Why do cameras still need ND filters?

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Obviously it was a thing for film cameras, but now that everything is digital, something like “just make the picture darker” seems extremely easy to do with software

quick edit, I know what ND filters are for and how to use them, no need to explain. it just seems to me that it could be engineered in a way that doesn’t require them, which is what I’m asking about

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Anonymous 0 Comments

I take photos of the Sun’s surface with my camera that has an ND100000 filter installed. It’s an extreme example, but I don’t think it would be practical to engineer the sensor to photograph the Sun directly without any reducing the light entering it in the first place. It gets extremely hot and would fry the sensor quite quickly. It’s like using magnifying glass to burn paper.

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