Circular vs Linear Polarizer on m4/3 Camera

polarizers do 2 things that photoshop cannot...

• Blocking the reflections off wet splashed rocks by waterfalls and at the seashore
• Cutting reflections off waxy or moist plant leaves - restoring colour and contrast to foliage in forests, fields and meadows

I have never found a satisfactory processing workaround for these 2 situations. Neither of these needs autofocus - both are the time for "slow" thoughtful photography with lots of exposure correction to optimise the image. So, there is no critical need for circular polarizers (which are reported to interfere with the AF in some digital cameras) for those "must have" composition situations.

For me - I find that linear polarizers have a stronger and more consistent effect than circular - certainly at the budget end of the scale (<£20 GBP/ USD $ 25). The jump in image quality with a polarizer in those 2 situations makes carrying a PL filter with me a necessity.

I am a big fan of collapsible rubber lens hoods, those £2 / $3 generic Chinese ones sold new from auction sites - so only rarely will I see the benefit of ultra-multi-coated filters.

I have never found a satisfactory processing workaround for these 2 situations. Neither of these needs autofocus - both are the time for "slow" thoughtful photography with lots of exposure correction. So, there is no critical need for circular polarizers (which are reported to interfere with the AF in some digital cameras) for those "must have" composition situations.

For me - I find that linear polarizers have a stronger and more consistent effect than circular - certainly at the budget end of the scale (<£20 GBP/ USD $ 25). The jump in image quality with a polarizer in those 2 situations makes carrying a PL filter with me a necessity.

I am a big fan of collapsible rubber lens hoods, those £2 / $3 ones from auction sites - so only rarely will I see the benefit of ultra-multi-coated filters.

There seem to be diminishing returns for more expensive circular over linear polarizing and multicoated over single coated filters….the only critical test is for colour shift since polarizing is one time when turning OFF the auto-white balance could be useful; dense green forests or fields and glistening red or blue river stones are usually way off “neutral grey” in the colour spectrum.

Today on UK Amazon - the 49mm Heliopan polarizer is£65.98 and the B&W £71.81 (postage free). Now - if photography is your work - when every pixel of better image counts for getting a contract - then certainly pay more. At the eye-watering price of some "pro" filters - I'll put the difference towards a new lens or a day out taking pictures !

Conclusion - even the most hard-up photographer will benefit from a polarizer in the camera bag.   So boring though the topic may be - please test and report your kit here.

======

My test: HOYA Linear Polarizer, 52mm thread, used principally on a 14-42mm kit lens or 25mm F1.7.

Result: Cheap, mechanically good. Doesn't jam in lens filter threads on Panasonic lenses. No obvious unexpected colour shift. Has lasted >5 years without losing the foil filter surface. Any image quality loss from a "budget" filter is more than compensated by improved colour and saturation.

best wishes to you all - Paul in the UK