Which B+W Polarizer?

[davyjo]

I have just purchased a Canon EF-s 17-55mm IS for my 30D it will arrive

tomorrow. Being a little slow, it took me until this morning to realize that it

takes the same size filters as my Sigma 70-200mm. <P>

I will be using both lenses this summer extensively on board sailboats and

around the ocean/sun and am thinking a polarizer would be a good addition to the

camera bag. I am convinced that I should buy a good/better quality one,

especially since I can get one for use on both lenses. I am thinking a B+W would

be the most recommended but I can't figure out which one. Do I need the "slim"

version with the 17-50?<P>

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[sgpix]

I get vignetting wide open on m 5D/17-40 f4 combo using the full-fat B+W polariser... so slim would be preferable yes. I think they area few dollars more, but you'll get better results.

 

I use the PSCS2 vignetting correction a lot on RAW images - it also works well but so much the better id you can get it right 'in the camera'!

 

Cheers

[beauh44]

Hi David, One "gotcha" with those thin B+W polarizers is that, once you mount it on your camera's lens, your Canon lens cap then won't attach. B+W includes a somewhat crummy rubber cap that falls off so easily I lost mine almost immediately. The polarizer itself is quite nice though and I have no complaints with it. Good luck!

[nels]

The Kaesemann version I use is awesome. You may also want to search for related threads here, such as:

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00JOWP

[w_t1]

You will get tired of switching one filter between two lenses.

[gerrymorgan]

To follow up on Simon's message, bear in mind that 17mm on a 5D offers a wider angle of view than 17mm on a 30D. So a slim filter *might* not be needed. I have a Canon EF-S 17-55mm IS lens that I use with my 20D. I also have a regular (not slim) 77mm B+W circular polarizer filter, but I've not tried it on that lens. I'll give it a try later and post the result, unless anyone who has this combination of lens and filter wants to do so in the meantime.

[mendel_leisk]

I don't know that a regular thickness filter will vignette with 17-55 (on a 1.6 crop body). FYI, their regular thickness 77mm didn't vignette on my 24-105 on 5D combo, which is equiv. to 15mm focal length on 1.6 crop. Best way to check is to purchase from a local store and take some test shots of sky. Don't trust the viewfinder since it crops a bit.

 

I have a thin B+W 77mm and concur, the lack of front threads for a regular cap is a hassle. I haven't lost my B+W supply push-on cap, but *only* because I never take it along ;D

[gerrymorgan]

OK, here's the result. It looks OK to me... though I think I might need to clean my sensor :) Perhaps there's a very slight vignette in the top corners, but I don't think it's the filter ring getting in the way because the bottom corners look OK.<div></div>

[gerrymorgan]

It's a B+W Multi Coated 77E circular polarizer, by the way. You can see it <a href="http://www.schneideroptics.com/ecommerce/CatalogItemDetail.aspx?CID=680&IID=5721">here</a>. I can't find it on B&H, though.

[jim_b5]

Thanks for the information, guys.

 

I picked up the regular thickness B+W 77mm circular polarizer just the other day. I knew about the cap issue on the thin filter from an earlier post, but haven't had time to test my regular thickness filter - overcast and raining for days.

[sgpix]

Gerry's right - I misread your post and thought you have a FF body...

 

One thought though: B+W filters are expensive... if you think you might go FF at some stage, it might still be worth buying the skinny one...

 

Cheers

[chris_laudermilk]

This is the one I have: http://hvstar.net/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=36

 

Best price you'll find. The filter works with a crop body just fine; I've used it all the way to 12mm with no vignetting on my 20D & Tokina 12-24mm.