Which Blue & Gold Polarizer

Hello to all. I'm interested in a new Gold & Blue Polarizer. Are

there alternatives to the Singh-Ray 52mm circular at $160.00. In

other words is there a vender that makes this same filter for less

money that will acheive the same effect. I would apprreciate comments

from anyone that has ever used this filter. Thanks, Dan

I have the Singh Ray Blue & Gold and really like the effects you can get with it. In fact, the effect can be too intense and I find that it is worth 'dialing down' the effect a bit. I believe another company makes one for cheaper...I would check the B&H website, it might be Tiffen if I recall correctly. But I have no experience with that one.

I use the Cokin P 173 blue/yellow polarizer. I've been happy with it, but it is tricky to use. It can be easily overdone.

 

 

Kent in SD

I've bought Cokin circ polarizer couple of years back not knowing the brand and quality. When ever I tried it, it gave me bad result especially with velvia. So I was arguing with my friends about pol. filter. But I found that the quality of the filter has a lot to do with it. Cokin is good for the price. But they are not the best. There's a huge difference in quality if you comapre Cokin with Nikon. I'm talking mainly about polarizing filter. I have another experience with warm filter. I got B+W skylight filter and found their color is not that greate. Instead of getting 'golden' color you are getting a 'muddy' color. Then I heard German filters are best with German glass. I'm not sure. Anyway I like Nikon here too. Hoya would be my second choice. I've stacked Circular polarizer and warm filter together with nice effect. The scan doesn't tell you everything, but will give you an idea...

Hi Daniel,

 

I am not aware of any other company making specifically Gold and Blue Polarisers other than Singh-Ray.

 

Cokin do make the Blue-Yellow Polariser listed above in 67 square or 82 mm squares.

 

I would second that the Cokin version is next to unpredictable if not catastrophic with Velvia (slide) as well as most print films. It works well for Ektachrome S100V film and Elite, which are the only films I now dare to use this filter with.

 

I think the effect is similar between the Cokin and the Singh-Ray, however if you have the joy to look at previous images printed in www.photolife.com, you'll see the glorious Singh-Ray effect of gold and yellow. The Cokin is comparable, however for a resin, it is very good value, and certainly brings out the best on a murky grey day, at a fraction of the price. The resin is standard quality, and does not cause a tremendous deterioration of quality at 12x8" prints.

 

The Singh-Ray is also limited in filter size (maybe around 77mm?) whereas the Cokin P series can be used for 82mm filter threads (exc. wide-angles, unless stepped down).

 

 

 

Cokin also make a Red-Green polariser: I have precisely three shots from this polariser which I enjoy; all the rest acquire an underexposed red Martian landscape quality. I would avoid this filter if possible.

 

Regards,

I have the Cokin blue-yellow polarizer, as others have noted, what looks great in the viewfinder can result in an over powering yellow cast with Velvia. I contacted Singh-Ray last month, they tell me they're coming out with a new gold-blue polarizer that had less effect on white / neutral areas, if I can get a release date I'll post it. Also, the Singh-Ray warming polarizer is wonderful for low light and cuts the blue cast in say a green rain forest situation.

I haven't used anything made by Singh Ray but for the money they charge they'd want to make you breakfast as well! I have heard of quite a few people being unhappy with Singh Ray build quality and the filters falling apart too easily. On the other hand I got myself a BY Pola in the Cokin range for about AUD-$73.00 and I have never looked back.

 

Whats fantastic about this filter is that it can be used combined with a standard polariser to get totally saturated examples of what you get with the BY filter alone. As with anything that has these extremes you have to be careful where you apply the throttle, but thats filters generally. I don't think I'll be buying anything Singh Ray for years to be honest, not until the prices get realistic and move more in line with the law of diminishing returns.

 

Whats the law of diminishing returns? It's basically when for $300 more, you can't see any difference in what a product brings to the table. In the case of glass and resin filters I have yet to see any real difference. I'll stick to Cokin until somebody shows me superior build quality + bang for my buck + superior results. I aint seen it yet

and most of the awesome filter shots I have seen have been Cokin grads and ND's used by pro's or semi pro's who have used them with finesse. At the end of the day a filters a filters a filter, one mans soft is another mans UV with vasoline smeared on it. Old photographers of the 20th Century didn't have to spend mega-bucks to get great results.

 

Gards, Si

Oh and if you doubt what I say regarding costs and quality, go to this link and read *very* carefully!

 

http://medfmt.8k.com/bronfilters.html#tests

does anyone care for this cokin blue-yellow polarizer photo?<div></div>