Quick Beginner Polarising Filter Questions

S

statonb

Suspended / Banned
Messages
19
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi all,

Sorry if these are stupid questions, and that there are so many of them, but I am a complete DSLR beginner.

I am considering buying a polarising filter having read of their benefits, particularly for landscape photography.

1. I'd like to know if pretty much exactly the same effect can be achieved by using Photoshop? Should I save myself £50 and just tweak my photos in Elements to make the skies bluer, the clouds more detailed etc? I suspect I would be losing out on some image quality doing it that way, but I wanted to double check.

2. I mainly use my camera for landscapes, family shots and macro photography. Should I leave a polariser fitted all the time, or is it just meant for landscapes really?

3. Is a Jessops polariser just as good as the cheapest Hoya (58mm), or would that be a false economy?

4. Is a polariser meant for use in all weathers (sunny and cloudy days)?

Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks!
 
statonb said:
Hi all,

Sorry if these are stupid questions, and that there are so many of them, but I am a complete DSLR beginner.

I am considering buying a polarising filter having read of their benefits, particularly for landscape photography.

1. I'd like to know if pretty much exactly the same effect can be achieved by using Photoshop? Should I save myself £50 and just tweak my photos in Elements to make the skies bluer, the clouds more detailed etc? I suspect I would be losing out on some image quality doing it that way, but I wanted to double check.

2. I mainly use my camera for landscapes, family shots and macro photography. Should I leave a polariser fitted all the time, or is it just meant for landscapes really?

3. Is a Jessops polariser just as good as the cheapest Hoya (58mm), or would that be a false economy?

4. Is a polariser meant for use in all weathers (sunny and cloudy days)?

Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks!
Click to expand...


Hi,

1. No. A CPL is one of the few filters you can't duplicate in PS

2. No, don't leave it fitted all the time, but fit it when you need it. Its useful for more then landscapes though and I oftern use one outdoors for portraits.

3. No, generally you get what you pay for and more expensive filters will have better coatings and less impact on images quality. If there is a worthwhile increase in quality v cost only you can decide.

4. You'll get some benfit on most days, but you will see most on bright sunny days

Hugh
 
boyfalldown said:
2. No, don't leave it fitted all the time, but fit it when you need it. Its useful for more then landscapes though and I oftern use one outdoors for portraits.
Click to expand...

Thanks both for the info, much appreciated. Hugh, a follow-up question based on your comment above:

When you are out and about with your camera, how do you determine when you would benefit from fitting a polariser? Do you just always fit it for landscape shots on sunny days? Maybe you take a shot without it and see how it looks first? I suspect that you just know from experience though, so I guess I'm asking what the telltale signs that a polariser is needed are?

Thanks again.
 
For landscapes, a polariser is indispensible. To some extent you get what you pay for, so it might be wise to avoid the cheapest ones, and also the most expensive. I used standard Hoyas for many years. The disadvantage of expensive multicoated ones is that the coatings can be easily scratched.

As well as making a blue sky with white clouds that much clearer, it will also improve the saturation of all the colours in the same scene. Use it at 90 degrees to the angle of the sun.

It will also be excellent at removing reflections from leaves and other vegetation, even in cloudy conditions, and from wet rocks in streams etc. In fact almost any reflections bar those from metallic surfaces.

Most polarisers cut out 1.5 to 2 stops of light so you might want use a tripod or IS lens to avoid camera shake when using one.

There's no substitute for trying one out in the field though.

In reply to your point above, a polariser will almost never improve a shot if the sun is behind you or in front of you, so there's little point in using one then.
 
statonb said:
Thanks both for the info, much appreciated. Hugh, a follow-up question based on your comment above:

When you are out and about with your camera, how do you determine when you would benefit from fitting a polariser? Do you just always fit it for landscape shots on sunny days? Maybe you take a shot without it and see how it looks first? I suspect that you just know from experience though, so I guess I'm asking what the telltale signs that a polariser is needed are?

Thanks again.
Click to expand...

You rotate the filter to increase or decrease the effect.
You can hold the filter in your hand, look through it and rotate it to see what effects you may get before attaching it to the lens, the full effect can sometimes be a bit too much.
At first you will probably use it to deepen the blue of the sky while keeping the clouds white, after a while you will start to notice the effect on foliage and grass and also the reduction in reflections.
 
Suvv said:
At first you will probably use it to deepen the blue of the sky while keeping the clouds white, after a while you will start to notice the effect on foliage and grass and also the reduction in reflections.
Click to expand...

but because it reduces glare you can also use it to enhance reflections - particularly from a body of water

Hugh
 
boyfalldown said:
maybe a bad turn of phrase but if you keep the angle low you can use it to remove the glare and leave the reflection - I'm no landscape tog but quick example of what I mean here

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=132858

Hugh
Click to expand...

Still not quite sure what you mean...

It's a lovely picture. But could the polariser have partly removed the reflection so that the river bed begins to show through? I suggest this because of the brownish colouration towards the bottom. Or perhaps the river water was brown?

I imagine that with such still water you would naturally have got a perfect reflection.
 
use with discretion on skies and water...things have to look natural
in pp you can add some cokin effect to simulate sky pola results

i used them for years and never got my prints back done correctly..non digital
so now i dont bother with them

good luck
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top