Would you recommend a good polarizer for the a6000 kit lens?
Yes, well... I use CPL's quite a lot. Have had many different brands at various sizes (of threads). So, I have first-hand experience with some. Surprisingly, the "expensive" ones, I don't always find a good value proposition- not worth it. Depends, the answer can be quite complicated.
Do you shoot a lot of lower-light nighttime? Where you want to minimize things like window reflections for street scenes or social (interior) scenes to cut reflections off framed artwork? Then you'd probably want the pricier multi-coated varieities (like SMC or HMC or nano-coated). If you shoot to cut down glare off water for long exposures or scenic, this isn't as big a deal USUALLY... Unless you like shooting into the sun for the star-pointed sun flare. Even then, it may/may not make as large a difference as it does for indoors/low-light (where flares can be UGLY and massive).
Do you get the "slim" filter? Well, I say "no." They can 'thread lock' more easily and be tougher to remove. I try to future-proof my filter purchases by buying larger and using cheap step-up rings. A slim profile 'hardly' cuts down on vignetting anyways. Your kit lens is an unusual 40.5mm thread too. Maybe 52mm is the a size I'd humbly suggest considering? Depends what else you own. Then there's NO WAY your filter vignettes at the widest 16mm on your lens. YMMV.
- Tiffen is quite good for cheap- just simple single-coated.
- Vivitar is cheap (single-coated), and seems (to my eyes) to offer the truest color cast. Nothing wrong with saving money for better glass or tripod or other... Very good value IMO, until it isn't.
- General Brand (from B&H) are decent, but maybe don't offer as strong of a polarizing effect as the two above IMHO. But hey, cheap is what you get and what you pay for.
- Cheap
Hoya's seem to veer to tiny yellow-cast, so I wouldn't buy a single-coat. I'd go for one of the two above if available.
- Haven't used the
Formatt CPL's with or without their Schott glass.
- B+W are high-quality construction, sometimes find a single-coated on eBay for good pricing. The upcharge for
B+W Kaeseman CPL's is something I've spent lot$$ more on. Only worth it if you use them a lot, and need ease of cleaning... With a lens cloth from condensation (like fog/marine layer/dust particles/etc.). Urban explorers or beach shooters might go for the Kaeseman if you can afford it.
- Heliopan Kaeseman CPL's are BY FAR THE BEST I've ever shot with. Love the rotating ring, multi-coating is by far the easiest to clean, and they are durable well beyond even the B+W Kaeseman IMO. Deeper polarizing effect too. Sharpest image, best/truest color, deeper polarizer, ease of cleaning, top-of-class construction & coatings. If you don't spend upwards of 10x for this filter, you can still do yourself a favor... Buy a small paint marker or use nail polish to carefully put some 'notches' on your rotating ring... To identify positions you are most often to use (like strongest effect). I find it very helpful. YMMV.
- Hoya HMC or Digital Pro-1 or whatever multi-coated. I've had several and all seem like "decent" performers, but their multi-coating just seems to 'smear' anything around when wiping with a clean lens cloth. Drives me crazy EVERY TIME. Not just finger oil (seems very tough to remove when in the field shooting). I mean anything. Moisture droplets, dust, whatever. I started buying the pre-moistened Zeiss disposable lens cloths just to clean the dang Hoya HMC CPL's, so I could factor that cost in, if I wanted to be real.
Notice I described the $35-50 Hoya HMC (depends a lot on thread size) as "
decent," which I also used to describe the General Brand and others? Yeah, same performance class in my opinion. So, you don't always get more just by paying more. I would tend to go cheap: Viv or Tiff or GB in that order. Or jump up four classes to the Heliopan Kaeseman and get the best for the most. I'm sure there are others, I just haven't shot w/ them.
I realize I might be alone in using a CPL in a nighttime street shot like this, but did it to cut down glare from the wall and surface street. Even at 1/4 sec ISO 3200, f/7.1.
It's not always about cutting as much reflection as possible. Here I cut down just a bit of the 'visual chatter' from the window reflections. I think it helped me get exactly the right image I had envisioned.
Ruh-Roh!!! I shot this to test my new Sony set-up. The harsh flares created from a single-coated Tiffen CPL (I'm guessing reflected onto the lens elements?) means I'd cull an image like this. And not shoot into an environment like this again.
The three images above shot with a cheap, single-coated Tiffen CPL. Absurdly cheap (but good!) Sony a3000 + kit 18-55 OSS lens.
B+W Kaeseman, a good CPL is a must for the dramatic clouds and reduced glare here.
B+W Kaeseman on Nikon 135mm DC f/2 lens. Maybe most won't use a CPL for long nighttime exposures, I still prefer to. The extra 1.3-1.5 stops is factored in. Crispness in the lighting and shading remains better to my eyes. Key here is to have 'notches' or visual references on the CPL ring, since it's so dark you can't tell the effect TTL.
Heliopan Kaeseman CPL + Nikkor 85mm PC (tilt-shift) lens for tidepooling. I find beautiful depth of color without any unwanted glare from the water's surface.
I know most won't pay the premium for the slight difference in the Heliopan Kaeseman, I get it. But those with the cheddar that want to, I think will appreciate it and never regret it. Especially for more premium glass like Zeiss or Voigtlander or very special legacy lenses.
Just my (sorry, very long-winded) opinions here. I'd suggest a cheap Vivitar or Tiffen CPL of a more universal size + step-up ring. Or *maybe* General Brand. Then make sure you buy a spare center-pinch lens cap for that size too. It's great to save the money for other things like a solid tripod/head or speedlite or glass if you're just starting out. Until it isn't, if you notice poor performance from your cheap CPL in YOUR shooting conditions... Then it becomes time to spend bigger on a better one- like a Heliopan. I use CPL's a lot for sharpness of light in San Francisco- the marine layer cuts contrast and such otherwise. Glare on building facades and car bumpers, street surfaces, water, windows, etc- it's all over the place.
So, yeah. YMMV. I feel it's worth investing in at least one CPL. 40.5mm to 52mm step-up ring, 52mm lens cap, 52mm CPL is a great start. If you ever get a fast 85/1.4 or something, then a second 77mm set can be warranted. Should cover just about every lens- except those dang 82mm's. I spent almost $400 on filters for 82mm! Yikes.
I don't have experience with the newer HT (high-transmission) CPL's. Never used them.
BTW, I'm gonna stop visiting and taking all this time to reply to posts and participate in this forum. I post a thread and got one response (thanks Joachim!). lol. I was hoping for more participation in my threads too. I'm happy to share from my limited experience and such, if there is an active community who will also do likewise. Otherwise I'm just here to continually furnish advice? Hoped for a more active community. I know it's far easier for one to ask than it is to get responses... I've tried for two weeks...
Be well. Keep shooting. Cheers.
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- david
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ambientimages/
