Polarising Filters - my way of working them

[OzzieTraveller]

G'day all

My thoughts in posting this note are two-fold ... my way of using the thing & an observation of another user over the recent Christmas hols

Recently I was chatting to a fellow 'tog with lots of (un-named) chain-store dSLR camera + kit lenses hanging around his neck and we got around to the CPL on the front of the 18-55. He had it there all the time as tho it was a UV filter .... ie: he had no idea he had to rotate it to see the changing effect it creates in either the sky or reflections etc etc

When I showed him my CPL & how to work it, his jaw dropped

So that gets onto my CPL -
As some here will know, my main camera that gets so much work is an 'old' Lumix with an electronic viewfinder. After 40 years of SLRs to have the responsiveness of an EVF is 'wonderful' and it leaves the 'other' camera, the pentax in its case for much of the time - but that's another story...

While I find the EVF absolutely great for so much of my work, it has one main drawback - there are times when it's too smart for its own good - and using ND or Pola filters are those times

When I rotate the CPL, as the sky darkens the EVF reacts & lightens the screen and so cancels out the effect ... ie: bugga, damn and other things

So I have come up with my solution - my version of "alphabet soup"

Around the CPL's rotating bit, I have stuck a narrow strip of masking tape with an A - B - C every centimetre



To make best use of it, before placing it onto the camera, I hold it and rotate my wrist to observe the best result, note the 'letter' at the top-centre, screw onto the lens and realign the filter to the same location.

It works a treat for me ~ perhaps it'll work for some of you too

Regards, Phil

[ameerat42]

Tick 4 the idea, Phil.

[Kerro]

My CP is a dropin one on the 400mm beast and I am trying to work out how it works. Can I, or does it, rotate too. How?

[kingwheatie]

The drop-in CP should have a small wheel just sticking out at the top, right next to the locking knob that holds the filter in. Hope that helps

[arthurking83]

You won't see too much polarising effect at 400mm.
When I say that I mean in the usual manner that most people expect the polariser to work, darkening a blue sky.

it still does an effective job of reducing glare and removing reflections if that's why you use it, but not very effective at making the sky more blue.