How do you like to use polarizers for landscape photography

specifically, when taking hiking pictures of mountains etc in sunny conditions, how light or dark do you like to turn the polarizer filter?

the reason i ask is sometimes i get blurry/mushy results when using my polarizer and i kinda think it's because i turn it to a setting that's too dark perhaps?

any thoughts/comments/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. thanks!

The effect of a polariser is very variable depending on where the sun is in relationship to the camera, sometimes you will see a very dramatic effect at other times it can hardly be noticeable, there is always an exposure trade off, are you checking that the exposure compensation required for the filter is not pushing your shutter speed onto one that is not fast enough to stop either camera shake or to stop the effect of the wind on trees etc. Maybe you should consider some graduated filters in addition to your poloraiser. Would be good if you could post up an image so we can see what your issues are.
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A selection of my images can be found at http://www.photo-genesis.net follow the galleries link then select the Jacks gallery

tamz0r said:

specifically, when taking hiking pictures of mountains etc in sunny conditions, how light or dark do you like to turn the polarizer filter?

the reason i ask is sometimes i get blurry/mushy results when using my polarizer and i kinda think it's because i turn it to a setting that's too dark perhaps?

any thoughts/comments/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. thanks!

Click to expand...

Assuming that the polarizer is clean and of reasonably good optical quality, the most likely explanation is that you are getting blur from camera motion. Because a polarizer imposes about 1.5 stops of neutral density, it can make a marginal shutter speed into something too slow to hand hold.Under sunny conditions that shouldn't happen unless you are also using a very small aperture. At any rate, you should be able to turn the polarizer to any position; that does not greatly affect the amount of neutral density.

What ISO, shutter speed and aperture are you using in the pictures that appear not sharp? have you verified that the glass surfaces are clean? When you look through the polarizer, do you see any significant effect on sharpness?

(Note that the variable effect of a polarizer depending on the angle to the sun only affect the sky . The angle in relation to the sun is not a factor in the effect of a polarizer on reflections from other surfaces.)

Dave

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http://www.pbase.com/dsjtecserv

As the others have said, the biggest factors in causing "mushy" images would be camera shake or a cheap filter. A good circular polarizer is darned expensive and of optical quality. Please post an example and we can pinpoint the problem.

Also, just turn the filter until you get the sky as dark as you desire. You don't have to go all the way. The most common problem is uneven skies with extreme wide angle lenses.

I bought mine specifically to get more pop out of clouds. It can also help to slightly even out a bright sky against whatever's underneath it (an nd filter of sorts). I also check out whether the picture looks better with or without reflections (for instance windows). Used on ultra wide lenses you have to be very careful as a piece of the sky will be darker than the other...

tamz0r said:

specifically, when taking hiking pictures of mountains etc in sunny conditions, how light or dark do you like to turn the polarizer filter?

the reason i ask is sometimes i get blurry/mushy results when using my polarizer and i kinda think it's because i turn it to a setting that's too dark perhaps?

any thoughts/comments/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. thanks!

Click to expand...

I've noticed that photos can look drab and mushy with a polarizer when the sky is overcast. But then there is no need to use a polarizer under overcast skies anyway. It has little effect on the picture.

I use it only under sunny conditions. Although I will use it under overcast skies if I'm trying to remove glare off water surfaces.

How light or dark I adjust the polarizer depends on the situation. I turn it toward dark until just before it starts looking unnatural i.e. an unnatural looking blue. The point where that happens will vary from scene to scene.

I also avoid using a polarizer when using an ultra-wide angle lens. When using UWA, the center part of the sky tends to be much darker than the left and right sides of the scene. In that case I'm better off without a polarizer.

tamz0r said:

specifically, when taking hiking pictures of mountains etc in sunny conditions, how light or dark do you like to turn the polarizer filter?

the reason i ask is sometimes i get blurry/mushy results when using my polarizer and i kinda think it's because i turn it to a setting that's too dark perhaps?

any thoughts/comments/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. thanks!

Click to expand...

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Allan in Colorado, USA

What focal length do you find too wide for polarizers? I'm considering UWA lenses and I'm interested what the limit is usually.

I use a thin ring Nikon circular polarizer on my 16-35 lens on my 5DII camera. No sign of vignetting.

aplucini said:

I've noticed that photos can look drab and mushy with a polarizer when the sky is overcast. But then there is no need to use a polarizer under overcast skies anyway. It has little effect on the picture.

Click to expand...

I can't imagine why a polarizer would cause a photo to be "mushy", assuming it is clean and of good optical quality. All a polarizer can do is exclude light that is vibrating in a certain direction, which primarily affects specular reflections. That includes reflections from vegetation, water, wet surfaces, and shiny non-metallic surfaces. None of those stop reflecting when the sun is behind clouds. Removing those reflections increases transparency and clarity of colors, which will benefit a scene shot under overcast conditions as much as one shot in sunlight. If you are getting mushy results, that must be due to some other cause.

aplucini said:

I use it only under sunny conditions. Although I will use it under overcast skies if I'm trying to remove glare off water surfaces.

Click to expand...

Yes indeed. Just one reason a polarizer should come out under overcast conditions.

aplucini said:

How light or dark I adjust the polarizer depends on the situation. I turn it toward dark until just before it starts looking unnatural i.e. an unnatural looking blue. The point where that happens will vary from scene to scene.

I also avoid using a polarizer when using an ultra-wide angle lens. When using UWA, the center part of the sky tends to be much darker than the left and right sides of the scene. In that case I'm better off without a polarizer.

Click to expand...

True for photos where the sky is the subject or dominates the photo. You can, however, adjust the polarizer so that its effect on the sky is minimized, while beneficially increasing it for other objects, particularly those with horizontal surfaces.

Dave
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http://www.pbase.com/dsjtecserv

jeremynsl said:

What focal length do you find too wide for polarizers? I'm considering UWA lenses and I'm interested what the limit is usually.

Click to expand...

There is no specific limit, since the effect on the sky (which has nothing to do with vignetting) is different depending on where the sun is, the direction you are shooting in relation to the sun, and how much of the sky is included in the picture. In many cases it is entirely practical to use a polarizer with a wide angle, depending on the details of the scene. Learning to use a polarizer involves previewing it (either on your camera or simply holding it up to the scene), adjusting it, and deciding if it will be beneficial to the photo. Avoid the habit of reflexively using one (or avoiding using it), based on generalizations.

Dave

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http://www.pbase.com/dsjtecserv