Circular polariser

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fatboy1000

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Mark
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I'm going to Asia shortly on honeymoon and think I want a circular polariser for my Sigma 10-20mm - you can get them on Amazon for about £60, but would like advice as to whether this is a worthwhile investment?

I'll also be taking my Nifty Fifty lens, and the circular polarisers for this are half the price, but it's not really a landscape sort of lens, so doesn't really seem worth getting one for that.

All thoughts/advice welcome (except don't get a filter they're dumb!). Pretty new to photography, let alone filters, so be gentle. :geek:

Thanks, Mark. :thumbs:
 
To my lasting regret, I didn't have (or if I'm honest, know anything about) polarisers when I went to the Maldives on honeymoon last year - I'm quite new to photography.

I can't help thinking how there are a lot of shots that would have been improved with a polariser - there isn't much out there apart from sunny skies & sea.

Now I have a DSLR, I've just got a circular polariser - I'm looking forward to getting out in the sun & experimenting with it!
 
I have read posts on this site stating that a polariser is not that effective on a wide angle lens as the image will cover such a large section of sky the polarising effect varies across the shot. Also on a 10mm length you will need a very thin filter to prevent the edge of the filter appearing in shot.

Best wishes, Mark
 
With the 10-20mm lens it's worth getting a thin frame one to reduce the possibility of vignetting at 10mm. I use a Helliopan but there are others, the effect of the polariser can be a little variable at 10mm but can be corrected in some processing applications.
 
Thanks for the responses - Scott, you've persuaded me, I'll get one!

Mark and Peter - The one I was looking at is the Hoya Pro1 Digital version, which is meant to be thin. Do you know if this would work? What would be the ideal sort of zoom range for a landscape shot with a polariser?

Cheers.

Edit to say: Where do you get Heliopan filters from? Googling works, but I prefer recommendations... Cheers!
 
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Here's an example of a Hoya Pro1 CPL on a 10mm lens. The uneven effect across the broad expanse of sky is quite evident. At longer focal lengths the disparity is reduced, and you can also dial down the amount of effect achieved. It's certainly worth having one. Just be thoughtful about how you use it.

20071207_134724_0885_LR.jpg


BTW, I live in Upminster. If you want to try a CPL on your lens before making a purchasing decision then you're welcome to try mine. I don't have the Hoya Pro1 any longer. I now have a Marumi DHG Super and a Hoya HD, both in 77mm thread size. The Marumi has barely been used and is surplus to my needs, so if it interests you.... :)
 
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Thanks Tim - that's a great photo to display both the benefits and problems of a circular polariser. Is Lightroom any good at dealing with something like this (whilst I acknowledge it is better to get it right "in camera", which is always the plan, I can't always guarantee this...).
 
I haven't found a way to tackle the problem easily in Lightroom, but I'm not unduly worried. I'll have a little crack at the photo above and see what I can do.
 
A combination of gradient filter, local adjustment brush and vignette correction produced this....

20071207_134724_0885_LR-3.jpg
 
Hi Mark

The Helliopans can be bought from teamwork (teamworkphoto.com) They advertise on fleabay but have a shop and you can buy on line They have allways given me good service and the filters are very high quality (www.heliopanfilters.com)
Tims photo shows the effect of varying effect very well by the way.
 
Thanks for the reference Pete - they were the people I'd come across via google too.

Tim, that second photo is a lot better - although it does go to show you can still see the varying polarising effect... I've only just seen your very kind offer to try yours out (too absorbed by the picture I guess!). I'm very grateful and would like to take you up on the offer. Are you free on Wednesday at all? If so do you want to PM me a time and place. I've got the day off work so can do just about any time.

Cheers, Mark
 
fatboy1000 said:
Mark and Peter - The one I was looking at is the Hoya Pro1 Digital version, which is meant to be thin. Do you know if this would work? What would be the ideal sort of zoom range for a landscape shot with a polariser?

Cheers.
Click to expand...

The standard Jessops version is not thin enough, shows at 10mm on the Sigma :thumbsdown:

Best wishes, Mark
 
huffy said:
The standard Jessops version is not thin enough, shows at 10mm on the Sigma :thumbsdown:

Best wishes, Mark
Click to expand...

At 10mm you'd normally need a slim version with no screw for stacking other filters. This should be clear in the name
 
J.D. said:
At 10mm you'd normally need a slim version with no screw for stacking other filters. This should be clear in the name
Click to expand...

I bought this filter before realizing the problems of the angle of view and the effect of polarizers with a wide angle lens.

Not enough research before spending money :shrug:

Best wishes, Mark
 
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