Polarizer on a 28mm

[brando_flex]

I have been told of problems with

polarizers on wide angle lenses. Am

I safe with the prime 28mm?

[SCL]

<p>"Safe" is a matter of degree. The issue with polarizers on wide angle lenses is that often, because they cover a wide area, they incorporate areas which may have significant polarization as well as large areas which don't (from the viewer's position), thereby contributing to uneven results, especially skies. So directly answering your question....it will depend on exactly what you are photographing, and the amount of polarization encompassed in your shot. If you are merely using it for glare reduction, such as shooting a car show, you will probably find no issues, but if you are using it for landscape photography with wide expanses of sky, you may encounter results which aren't particularly appealing.</p>

[phule]

<p>One other issue is that standard polarization filters may cause vignetting on wide angle lenses due to their physical thickness. The solution is to buy a thin polarizing filter.</p>

[brando_flex]

Will I see the uneven effect through

the viewfinder before I expose it to

film? What about trying it out with

my digital first, will I see an effect

that will be consistent with what will

appear on the film?

[fmueller]

<p>+1 on what Stephen said.</p>

 

 

<p><em>> One other issue is that standard polarization filters may cause vignetting on wide angle lenses due to their physical thickness. The solution is to buy a thin polarizing filter.</em></p>

<p>That's true, but I have never had a 28mm where that was a problem. 28mm really isn't that wide. In fact, in my experience a regular polarizer should be good down to 20mm. With a 17mm a thin polarizer would be a safer choice.<a name="00cLeI"></a></p>

<p><em>> Will I see the uneven effect through the viewfinder before I expose it to film? What about trying it out with my digital first, will I see an effect that will be consistent with what will appear on the film?</em></p>

<p>You can see the polarizing effect through the viewfinder, and there is no difference whether you capture the image digitally or on film.</p>

 

[brando_flex]

Vignetting has never been my

problem as I don't like to stack

filters and that is when it seems to

rear it's ugly head the most.

[jim_momary]

<p>Many polarizers (e.g., Nikon's older ones) have a fairly thick ring.<br>

28mm needs some attention to detail for even sky polarization, but should be quite doable.<br>

Here's one shot at 24mm, quite decent uniformity.<br>

http://www.photo.net/photo/10252752&size=lg</p>

<p>And here's one at 18mm. Just got lucky with that one. Any other position gave a lot of unevenness in the sky.<br>

http://www.photo.net/photo/8204777&size=lg</p>

<p>At 24mm or below, in my opinion, you are on tenuous ground.</p>

<p>Jim</p>

 

[craig_shearman1]

<p>I agree with Frank -- 28 is not all that wide and you are not likely to have a significant problem.<br /><br />Where I first encountered this issue was shooting landscapes with a 12-24 (18-36 equivalent on my crop-frame Nikon D200). Maximum polarization occurs at 90 degrees to the sun. Part of the problem with an extreme wide angle lens and landscapes is that the field of view is so great that even if an object directly in front of you is at 90 degrees, objects at the extreme sides of the frame might be considerably less, resulting in a stronger polarization effect in the middle than on the sides. Whether it is objectionable depends on the subject matter, exact angles, what you're trying to create in the picture, etc.</p>

[phule]

<p>[[ in my experience a regular polarizer should be good down to 20mm.]]<br>

<br>

I guess my experience with a 24mm lens and a standard filter vignetting is just a complete anomaly then. <br>

</p>

[AlanKlein]

<p>One thing to consider is to buy a larger size filter with a step up ring. Then you don't have to worry about vignetting. Also, if you pick a filter size that matches the largest of your lenses, you only have to buy one filter for all your lenses rather than different sizes for each one. That saves money and eliminates the confusion when you go to pull out the right size filter.</p>

[Aoresteen]

<p>It also depends on the light and the direction of the sun. This somtimes is hard to notice in the viewfinder.</p>

<p>I've had a number of 24mm lenses over the years and only one has given me an issue with a polarizer filter. Never an issue with a 28mm though.</p>

[tudor_apmadoc]

Also, you need to factor in your sensor size. 28mm on a full frame sensor covers a wider area than the same lens on a

cropped sensor (1.6 times for example)

 

Polarizers work best when pointed at a 90 degree angle to the sun. On a full frame sensor a 28mm lens gives you a view

of about 65 degrees. By contrast an 85mm lens has a view of 24 degrees

 

Net result, the wider the view, the higher the risk of polarizer effect falloff

 

Some examples of no fall off

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tudorapmadoc/7588706988/in/set-72157634228900853

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tudorapmadoc/7586593094/in/set-72157634228900853

 

Here is an example where I tried to shoot a panorama and the effect fell off. I know this isn't a normal shooting example,

but demonstrates the fall off pretty dramatically

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tudorapmadoc/7586395304/in/set-72157637062448065

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tudorapmadoc/7598364610/in/set-72157634708427783

 

Here's one that's not so dramatic. http://www.flickr.com/photos/tudorapmadoc/7587451308/in/set-72157630639061204

 

Examples do polarizer fall off on standard pics

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tudorapmadoc/7596814188/in/set-72157630642269798

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tudorapmadoc/9887864525/in/set-72157634708427783

 

Bottom line, it is something you can see through the viewfinder. Often you can adjust your viewpoint to compensate, you

can also dial down the polarizer effect to minimize the fall off

[fmueller]

<p><em>> I guess my experience with a 24mm lens and a standard filter vignetting is just a complete anomaly then.</em><br>

<em> </em><br>

Indeed!<em><br /></em></p>

[plasma181]

<p>If part of the sky is obscured by clouds, there is less chance of fall-off. </p>