Advice on a Polariser filter

[creativepro]

Hullo


I have a nikon D80 with a Tokina 12.24 mm lens

I am looking for a new 77 mm Polariser filter

I would be grateful if someone can recommend an ultra thin Polariser that is not too expensive, but will do a good job
thank you


sue

[Riverlander]

ultra thin Polariser that is not too expensive

Does not exist. A good thin one -- most thin ones are good - will be well over $150 for a 77mm.

[yummymummy]

I just got a Hoya one for my camera (58mm Canon) and it cost me $120 ( from harvey norman of all places, cause there's no where else out here to get them!! ) I just found a couple on ebay, but you just don't know what the quality is like with them I think. That's why I paid the extra in the end

[arthurking83]

Hi Sue.

The polariser doesn't have to be ultra thin!!
Even though you are shooting with an ultrawide lens, the only reason you'd need an ultra thin filter is to minimise the vignetting effect it may cause.
As you are shooing with a CPL, that sort of implies you're outdoors(but necessarily so!!), and in bright light where you may have a bit of glare to deal with. In these circumstances you'd be shooing stopped down a little anyhow, so in doing that you've already limited the vignetting effect.
The standard 'thickness' filters usually don't intrude on the field of view of UWA lenses on crop DSLR's.

I have both an ultra thin CPL and a standard CPL for use on my 10-20mm Sigma and there is no (real)visible difference in vignetting performance.

Save your money and just get a reasonable quality standard Hoya CPL.
You can save yourself a little money by purchasing one off ebay or a grey market online retailer.
From memory, the Hoya CPL's with the purple coloured packaging are of a reasonable enough quality. They are the middle of the road quality and price range, and should cost approx $50, or so.

[djvkool]

From memory, the Hoya CPL's with the purple coloured packaging are of a reasonable enough quality. They are the middle of the road quality and price range, and should cost approx $50, or so.

No way

I bought Hoya CPL 72mm and paid $120 for it, for 77mm I saw Marumi's for around $99 at Camerahouse, try and have a look there

[TOM]

Sue, you will get some strange effects with a polariser with some shots. they are great for giving real punch to certain things like sky and foliage but a polarisers effective field coverage is less than the field of view of your wide lens. this means that only part (the majority) of your image will have a strong polarised effect. a clear blue sky with such a set up would look uneven and unnatural. some people like the effect, i don't.

[IanB]

Hoya 77mm>$95 at Digital Discont http://www.d-d-photographics.com/.

Yeah folks; I did buy on line but only because a my local bloke could not get one. Just ordered a MPh too; it's a worry

[old dog]

interesting stuff. I want a cpl for my 12-24 and also ND filter/s, not sure what variety yet. Probably a .06 soft grad and a ND4. Any advice. Also on cpl`s, I have a 67mmcpl of the Hoya purple variety and find it pretty good.

[yummymummy]

Mine is the purple label one, and it cost $120, or $119.95 to be exact It's good, I'm still trying to figure it out though..lol

[old dog]

thanks Kirsty.

[dbax]

Mine is the purple label one, and it cost $120, or $119.95 to be exact It's good, I'm still trying to figure it out though..lol

He he go out on a bright day Kirsty and point at a subject and turn the outer ring you'll see the difference, move your self 90 deg to the subject and try again, you'll soon get the hang of it.
remember what you see is pretty much what you'll get, blues and greens will darken and become more prominent, and reflections will appear and disappear depending on how YOU turn the outer ring of the the filter

[creativepro]

Thanks for all your responses.

Seems to be pros and cons to using a polariser.

When is it best not to use a polariser when shooting outdoors?




sue

[yummymummy]

LOL David, Yep, I figured that out ..lol.

[TOM]

Thanks for all your responses.

Seems to be pros and cons to using a polariser.

When is it best not to use a polariser when shooting outdoors?




sue

when shooting wider than about 28mm (from memory) or when you don't want to lose about two stops of light.

[JC_PHOTOGRAPHY]

http://www.digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au

[David]

Just wanna add a footnote here: You spent x hundred dollars on the lens so dont go completely el cheapo on the filters you get for the lens, including the UV filter. Something around the middle range like Kirsty suggested is what I go for these days, not the el cheapo end and not the PRO expensive end either.

I have the Hoya CPL for the 82mm Sigma lens and it works fine for me but there its not just a matter of whacking it on the front of your camera and going bango...using the CP correctly with control over its effects is a skill you have to learn ( no I havent mastered it yet either).

What I do is test the CPL by taking bland shots out of my back porch in different light conditions and keep a record of different shots of the same thing. It is helping me to get a grip on how the CPL impacts on the shutter speed and apeture when I have it at different positions.

You will soon learn what the CPL does when you compare the shutter speed of the shot with and without the CPL attached in different conditions (cloudy, sunlight, half shaded images, fully shaded, etc etc).

For starters I took a shot without the CPL attached, then 3 shots of the exact same thing (camera mounted on a tripod) with the CPL turned 90 degrees each time (a quarter turn) and had a look at them blown up on the computer and compared the shutter speeds and effect the CPL had on the images....very basic but what the hey, I know now what my CPL does and am gaining control over it.. slowly.

You lose light with the CPL, can be 2 stops worth of light and that means you shoot slower shutter speed and therefore, for moving subjects like people, grass or trees movement outdoors, you risk blur due to movement, like at a waterfall in a rainforest for example.

Id be reluctant to try a handheld shot with a CPL attached outdoors unless you can get a 1/60sec or faster shutter speed with it. Others will tell you thats bunkum and they have no problems taking handheld shots at slower shutter speeds with the CPL attached. I dont know what the secret is, but I certainly dont know

[Dylan & Marianne]

the CPL practically lives on my UW lenses since I'm mainly taking landscapes with a tripod. The times I don't use it outdoors are :
- when the centre of my image is perpendicular to the sun - you will get dark banding that's noticeable
- when the sky has no clouds - you will once again notice banding on most occasions.
You don't really even have to take the polariser off for those instances, just turn it so that it isn't giving you the unwanted effect (providing you can hold your camera still enough)

Why I've found them very useful :
- waterfall shots - nothing worse than having the glare off the rocks distract you from the falls themselves - make it a mental note to look at the rocks while turning the polariser
- water images - sometimes you want that reflection, soemtimes you want an effect of transparency - the CPL gives you this option.
- reducing glare on very bright days

In terms of which brand ?
I've tried hoya pro1D and kenko pro1D on UWA lenses : the kenko is about half the price ($150 for a 82mm lens) and as far as I can tell, no difference on quality.

[dbax]

and if your thinking about taking a series of shot to stitch for a panorama take that CPL off!!

[ehor]

I believe Kenko and Hoya come from the same factory.
In fact Kenko is actually a bigger name in the Japanese domestic photographic market than Hoya IIRC.

[dche5390]

If you've got the money, a Hoya HD CPL.
I got mine from maxsavers for $109 delivered the other week.
No more harsh over-exposed shots! Yay!