Polarizing filter? - DPChallenge Forums

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

12/30/2003 01:48:38 AM · #1

Edit: Sorry, I was shopping online for UV filters when I typed this.. I think what I meant to title this was "Circular Polarizer?"

I took a couple of photos on my recent trip to Tahoe that I uploaded to my portfolio and was wondering if people knew why the snow (and water) look a bit weird to me.. i'm almost positive that it must be the (lack of a) circular polarizer.. but was wondering if anybody else knows of other possible reasons (wrong exposure? i don't know).

and

edit: just updated the thumb/pic link, as i changed levels from the original

Message edited by author 2003-12-31 03:50:57.

ChrisW123

Canon EOS-1000D Rebel XS

12/30/2003 02:05:40 AM · #2

The pictures look good to me! From what I've heard, a polarizing filter is good for pics where there is a lot of glare from the Sun or that kind of thing, like in a water shot where the Sun is bouncing off of the ripples in the water. But in your first shot, this was not a problem. It looks good to me.

In the snow shot, this may have helped, although even this shot looks OK to me. A polarizer will also help you when a large part of your shot is sky (will make the sky bluer) so it may have helped here. I use both a UV and Polarizing filter on my camera in most situations.

Hope this helps a little.

Message edited by author 2003-12-30 02:06:25.

faidoi

Pentax K10D

Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF

12/30/2003 02:21:04 AM · #3

Originally posted by ChrisW123:

....and reduce reflections on glass. Fish tanks, window display, etc.

Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF

12/30/2003 03:07:29 AM · #4

i looked at it again, and maybe it's just the murkiness of the water, the fact that it's not quite sharp and not quite smooth. thanks for clearing things up a bit for me :D

faidoi

Pentax K10D

12/30/2003 03:42:19 AM · #5

For fishes in a pond it would help to cut through the reflections and you would be able to get a clearer picture of them.

cvt_

Canon EOS-20D

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

12/30/2003 06:51:47 AM · #6

polarizing removes a lot of glare (not all)
when I was shooting for the regatta, I used a polariser, and 1/3 the shots were rubbish (too much glare/lack of contrast from glare)
I shot the first 10 shots without the polarise, and 1 photo was usefull.

where I was standing, glare was at its worst, its not the be all and end all, but its helpful.

looking at the duck, I don;t thing thered be any real difference, other than a slower shutter.
it may have made the water slightly clearer...

Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0L USM

12/30/2003 03:42:36 PM · #7

thanks again for the input. i think i was under the impression that the strange (to me, anyways) texture of the water was a result of glare, rather than shutter speed or it's natural color.

paganini

Canon EOS-1D Mark II

12/30/2003 03:55:16 PM · #8

polarizer is a necessity in anything out doors (nearly) except for during sunrise/sunset times where the light is more diffused. Whenever I am in a national park, i always find it amusing that the majority of tourists would take photos in the middle of the day under harsh light without polarizers :) I mean, if they rise early or wait until dawn, their photos would be much better.

Polarizer is a must for snow scenes, where metering is already challenging enough, but with polarizers, it will help reduce glare on your subject, as there is basically nearly twice amount of glare due to the sun reflection on the subject + the snow reflection (especially true at higher elevation). Reducing glare = reducing dynamic range of the photo and easier metering for you (and also able to capture more details).

Just remember to adjust the polarizer for EVERY shot. The angle of the shot versus the sun matters a lot, change the angle, you must change the dial. Also be careful not to make it TOO dark, especially if you're at 90 degrees from the sun's direction, because usually it means that you will end up with a landscape photo where one end of the sky is darker than the other end, very unnatural looking (especially for wide angle lenses).

zeuszen

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

12/30/2003 04:08:27 PM · #9

Polarizers are useful also for proliferating certain kinds of texture, particularly textured colours, as in the coat of animals and plumage of birds etc.

Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF

12/30/2003 04:08:59 PM · #10

thanks - i thought there was some necessity in using polarizers semi-often during the daytime, but wasn't sure. i have a circular polarizer, so i don't think i need to be quite as concerned about the angle of the sun, but thanks for the info on that.. never knew what the exact effect of incorrectly using a linear polarizer was.

faidoi

Pentax K10D

12/30/2003 07:22:46 PM · #11

Helpful info.