What Polariser do i need?

[Rooky007]

Ok I have a cokin Kit and i want to get a polariser for it rather getting a screw in one.

But what do I need as i want something to help the sky blue and the like.

Also what is the best price people seen the screw in one for just incase they can be got cheap as a extra

 

[Scuzi]

It depends what you want really. A circular polariser is probably the best bet as it gives you some leeway by turning it to control the effects. The price depends entirely on the manufacturer, the model and the size. What lens is it going to go on?

 

[rpstewart]

The Cokin polarisers aren't the greatest, you'd be better off with a Hoya screw-in one - they're better quality and easier to use.

Scuzi: Both circular and linear polarisers are turned to adjust the effect, the naming comes from the style of polarisation. Decent explaination here but the basic difference is that linear polarisers can confuse the metering and AF in SLRs by interfering with the beam splitters used to direct light onto the sensors.

 

[Rooky007]

Ok have any of you tried a screw on polar with the cokin holder on the same time. I would have thou when we move the polar to right place the cokin would have to be squared up after and this would move the polar wont it?

What is actully wrong with the one you can get for cokin?

 

[J1234]

The Cokin polarisers aren't the greatest, you'd be better off with a Hoya screw-in one - they're better quality and easier to use.

Seconded, recently bought a Hoya CP filter and really pleased with it. Also have a couple of UV filters for protection of the lens, cheap as chips on the bay.

 

[rpstewart]

The reports that I've seen suggest that the image quality provided by the Cokin polariser isn't up to that of the likes of the Hoya ones.

It's unlikely that you'll be able to use a Cokin rig with a screw in polariser, most of them don't have front threads to allow the Cokin holder to be mounted.

 

[Fireblade2K4]

Just to drop in on this thread, filters...what is their purpose? Am I right in thinking that they help stop blown skies etc when taking photo's where the sky would normally be over exposed, also along with adding different tones to the shot?

I've never used filters but think I could do with investing in a couple if this is what they are for.

Stu

 

[J1234]

Just to drop in on this thread, filters...what is their purpose? Am I right in thinking that they help stop blown skies etc when taking photo's where the sky would normally be over exposed, also along with adding different tones to the shot?

I've never used filters but think I could do with investing in a couple if this is what they are for.

Stu

Basically yeah, and also many people, including me, use a UV filter to protect the lens's optics.

 

[rpstewart]

Just to drop in on this thread, filters...what is their purpose? Am I right in thinking that they help stop blown skies etc when taking photo's where the sky would normally be over exposed, also along with adding different tones to the shot?

I've never used filters but think I could do with investing in a couple if this is what they are for.

Stu

Each type of filter has a different purpose:

Polarisers
Like Polaroid sunglasses they reduce reflections from water etc by only letting light orientated in a particular direction through the filter. The by-product of this is an increase in the saturation of skies etc.

ND (Neutral Density) Filters
Used to limit the amount of light getting into the lens to allow either a longer shutter speed or wider aperture in strong sunlight. They're available in varying strengths based on the number of stops they reduce the light by, normally they can also be stacked to give even more reduction.

Graduated NDs are a special case, only half the filter is coloured, either with a hard edge of a soft blend to clear. These are a favourite of landscape photographers who use them to limit the dynamic range of a shot by darkening the sky to keep the entire scene correctly exposed.

All NDs should be a neutral grey so as not to put a colour cast on the image but some, notably Cokin, can produce a brown or pink cast which can be awkward to remove in PS.

IR Filters
Only allow transmission of near IR and sometimes deep red light. When combined with some basic post processing this can produce some very interesting images (plenty of examples on the forum). Compacts and Nikon DSLRs tend to be best, Canon DSLRs have a very agressive IR Cut filter in the body which means that you need very strong light and 30s exposures for decent results.

Colour Filters
With the advent of digital these are on the way out since the effects are easier to acheive in PS. However for film and especially B&W they're used to subtly shift the colour or contrast in an image by warming, cooling or shiftign the colours in the image.

Effects Filters
There are plenty of other effects available, mainly from Cokin, to add to the basic image - star filters for night shots, soft focus filters for portraits, prisms for multiple images etc.

 

[Fireblade2K4]

Thanks for the excellent info there....what would you say are the "Must Have" filters regardless of what sort of photography you do?

At the moment my photography is a bit of a mixed back, wildlife, landscapes, portraits soon when I get my new 50mm f/1.8 and recommendations would be appreciated, thanks.

Appologies to the OP for hi-jacking their thread, just saves another post about the same subject.

Stu

 

[rpstewart]

Thanks for the excellent info there....what would you say are the "Must Have" filters regardless of what sort of photography you do?

I don't think there are any "must haves" in the sense that you can do very well without filters if you compose your shots well and pick your time carefully. What filters do give you though are options and the ability to take shots which otherwise wouldn't be possible.

If you were looking to invest in filters then the first one to go for would probably be a circular polariser (a linear one probably won't work with your camera). This will be very useful for landscapes but can be pricey so buy one which fits your largest diameter lens and then get some step up rings to allow it to be used on your other lenses.

You might then want to think about some NDs, probably graduated ones. The Cokin system is probably the most flexible but the filters themselves aren't great (as I've discovered to my cost). Hi-Tech seem to have a good reputation but they're only available from one outlet in the UK, the price is good so I'm going to give them a try at some point soon.

 

[Fireblade2K4]

How about the UV filter that Justin mentioned, his use of this is to protect the lens, is this the filters primary and only use or is it to remove or reduce UV light, sorry if I sound a bit dim but as far as filters go I know nothing.

Thanks
Stu

 

[J1234]

How about the UV filter that Justin mentioned, his use of this is to protect the lens, is this the filters primary and only use or is it to remove or reduce UV light, sorry if I sound a bit dim but as far as filters go I know nothing.

Thanks
Stu

Yeah they reduce the hazey look on images taken in bright sun light but with DSLR's they don't really do a lot other than protect the lens as the camera's white balance system adjusts for the colour temperature of the scene. They are cheap as chips on the bay, I bought a Hoya CP filter and UV filter together for £8 inc P&P.

 

[Geffen]

Has anyone seen any review comparing the qulity of Hoya Standard, HMC and Pro-1 filters. As the price difference is quite large and wondered if it worth pay 3 times as much for Pro-1 filter compared to their standard filter.

 

[SteveOBHave]

The Cokin polarisers aren't the greatest, you'd be better off with a Hoya screw-in one - they're better quality and easier to use.

Scuzi: Both circular and linear polarisers are turned to adjust the effect, the naming comes from the style of polarisation. Decent explaination here but the basic difference is that linear polarisers can confuse the metering and AF in SLRs by interfering with the beam splitters used to direct light onto the sensors.

Heh - I just learnt something. I always thought that the point of the CP filter is that you don't need to turn it. My understanding was that the angle between you and then sun effected the level of polarisation.

It does seem that I was quite wrong as I just had a look out the window and twisted the polariser with a marked difference in the image - learn something new every day!!!

Cheers m8