A polarizer filter! When?

[cguaimare]

Dear friends. Can I have a polarizer all the time on My lens? Is it good for taking pictures of people? THANKS a lot

[david_henderson]

<p>I would not keep a polarising filter on the lens all the time. It is perfectly able to worsen some images, and it will cost you a stop or two of speed. Basically you should IMO use a filter only when it is producing a positive effect on the quality of your photograph, with the judgment made for each individual frame. You can see through the finder or on the lcd screen the effect that a polarising filter has on your picture. If you like it keep it on, if not take it off. </p>

<p>Because the general effect of a polarising filter is to produce stronger, more saturated colours , it is tempting especially in the beginning to use a polarising filter both too strongly and too often. Bear in mind that you can set the degree of polarisation to levels less than full-on by rotating the filter. </p>

<p>For me the most frequent use of a polarising filter is to get rid of or lessen unwanted reflections from water, leaves etc. And occasionally to deepen the blue in skies when the sun is to one side of the direction I'm shooting- though mostly I find ND grads a better tool for this task. Its rare for me to use a polariser if I'm not photographing in sun or photographing water , glass, or something strongly reflective.</p>

[SCL]

<p>I can't imagine why you would want to. As far as using a polarizer for people photos, the only reason I can think of would be to remove unwanted reflections, perhaps from sweat, or to reduce bright glare in certain situations. You certainly could keep a polarizer filter on your lens all the time, but remember you are introducing two extra layers of potential flare and distortion. Furthermore, the effect of the filter depends on the angle of incidence of your light source entering your lens. In people photography often one wants to capture the "moment", not fool around with a polarizer and let the "moment" escape.</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>Listen to David and Stephen.<br>

Your best images in terms of image quality are likely to be with whatever lens you are using with no filter at all.</p>

<p>"Protection filters" may protect from frozen milk cones (personal experience) and other environmental hazards, but are best removed for your most critical work.</p>

<p>Even the best, much less the most expensive, polarizing filters are at most neutral in terms of IQ, and most are not going to be optically the equivalent of a top-quality lens without the filter.</p>

<p>Use a polarizer when you want to eliminate reflections, knowing that it only works best as certain angles to the sun and subject. </p>

<p>That being said, I did shoot much of one afternoon with a polarizer on once in old San Juan, but the sun was bright and glare everywhere....</p>

<p>It's a tool - like any tool use it when it's useful, don't use it when it isn't.</p>

[dan_south]

<p>The polarizer absorbs about 75 percent of the light that passes through it. That slows down your shutter speed by about two stops. That might be okay in bright sunlight, but indoors or in shady or cloudy conditions, slower shutter speeds might cost you sharpness.</p>

<p>I use polarizers rarely. I used to enjoy using them, but I grew tired of the look of the polarizing effect. I use them very infrequently now.</p>

[zeff]

<p>In consistently sunny weather I do tend to keep a polarizer on at all times precisely to avoid having to take it off and put it on, and because it is very good at minimizing blown-out (overexposed) areas. That said, if you're shooting into the sun, take it off. If you're shooting in shade or (usually) indoors, take it off. A polarizer at night or in cloudy weather does nothing but cost you precious light. As for using a polarizer for portraits, it doesn't cause any notably horrible effects, but taking portraits in a situation in which you'd need a polarizer is generally a bad idea. </p>

[hjoseph7]

<p>I agree with David on this one. Keeping your polarizer on all the time can worsen images depending on the angle of the sun in the sky. I noticed that when shooting in bright sunlight and the angle of the sun is not quite right for polarization, the sky takes on a Mangenta(purplish) color that is very hard to fix in PP. Also the saturation levels seem to drop on everything else making for a flat, dull image.<br>

<br /> It It's bright sunny out side, losing a couple of stops is usually no big deal, otherwise you can lose some shots because the shutter speed to low.</p>

[William Michael]

<blockquote>

<p>Is it good for taking pictures of people?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>The only occasions I've found a CPL helpful for 'people photos' is when the people are in or near the water / seaside and there are strong reflections, usually from the water, which would otherwise be distracting. </p>

<p>*</p>

<p>In addition to the points made by others above, be careful using a CPL with wide angle lenses, especially if there is a large expanse of sky or land or sea in the shot, as you can get a banding effect whereby there will be patches (of the sky for example) where the filter has had an effect to a differing degree across the scene. For 'landscape' type photos I wouldn't usually use a CPL on a lens wider than 35mm (on a FF camera), that is a 20mm lens on APS-C Camera - and even with a 35~50 mm lenses I am very careful. I tend to use my CPL on lenses about 70mm and longer.</p>

<p><a href="/photodb/folder?folder_id=1072533">I don’t have an example of that banding – but this folder might be of use to you. </a><br>

Regarding the two picture of the swimmers in that folder: Both pictures are taken at the same pool and I was shooting into the sunlight coming through the glass opposite me. Notice the very bright shimmer/glare from the water in the top photo where a CPL was NOT used.<br>

However in the bottom picture a CPL was used and we can clearly see the arm and hand of the swimmer under the water and there is minimal shimmer and glare off the water. </p>

<p>WW</p>

[q.g._de_bakker]

The biggest problem with polarizers is that they remove (specular) reflections from everything, creating flat, dull looking images. You lose the sparkle.<br>Only attach one when you have a definite goal, when you have identified the problem it is supposed to solve and know why it is needed.<br><br>Polarizers consist of a plastic foil sandwiched between two bits of glass (re flare producing boundaries: there are four - or even six - and not two as mentioned earlier). They have to be protected against moisture, else that gets in between and ruins the foil. So you can't use them as protective filters. They need protection themselves.<br> You will (have) read about Kaesemann polarizing filters, which differ from regular ones in that they are sealed and should not be as vulnerable. But still it would not be a good idea to use them as a rain cap on your lens.

[James G. Dainis]

<p>Note to WW. Clicking on that link gets:</p>

 

 

<h1>Private Folder</h1>

<p>This folder has been marked as " private" by its owner."</p>

 

[William Michael]

<p>Thank you. I think I have fixed that now. Sorry for the inconvenience.</p>

 

[q.g._de_bakker]

A few words about the colour enhancing properties of polarizing filters:<br>Polarizers can do that because they block light that is polarized. Most light isn't, but light reflected off (non-metalic) surfaces usually is to a significant degree.<br>Most surfaces reflect a fair amount of light evenly straight across the spectrum, i.e. as white light.<br>That white light creates a slight white veil that reduces the saturation of the colour of the object this light reflects off. By removing that reflected white veil, the saturation of the underlying colour increases.<br>It works like that on skies too, which may not strike you as light reflecting surfaces.<br><br>I mention this, because William's example of saturation enhancing action is rather atypical, showing a coloured window lit mostly from behind. Polarizers cannot enhance the colour of light coming through a coloured window, except by removing any veiling white light reflected off the side of the window facing the camera/filter. So it's not the typical situation in which to expect to see much of the colour enhancing action.

[bob_bill]

<p>A polarizer can also be used to knock down about 1.5- 2 stops of light depending on the polarizer. So if you want a slower shutter speed, it can help there. </p>