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DPChallenge Forums >> Tips, Tricks, and Q&A >> Finally i got a polarizer~!!!
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 04/18/2005 10:59:13 PM · #1
For those of you who gave your input in this post READ i finally got a polarizer in the mail i got it off ebay and its circular its made by some company named prince, i know i know you get what you pay i learned that the hard way it already broke luckily i put it back together. any way iam trying to figure out how it works when i jus have it in my hands and turn it my laptop screen gets darker and then as i continue it gets lighter havent tested it in daylight, but iam wondering whats happening when i turn it and what it should be turned to when its day time and iam ready to take a picture also how often i should use it and what is vignetting? thanks in advance to all who contribute!

Leon
04/18/2005 11:04:46 PM · #2
I have a love have relationship with my polarizer... it makes the colors look really good, especially the sky, but sometimes parts of the picture come out too dark and i think the photo losses a bit of quality with the more layers of glass you add. When I do use my polarizer, I usually put in the orientation that gives the britest colors.
 04/18/2005 11:11:14 PM · #3
yes Leon, turn the polarizer slowly and watch as your sky gets bluer, or watch the reflection in glass or water change.
Vignetting is a (usually unwanted) area of darkness near the edges/corners of a photo. There is a second definition, but I can't think of that one at present.
 04/18/2005 11:11:49 PM · #4
Originally posted by nico_blue:
I have a love have relationship with my polarizer... it makes the colors look really good, especially the sky, but sometimes parts of the picture come out too dark and i think the photo losses a bit of quality with the more layers of glass you add. When I do use my polarizer, I usually put in the orientation that gives the britest colors.


Ok somehthing i will keep in mind is it still polarized at that point reason why i ask is because at that point the results are so vague or no?
 04/18/2005 11:13:19 PM · #5
Originally posted by Beetle:
yes Leon, turn the polarizer slowly and watch as your sky gets bluer, or watch the reflection in glass or water change.
Vignetting is a (usually unwanted) area of darkness near the edges/corners of a photo. There is a second definition, but I can't think of that one at present.


ok so the more you turn the glass the more polarized the picture gets ? whats happening when i turn it is there more than one glass?

04/18/2005 11:14:44 PM · #6
more than one glass? I don't understand your question.
 04/18/2005 11:18:08 PM · #7
Originally posted by Beetle:
more than one glass? I don't understand your question.


well when i turn the polarizer in my hand you can visual see it get darker when you look through at least on the cheap one i got, so iam jus wondering how it can do that my first though is maybe it takes 2 pieces of glass to make a polarizer. . . .
 04/18/2005 11:19:06 PM · #8
Originally posted by LEONJR:
Originally posted by Beetle:
yes Leon, turn the polarizer slowly and watch as your sky gets bluer, or watch the reflection in glass or water change.
Vignetting is a (usually unwanted) area of darkness near the edges/corners of a photo. There is a second definition, but I can't think of that one at present.


ok so the more you turn the glass the more polarized the picture gets ? whats happening when i turn it is there more than one glass?


Yes, there are two glass layers in the circular polarizer, but the explanation as to why is rather technical.
A polarizer only requires one layer (unless it's a circular one) and it filters all light that does not have a particular polarization. So when you turn it, it changes which polarizations it passes or rejects. That is why things appear to change when you turn it.
 04/18/2005 11:20:06 PM · #9
Good to hear, the last filter, after ordering a few, is soon to arrive, and I know it's good to have a bit of an idea before I get one.
 04/18/2005 11:20:24 PM · #10
Originally posted by LEONJR:
Originally posted by Beetle:
more than one glass? I don't understand your question.


well when i turn the polarizer in my hand you can visual see it get darker when you look through at least on the cheap one i got, so iam jus wondering how it can do that my first though is maybe it takes 2 pieces of glass to make a polarizer. . . .


Not necessarily. The effect is graduated.
 04/18/2005 11:21:19 PM · #11
ok, I think I get it.
No, there is only one sheet of glass in the filter, or at least it appears that way, you won't see two separate sheets.
I don't totally understand why it works, I just know it is polarized in one direction, it filters out the light that is the wrong polarization.

And yes, it will work more and more, but only up to a maximum. Keep turning, and you'll see it get "worse" again. You just have to keep watching for the sweet spot.

Message edited by author 2005-04-18 23:22:58.
 04/18/2005 11:23:05 PM · #12
With a polarizer on your camera you may have to add +1/3 to your exposure depending on your filter and or camera.

Total compensation should be listed in the instructions.

Message edited by author 2005-04-18 23:24:59.
 04/18/2005 11:56:53 PM · #13
The polarizer works because it has parallel lines on the piece of glass that are the width of a ray of light apart from each other. It blocks most of the light that is not oriented in the same planes as the lines are. Kind of like window mini-blinds but on a smaller scale. As you rotate the filter it lets thru different light rays that are reflecting off of your subject at different angles. If you put two polarizers in front of each other and rotate them to perpendicular angles, all of the light will be blocked because you are blocking the verticle rays with one filter and the horizontal rays with the other filter.
 04/19/2005 12:28:21 AM · #14
great explanation there, Richard, thank you!
 04/19/2005 12:32:19 AM · #15
They work best at 90 degrees from the light source.
 04/19/2005 01:03:40 AM · #16
Perhaps this article on using polarizers (link) will be of use.

David
 04/19/2005 10:06:01 AM · #17
Originally posted by goodtempo:
The polarizer works because it has parallel lines on the piece of glass that are the width of a ray of light apart from each other. It blocks most of the light that is not oriented in the same planes as the lines are. Kind of like window mini-blinds but on a smaller scale. As you rotate the filter it lets thru different light rays that are reflecting off of your subject at different angles. If you put two polarizers in front of each other and rotate them to perpendicular angles, all of the light will be blocked because you are blocking the verticle rays with one filter and the horizontal rays with the other filter.


Does this mean i should buy another polarizer or no?
 04/21/2005 03:57:16 PM · #18
I jus took some pictures outside with the polarizer but the changes were only slightly different and the amount glare taken away was very little did i do something wrong?
thanks

Leon
04/21/2005 04:05:09 PM · #19
Assuming you have got a circular one, depending on the light conditions you just turn it until you see an increase in colour saturation, usually more visible on blue skies,usually best at right angles to the sun, also very useful to get rid of unwanted reflections on glass or water.Just play around with it and you will get the hang of it.
Bear in mind it will act as a neutral density filter and slow your speeds down a little.
Have fun.
This was taken with a polariser, I love it.

04/21/2005 04:15:22 PM · #20
Does anybody have any with/without comparisons?
 04/21/2005 04:15:37 PM · #21
I have a personal theory that it is much easier to take advantage of the polarizer with dSLR cameras. My camera is not, and when I use the polarizer outside, it is difficult to see any "significant" noticable changes. I see it working, but it doesn't work any miracles. Its much easier to use indoors, but I bought it for outdoor use. It has come in handy, but it has only been useful when glare was extreme.
 04/21/2005 04:26:14 PM · #22
Boy, I feel like an idiot. I bought a cheap one off of ebay too (no directions). And when I tried it out all the images came out so dark you couldn't see them. I didn't know it was adjustable!! I was just playing with it in front of the monitor and realized what you guys were talking about. Thanks for the info. Think I'll try it again.
 04/21/2005 04:30:17 PM · #23
Originally posted by phreakon:
I have a personal theory that it is much easier to take advantage of the polarizer with dSLR cameras. My camera is not, and when I use the polarizer outside, it is difficult to see any "significant" noticable changes. I see it working, but it doesn't work any miracles. Its much easier to use indoors, but I bought it for outdoor use. It has come in handy, but it has only been useful when glare was extreme.

As it happens Mike for some reason I find it more difficult on my dslr (much darker)than the fuji 602 which I used for my example post to Leon.Having said that, you must be able to see through the lense to use one.
 04/21/2005 04:33:54 PM · #24
if I may offer a little hint that helped me...I have a hard time seeing the difference in my LCD when I turn the polerizer...sooo I took it off and rotated it till I got the effect I thought I would want the most, then I took a marker and drew a line across both the moveable piece and none moveable piece so I can line it up on the fly. Seems to work pretty good.
 04/21/2005 04:35:02 PM · #25
Originally posted by sabphoto:
if I may offer a little hint that helped me...I have a hard time seeing the difference in my LCD when I turn the polerizer...sooo I took it off and rotated it till I got the effect I thought I would want the most, then I took a marker and drew a line across both the moveable piece and none moveable piece so I can line it up on the fly. Seems to work pretty good.


Yo, that is a great idea! I'm going to try that.
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