Hoya Circular Polarizer how does it work? (noob)

Hello everyone,

I just managed to gather enough money to buy a nikkor 18-200 VR lens. I asked for a polarizer lens so I can get better skies in my landscape photographs. I am NOT a professional, just a hobbiest. The lens is on a Nikon D200.

What I would like to know is how this filter works? The ring can be turned and it has a line on it. From what I understand this i important.

Also, can I use this filter even for portrait shots? IE can i keep it on all the time? I think i understood this filter reduces light by 1-2 stops?....

Thanks for your patience, so many questions, so little time....
Daniel

A CPL is a special purpose filter used to cut reflections and increase saturation. It can run ordinary skies into beautiful ones and is great for fall foliage. This effect comes at the price of 2 stops of light. You do not want it on all the time.

Hoya makes fine filters if you purchase the HMC or better SMC line. I use a Hoya HMC CPL and have had very good results and no flare issues using it.

Morris

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http://qcpages.qc.cuny.edu/~morris/POD

Hi Morris,

Thanks for the heads up! I purchased the HMC type. Do you know if the filter has to be turned in a certain way to get the most use? It has a line on it that according to my logic should be used as a guide, but I dont knwo how.

Thanks!
Dan

Dan,

There is an angle to the sun for maximum polarization. I don’t worry about that. I simply turn the lens till things look the best to me.

Morris

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http://qcpages.qc.cuny.edu/~morris/POD

Here is a picture taken with a polarizing filter. As you can see, the sky comes out very blue. As morris says, rotate the filter while looking through the viewfinder and you will see the effect. Also, here is a link to a web site I use to buy filters. They are in Connecticut, prices are good and service is quick.

http://www.2filter.com/

Do you have some polaroid sunglasses? Hold these in front of your eyes and look at the reflections from the sun in some water or on a car. Now rotate them and see the difference.
Do the same while looking at a blue sky.
(You can also put them on and rotate your head

Polarized glass only lets light go through that is polarized in the same direction. Hold two polaroid sunglasses in front of each other and rotate one of them 90 degrees. Now you should see nothing at all.

Ok I got it now, thank you all for the great help!

At times it's very tricky to see the effect a polarizer has on a scene. If you display the histogram you can see the highlights (left side of the graph) decrease as you turn the filter.
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Black & White Landscape Photography