Polarising Filter query

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efiste2

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steven
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Father in Law has a Eos500D and has requested a polarising filter for his Xmas present.....Whilst i used polarising filter when I was using 35mm I have never used one on Digital.....Are polarising filters still considered good to use on digital cameras, and if so what would be a good general use one to get him.....
 
Make sure he gets a circular polariser, not a linear. (I don't mean the shape, it's how the polarising material is orientated. Linear polarisers can confuse digital cameras.)
You'll need to find out the size of the filter thread on his lenses to get one that fits. Or just go large and get some adaptors to fit the smaller threads :)
 
Also watch out if the lens on the camera has a rotating front element when it focuses... That will keep shifting the CP as well which is a pain. Otherwise they're cracking things as long as you can live with the light loss. I've got a Hoya PRO1 which I carry everywhere.
 
Andy_S said:
Make sure he gets a circular polariser, not a linear. (I don't mean the shape, it's how the polarising material is orientated. Linear polarisers can confuse digital cameras.)You'll need to find out the size of the filter thread on his lenses to get one that fits. Or just go large and get some adaptors to fit the smaller threads :)
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and film cameras as well,,
 
I got an interesting vignette effect on some of my photos using a polarising filter when my lens was zoomed out to a wide angle (15mm). It turns out I needed a narrower 'pro' filter for it not to affect my image.

I just thought I'd mention this as the pro ones are rather more expensive. It may not be an issue for you/him.
 
Andy_S said:
Make sure he gets a circular polariser, not a linear. (I don't mean the shape, it's how the polarising material is orientated. Linear polarisers can confuse digital cameras.)
You'll need to find out the size of the filter thread on his lenses to get one that fits. Or just go large and get some adaptors to fit the smaller threads :)
Click to expand...

donutagain said:
and film cameras as well,,
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I think it's the auto-focus that gets confused.
 
Bebop said:
I got an interesting vignette effect on some of my photos using a polarising filter when my lens was zoomed out to a wide angle (15mm). It turns out I needed a narrower 'pro' filter for it not to affect my image.

I just thought I'd mention this as the pro ones are rather more expensive. It may not be an issue for you/him.
Click to expand...

Thats a general property of any filter if mounted on an ultra-wide angle, however its usual to avoid using a polariser with extreme wide angles, especially on landscapes because the sky will change in darkness due to the degree of polarisation differing as you move across the horizon.
 
s162216 said:
Thats a general property of any filter if mounted on an ultra-wide angle, however its usual to avoid using a polariser with extreme wide angles, especially on landscapes because the sky will change in darkness due to the degree of polarisation differing as you move across the horizon.
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It's not usual at all. Yes, you can get an uneven polarising effect with a super-wide (usually when the sun is low) but it's not a given and often still looks good.

Always worth trying a polariser with a blue sky. If you don't like the effect, then you can tone it down with rotation or just take the filter off. A polarsier almost lives on my 17-40 super-wide.
 
efiste2 said:
Father in Law has a Eos500D and has requested a polarising filter for his Xmas present.....Whilst i used polarising filter when I was using 35mm I have never used one on Digital.....Are polarising filters still considered good to use on digital cameras, and if so what would be a good general use one to get him.....
Click to expand...

Pretty much essential. It's the only filter i actually use any more. Anything involving reflection/glare/water and so on it helps.

Decent ones probably in the region of £70. Depends on the lens diameter.

I'd get a big 77mm one and stepping rings so at least then you can use it on whatever lens he has or gets in the future.
 
I use a polarising filter designed for my P-type filter holder - that way one size fits all (except that I haven't tried it on my 10-20mm).
 
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