Is there much difference between Polarizing Filters?

RedTen

RedTen

RedTen

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I need to pick some up this morning and the price difference between *highstreet camera shop* own and what i can order online from other places is a lot.

Am I getting bent over if I get these?

**Removed Link**

I wanted to go for a walk but having a white sky always ruins my pictures. :o

Thanks
 
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OcUK sell a digital camera which means that the store you have linked to is considered a competitor, it would be wise to edit out the link and the name of the competitor before a mod does. ;)

To answer your question, the store you are looking at does indeed try and rip you off any which way it can.
There should be very little difference between a stores own brand and a no name jobbie from hong kong for £5.
They will all have pretty much the same quality of glass in them.
The cheaper end of the spectrum does affect the image quality, but there is nothing you can do about that besides buying a professional grade filter which commands a proffessional price tag.
 
BloodyL said:
OcUK sell a digital camera which means that the store you have linked to is considered a competitor, it would be wise to edit out the link and the name of the competitor before a mod does. ;)

To answer your question, the store you are looking at does indeed try and rip you off any which way it can.
There should be very little difference between a stores own brand and a no name jobbie from hong kong for £5.
They will all have pretty much the same quality of glass in them.
The cheaper end of the spectrum does affect the image quality, but there is nothing you can do about that besides buying a professional grade filter which commands a proffessional price tag.
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Ta for the reply, took your advice.

Looks like I'm off to get bent over then :p. I'd best get a decent photo or two today!
 
Just thought I'd follow up on this.

I got bent over, handed over £35 for a 58mm Polarizing Filtershot and this..

img3606edit.png


Any feedback welcome. The subjects a little boring but hey ho!

Shot with the 350d and kit lens.
 
Any chance you could show the coloured shot?
CPL/PL filters are used to bring out the blue in the sky and it reduces the reflection from water and grass, thus adding saturation to the overall image. B&W don't really shot it as much :p
 
Mr Jones said:
Any chance you could show the coloured shot?
CPL/PL filters are used to bring out the blue in the sky and it reduces the reflection from water and grass, thus adding saturation to the overall image. B&W don't really shot it as much :p
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I should have said I realise the B&W conversion defeated the purpose of getting the filter but I didn't like the colour shots I took.

It had been a while since using the cam and it was on JPEG and auto :o

I'll put up the colour one when I get a min as I'm at work. Thanks for replying though, need all the help I can get!
 
Just out of interest, do you know how to use the filter? I take it you know you have to twist the filter to adjust it right? Reason I am asking is because you said you are using a 350D with kit lens with a rotating focusing element which is very annoying when using CPL.
 
I got myself a Hoya Pro1 Circular Polariser for £15 last week! Only fits my 70-200 and 10-20 so it was interesting seeing why people say they are useless on a UWE lens. Really weird the way it effects unevenly - especially weird if you have it looking at a LCD screen :D
Need to get some step up rings so I can use it on other lenses, can't see it being uses much on my 70-200.
 
I would say there can be quite a difference between polarizing filters.

For example:
How well the multi-coating helps prevent flare.
How scratch and stain resistant the multi-coating is.
How much light is lost through the polarizer.
How thick the mount is. Thinner mounts have less chance of causing vignetting.

How strong is the glass? Look at this..
http://reviews.photographyreview.com/blog/indestructable-hoya-hd-filter/
 
Sinopa said:
I would say there can be quite a difference between polarizing filters.

For example:
How well the multi-coating helps prevent flare.
How scratch and stain resistant the multi-coating is.
How much light is lost through the polarizer.
How thick the mount is. Thinner mounts have less chance of causing vignetting.

How strong is the glass? Look at this..
http://reviews.photographyreview.com/blog/indestructable-hoya-hd-filter/
Click to expand...

These things are true, yet how do you propose to test for those criteria?
Especially considering the incredibly tight time constraints the original poster stipulated.

Likewise my original post still holds water even with your side of the coin factored in, the lower end of the spectrum will all have some kind of inconsistency, the only way to get hold of a CPF that has a solid level of quality control and tight tolerances is to buy a pro class CPF. :)
 
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I've just remembered Brother Green Grass and Brother Blue Sky....damn!!!!

OP: If you haven't already done so, pick up "Understanding Exposure" By Bryan Peterson, it's a fantastic book that will teach you how to correct things like blown out sky details while taking the image without having to resort to filters.
I'm sorry I didn't remember it before hand...it is too late for me to head up into the loft to retrieve my copy and type it up (I put my books in storage to make room for the christmas tree) and I am too drunk to remember the full details.
 
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As for your photo b3au, a good start in a couple of ways, first off it shows you are willing to explore with your gear rather than just taking a still life of your TV remote control.
It also shows that you are experimenting with the whole process, not just snapping a shot and splatting it online straight from the camera, this is called the workflow. (idea-setup-capture-process-presentation).

See the natural gap between the trees in the background?
I would have stepped to the left a little and recomposed the shot on the lifesaver to remove the extra clump of trees, which would also separate the main bunch of trees in the background with the the lifesaver in the foreground.

The book will also show you things like the rule of thirds, which would have been most useful in this image.
Sticking the horizon line slap bang in the middle can achieve some amazing results, but to begin with you are better using a tried and tested technique that harks back to the philosophy, mathematics and construction techniques used by the egyptians, greeks and everyone else since. (The Golden Ratio, Golden Mean and Golden Rectangle are three of which I've found through a quick google session)

When you have a horizon and want to capture a foreground event, place the horizon 1/3rd of the way down from the top of the frame.
On the flipside, if you want to capture a dramatic skyline, place the horizon line 1/3rd of the way up from the bottom of the frame.
Then adjust the image according to the event you are capturing, and away you go.
As long as you don't adjust it back to the centre line the rule will work.

Myself?, I would have ignored the lifesaver and concentrated on the main bunch of trees and the reflection they offer in the ebb and flow of the stream, placing the horizon in the upper 1/3rd bracket.
 
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Oh, and the next time you view someone elses image, consider how you view the image, once you have enjoyed the image, look at how you viewed it, once you begin to critically look at images you open up a whole new world.
I lines, C lines, Z lines, D lines, these are all patterns of eye movement as the viewer examines the photo.

Photographic philosophy aside, As long as you enjoy yourself while taking the pictures then nothing else matters (Cue metallica), you will naturally pick up on little details like this once you start sharing them with your social circle and watching the reactions to them.

Happy snapping b3au. :)

[edit]It's nice to see that 10 pointer OU photography course wasn't a waste of time after all!...lol..[/edit]
 
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BloodyL said:
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Genuine thankyou for taking the time to write that. I've taken it on board and will try to improve. :)

I've brought my kit into work today (London) so hopefully I'll get some shots after work. Small back alleys with great lighting..I brought my tripod too!

My main problem personally is having a great vision in my head and finding the right angle then feeling let down by the equipment when I get home and see the lack of sharpness.

I realise its 9 times out of 10 my fault due to the settings I'm using its just my main fustration.

I'll try to post back with some improvements.
 
MikeHunt79 said:
Where from (if not a competitor) ?
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It was about to be put in a bargain bin in a high street camera store I worked in over xmas, but the manager asked me if I wanted it first.
They were doing 90% off of a load of items, the filter was one of the few things that wasn't complete crap :p



Nice comments BloodyL - something I need to start paying attention to more, still not really managed a single landscape shot I really like :/
 
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