically absorbed into the already-extended shutter times with negligible practical impact.
The Nano coating is an anti-reflection treatment applied to both surfaces. It minimizes internal reflections that would otherwise appear as ghosting or flare when bright point sources — streetlights, the moon — are in frame. The coating also makes the glass oil-resistant and waterproof, which matters when shooting outdoors in humid or cold conditions where condensation is a factor.
It is designed for night and low-light use. During daylight it would produce a noticeable color shift — it transmits some wavelengths more than others to achieve its light-pollution blocking effect. Use it for nightscapes, astrophotography, and urban night cinematography where artificial light sources would otherwise degrade color accuracy.

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