Polarizer filter vignetting at wide angle

I just bought a Sony Alpha a700 DSLR camera with the 16mm -- 105 lens. When I use a circular polarizing filter at

the 16mm focal length, I get a black circle around the image, not only in my view finder but also in the recorded

image. Is this a nuance of the Sony lens or is the lens/camera defective? Or, must I program the camera in a

particular way? This is very frustrating as I want to shoot wide angle images without any distorting black circles

around the image. Please help (if you can). M.R.<div></div>

Unfortunately, it's just going to do that. It simply gets back to the angles of view and geometries of the field of view, the distance of the filter from the sensor plane, and the thickness of the filter. I assume you have a standard polarizer; you might look into thin versions that are designed to avoid or minimize this problem on wide angle lenses.

 

The other comfort I'll give you is that the benefit you're getting from the polarizer at 16mm is far less than you get at longer focal lengths. Though there are no clouds in the attached photo (they always help me see the impact of polarizers), I think you can see what I mean in the upper left quadrant of your picture. You might also try shooting without the filter and see how much difference it makes to you at the wide end.

Thanks Chris. Regards, M.R.

A socalled low profile or thin polarizer would eliminate or at least lessen the problem. The only drawback to such filters is that their fronts are not threaded so you cannot attach a second filter or a lens hood.

This is a common issue with wide angle lenses and polarizers. Many companies make ultra-thin polarizers designed for use on wide-angle lenses to minimize the vignetting effect. I use the Singh-Ray ultra-wide on a 17mm lens and the vignetting is very minimal, and easily corrected in post processing.

Michael, I have a box full of all sorts of filters that once upon a time felt necessary, especially that polarizer. Vignetting is a way of life with one

of them attached to a wide angle lens, so don't believe there is a solution to the problem. Look at it another way. You spend five hundred

dollars on the best lens available and then stick a fifty dollar piece of glass in front of it. Guaranteed to degrade the quality of your resulting

photography. Now, working with a D5, I don't even use a UV filter on my lenses. I process the resulting work in Photoshop 8 and go to the

"levels' button where I can fine tune the photograph to make it look like I used a polarizer. It really works.

"where I can fine tune the photograph to make it look like I used a polarizer. It really works."

 

A good quality polarizer, used correctly under the right circumstances will enhance your image, not degrade it. And no editing program can emulate a polarizing filter.

Michael,

 

Question and not meant to be insulting. Are you putting the polarizer on the front of a lens shade? If yes stop that! :-) Or

are you putting your lens shade on top of the polarizer? Not good also. Both may give you the vignetting your're seeing.

Also sometimes stopping your lens down with a lens shade or filter on will give you some cutting in. Keep the lens aperture

wider when using filters or lens shades at the widest mm.

 

John