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Hi,
I'm after advice on Polarisers / polarising filters...
I think that is what i may need to get clearer outdoor shots - on tele lenses and standard lenses in less-than-ideal air quality (ie. dust/haze/pollution)
would a circular (radial?), cross, or linear
polariser be best?
read about them a few years back but recent info seems to contradict this...
advice please!
(canon T70 85-200 or Nikon FM2 50mm)
Thanks.
I'm not sure if they help in hazy conditions or not, I use them to reduce water reflection and to give extra colour saturation. They also give extra definition on the sky when you get a mixture of blue sky and clouds.
Basic difference between a linear and circular is this: if you have an autofocus camera, use a circular. If you use manual focus, use a linear.
For the haze problem, I think UV filters help, although I don't use them personally!
Hope this helps,
Pete (peedeephoto)
To the best of my limited knowledge a polariser cuts down on reflections. So water for instance can be shown with reflections or cut down so you can see "into" the lake. It works on most reflective surfaces and many of the magazines (well, the two I read anyway) suggest using one when photographing landscapes to cut down on the reflections off leaves, etc.
Ashley
Try reading the Polariser guide.
(In the article, look at the two photos of the house and the greens - I think that is what you mean by heze?)
I used the circular on my digicam and like the results. The photos looked clearer, the lines were more defined and the colors were fantastic.
Ilia Kagan.
UV filters will help with general Haze (blue effect) problems, polarizers basically 'polarise the light, their effect varies with subject matter and the angle of the light source in relation to the camera position.
On bright sunny days they can be a real help as they will cut down on reflections from water/metal etc, they also help with things like wet foliage etc. Also remember that you will also lose about 2 stops of light which is normally a disadvantage unless you need longer shutter speeds for movement capture etc when it can be used as a neutral density filter.
You need to play and try them out, but beware some of the cheaper filters do not work as well and you may have problems with focussing.
Hope this helps
Pink
I think that a polariser does help a bit with haze, at least in some circumstances. Of course, once you have a polarising filter it's easy to see what the effect of it is in different circumstances - just hold it up and look through it while rotating it clockwise and anti-clockwise by 90 degrees. If what you see changes as you rotate the filter then it is making a difference. If it all stays the same then all you are doing is making everything darker.
The effect of dust or haze is to scatter light (reducing contrast in the image that you see), and I would expect this scattered light to be partly polarised, so it could be reduced with a polarising filter. The effectiveness of the filter will depend on the angle between your view and the sun, probably most effective when this is close to 90 degrees (this is also when the effect on blue skies is greatest).
As other people have said, most modern autofocus cameras will not work with a linear polariser. Older, manual, cameras will generally work equally well with either.
Stephen
Quote: a polariser cuts down on reflections. So water for instance can be shown with reflections or cut down so you can see "into" the lake
This also works in reverse. You can increase the reflections as well. You can do this to photograph scenes where the landscape is reflected in a body of water or to increase the "shine" on a car for example.
Quote: polarizers basically 'polarise the light
[geek]
All individual light waves are polarised. The polarisation is always perpendicular to the direction of propogation. In "normal" light however, they are not necessarily in the same plane. "Normal" light is made up of a random miz of polarisations. The polariser only allows through the components of light that are aligned in one particular plane.
The effect this has on normal light is to reduce the amount coming through by 50%.
Now, the fun bit. When light is reflected, it favours light polarised in one direction (either up and down or across the surface, I don't remember) That mean that the light as a whole has more light in one plane than the other. As the polariser allows through all light in one plane and non in the other, the direction of hte polarisation now makes a difference.
Here's an example. Normal light gives a 50-50 split of light polarised horizontally and vertically. Say the reflections give a 25-75 split, then depending on which direction you have the polariser you can let 25% to 75% of the light through (or anywhere in between).
Now, if you let 50% of the unrelected light through, but ony 25% of the reflected light, you've effectively cut down the reflections by half. If you turn it to allow 75% of reflected light through, you'll still only get 50% of unreflected light so the reflections will seem stronger.
[/geek]
I know I've not explained it very well, but I'm bored at work so that could be why. If anyone wants more info on the science behind polarisers then let me know.
In that haze is partially caused by reflections off dust and water droplets in the atmosphere, a polariser will help to an extent.
As far as circular or linear, my understanding is that a circular polariser will work with all cameras but a linear polariser will not work with certain focussing systems. I have a circular polariser for my D70 and it works fine.
Ian
Ive found a polariser to be most useful. However I find that I stuggle simultaneously polarise the sky and deaden the refections on water say. Ie when I use full polarisation on the sky it also seems to enhance the reflections on water not lessen them. Anyone had his problem and if so how do you both polarise the sky and remove water glare simultaneously?
CRaig
Craig, the light direct from the sky could eaily be polarised in a different direction to the reflection from the water surface, which is why you will have problems. I've not tried the technique yet, but a lot of people use an ND grad and a polariser together to sort this out.
Ian
Many thanks for replies...
just one thing -
"As a rule use a circular filter if you have an autofocus camera or a manual focus model with a spot meter such as the Canon T90."
from the guide on this site
if using a manual focus canon T70 or Nikon FM2 (M/F also),
can i use a circular OR a linear?
are there any further disadvantages to each type?
Thanks!
a very happy christmas to all of you!
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