Beginner So many Polarising filters

Heist

Heist

Suspended / Banned
Messages
35
Name
Matthew
Edit My Images
Yes
Just got back into photography, and I wanted to do a bit of car photography. I have been looking at getting a polarizing filter. Been on ebay and there is a massive selection of filters, some cheap and some are really expensive. I have always worked on the basis, that you get what you pay for, but I am not sure what the differences are.

What would make one filter much more expensive that another?
What should I look out for?

Matt
 
Normally, you do get what you pay for, but when it comes to filters it's very much a case of "the law of diminishing returns".

According to a very careful chap who tests gear for a living (mainly for photography magazines) there is very little between the quality of the results between different makes of filters, provided that they are coated. The real differences are in the quality of the screw mount only.

The exception to this seems to be in the variable neutral density filters (which are really just two polarisers working against each other to vary the amount of transmitted light. With these, the better makes are less bad than the cheaper makes.
 
I managed to get a used but in perfect condition Hoya CPL that retailed at about £30 for £6 on Ebay. The bargains are there if you look for them.
 
This article/group test is a little old now, but demonstrates some of the less obvious things to look out for such as resistance to flare etc: http://www.lenstip.com/115.1-article-Polarizing_filters_test.html

As you'll see the results are somewhat, dare I say it, polarised [groan]. Joint 1st place is one of the most expensive on test alongside another nearly half the price.
 
Deckard said:
This article/group test is a little old now, but demonstrates some of the less obvious things to look out for such as resistance to flare etc: http://www.lenstip.com/115.1-article-Polarizing_filters_test.html

As you'll see the results are somewhat, dare I say it, polarised [groan]. Joint 1st place is one of the most expensive on test alongside another nearly half the price.
Click to expand...


This is a good article. You do get what you pay for with polarizing filters.
 
I've tried a budget variable ND filter in the past and it was awful. Anything over half way gave a horrible black cross in the middle. I bought a Tiffen one and it's been perfect.
 
Filters are in the same genre as cameras. Most people will not see any difference between brands. This is why some photographers (those with the most expensive gear) need to mention what camera they used when they post images. The difference between expensive gear and not so expensive gear is often not "what you see" but rather the fact that expensive gear tends to be more robust and sometimes less fiddly to use.

The same with filters the most expensive is not necessarily the best. Of course if you buy the very cheap on there will be a quality difference. You might see the difference or you might not. However the cheap one is probably not going to last as long. One issue with polarizer filters used on wide angle lenses is unevenly lit sky due to the polarizing effect. Some will think this is caused by a bad quality filter. It's not. This effect is happening with every polarizing filter with a wide angle lens.
 
i recently bought a Polaroid version from ebay for around 12 quid and its great.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top