Circular Polarizer acts as Soft Diffuser and ND Filter.

I have no experience with polarizers. I tried "Cir Polarizer

Korea". Box comes from "PRINZ". Description promissed "enrich

color", "eliminate glare", and other desirable effects. I made a 100

test photos of various lighting and reflections from water, glass,

metal, using Nikon 50/f-1.4 and Nikon 85/f-1.4. It does not matter

how I rotated the filter as it was not making any difference. All

100 photos are much softer than photos without the filter, and

colors look "dirty". I think this filter should be advertised as a

soft focus diffuser, but I am not sure if it would qualify as a

Neutral Density filter since it does add some darkness and colors

look dull and dirty. I would like to make photos with more vibrant

colors and higher color contrast in the sky, like many photos

presented in this forum. What filter should I purchase?

<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=9778&is=REG">This One</a>

A circular polarizer should reduce glare and increase colour saturation too. Did you compensate for the exposure? It does steal around two stops of light, and if you do not compensate for that (which your camera does automatically if it has a TTL meter), you will get underexposed negatives that result in muddy and pale colours, like you experienced. Just a possibility.

I used AUTO mode, and also Manual mode with TTL metering supported, but the filter could have fooled the metering system, since I did not notice much change in the exposure values recorded in the EXIF picture property file. But rotating the filter did not make any visible difference on D70 and on 35 mm film camera. I believe some variation should be visible(?). I think PRINZ filter could have been of unacceptable quality. Thank you for the B+W link, this seems sure bet. I also received advice that a Singh-Ray color enhancing or Blue Gold warming filter is good - but may be enhancing the picture "too much", though all is under photographer control. Thanks a lot.

Are you reading what it says on the box or on the edge of the filter? The polarizer filter is a 2-piece unit that allows you to rotate the front section without unthreading it from the lens in daylight with some work you should be able to see major differences. If not.....who did you buy the lens from? Focus should also not be softened, but as noted you will lose about 2 f-stops. Next stop will be to check the lenses themselves..Used? New? take the lens OFF the camera and spend some time looking through the lens from both sides at a slight angle. Many older lenses have internal problems such as a fungus. I have an older Tokina lens that became "unsharp"; a check of the lens found a major internal problem that isn't worth fixing...BTW I had a polarizer on my Nikon 4500 but stopped using it because it caused vignetting and the polarizing effect was highly unatural.

I'm with Daniel Ramirez. Actually, I have it. It's phenomenal. Get it.

 

Happy shooting ,

Yakim.

The so called "saturation" effect of a polarizer is only a side effect and its primary purpose (excluding stereo photography) is to control troublesome reflections on water or other reflective surfaces. If there is no direct sunlight to produce the reflections there is usually no need for the polarizer.