Circular Polariser Filters

Spie

Spie

Spie

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Godfather
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Anyone use one of these with a DSLR? If so care to pass on any useful tips?
 
I use one on my 17-40L. It's fairly straightforward, its just a matter of turning it until you get the best effect. I usually take a couple of shots with it turned a few degrees to either side as well as the image can look quite a bit different on the big screen.
Pointed directly at the sun. or with the sun to your back, its effect isn't as great, it seems ot work best if the sun is to your right or left, i.e. shooting at 90 degrees to the sun.

Here's a sample with it. This image without the CPL was blown out in a lot of places and was nigh on useless. The CPL really saved this shot IMO.

wc9.jpg
 
I have one on the end of my lens most of the time. As Scuzi said the effect is clearly visable through the camera when you take the shot so they're very easy to use.

I use the Hoya Pro1 Digital series and i've got no complaints with them. They're nice and thin so they don't show up at all when shooting with a wide lens and the quality is as good as it gets.
 
I use a cheap Kenko one. The effect ts produces is more than good, I however find it turns a bit too easy, and is very easy to accidentally turn. I have heard that some of the more expensive ones are a bit stiffer.
 
yak.h'cir said:
I have one on the end of my lens most of the time. As Scuzi said the effect is clearly visable through the camera when you take the shot so they're very easy to use.

I use the Hoya Pro1 Digital series and i've got no complaints with them. They're nice and thin so they don't show up at all when shooting with a wide lens and the quality is as good as it gets.
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Just bought a couple of the same in 72mm and 77mm. Not the cheapest filters in the world :eek:

Cheers for the tips. Will experiment a bit later on.
 
Worth it though Spie.

I've just upgraded my lens and with it my filters. I used to have a couple of Hama CP filters which cost about £12. The Hoya CP blows them out of the water as far as built quality goes. It's thinner, lighter and it's very smooth turning the turny bit. :p It doesn't stick but it doesn't feel like it's going to move from the position you leave it in either, which is exactly what you want. :)

CPL's will make a huge difference to landscapes. As Scuzi says, you need to be 90 degrees to the sun to get the most out of them. Remember that they work on the sky, but also have the same effect on water, glass and basically anything reflective so they can be used for other types of photography as well.

Panzer
 
I also have a Hoya Pro1 Polariser filter; the quality is superb and like yak.h'cir said, they are very thin so even when they are used on a full frame, wide lens combination they do not cause any extra vignetting.

I'm at work at the moment so can't post examples but I would definitely recommend them.

Tip
The polarising effect varies with the angle from the sun and is most effective at 90 degrees to the sun. If the sun is behind you then the effect will be pretty much non-existent.
 
divine_madness said:
They'll also remove reflections should you wish :)
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This is particularly useful with photographs of brightly lit water. You effectively get the choice of seeing the surface sparkle or what is underneath.
 
ScarySquirrel said:
I am looking at getting some CP filters but I don't understand the sizing. For example on a 50mm prime lens how do I know what size filter fits it?

Thanks
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Most lenses have an indication of the thread size - look for the number with a little circle with a diagonal line through it - (the symbol for diameter)
 
How are they up Mountains?? I'm off to the Alps for a month at the end of June and was going to get one for that because i thought it would work really well with bright sunlight and reflections in the snow and Ice. However Someone else said they arn't too good up mountains because they bascially make everything black??? Is there any truth in this and will they be good up mountains?

Thanks
 
Well all they do filter out polarised light, so unless all the light at the top of mountains is polarised, they wont just make it black :p
 
My dad mentioend somthing similar sometime ago. He loves CPLs and has been using them for decades, a lot of the time mountaineering around Europe. He didn't say it goes black, but it does go a lot darker than normal. I think its something to do with the purity of the air, diffracts less light due to dust etc. (I might be talking rubbish here, but I think its something like that.)
 
Scuzi said:
Here's a sample with it. This image without the CPL was blown out in a lot of places and was nigh on useless. The CPL really saved this shot IMO.

wc9.jpg
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Out of curiosity, have you got the version taken without a polariser? A circular polariser is on my list of 'to get' things for my camera, but I've never seen any actual comparisons between images with and without, so I'd be interested to see the difference it really makes. :)
 
The CPL causes less light to hit the sensor to the equivilent of 2 F stops. So you would need to use f/5.6 with a CPL instead of f/7.1 without one to get the same exposure. It certainly doesn't make anything black, just a little darker. :p
 
Remember a CPL can be used with anything with light on. You can really bring out contrast in walls for example. Don't just limit it's use to the sky!

And shame on anybody for not already having a PL!
 
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