How does a lens hood and circular polarizer work together?

[jammyjammy]

Ok i'm about to go all out and buy a circular polarizer for my 14-45mm lens for when i go trekking in nepal.

How does a cpl work in practice?

Firstly i was gonna get one without a front filter thread (for cost reasons). If i do and therefore cannot attach a lens cap when it is not in use, do i have to take it off when i put my camera away? Are there other solutions?

If i was to put my lens hood on then how does one turn the polarizer to the right strength? reach into the hood?

Do you need a lens hood with a cpl?

What am i missing? something obviously...

Thanks

David

 

[Mark B.]

Ok i'm about to go all out and buy a circular polarizer for my 14-45mm lens for when i go trekking in nepal.

How does a cpl work in practice?

Firstly i was gonna get one without a front filter thread (for cost reasons)

So-called 'thin' polizers typically cost a little more, but that's the right way to go with a wide angle lens.

. If i do and therefore cannot attach a lens cap when it is not in use, do i have to take it off when i put my camera away? Are there other solutions?

If i was to put my lens hood on then how does one turn the polarizer to the right strength? reach into the hood?

Personally I use the hood with or without a polarizer. Yes, it takes a few extra seconds to remove the hood to adjust the polarizer, but with an ultra wide lens you want the hood in place to reduce flare. Some folks have cut a notch in the bottom of the hood to adjust the polarizer w/o removing the hood.

Do you need a lens hood with a cpl?

See above.

Mark

 

[Wally626]

jammyjammy wrote:
...

Firstly i was gonna get one without a front filter thread (for cost reasons). If i do and therefore cannot attach a lens cap when it is not in use, do i have to take it off when i put my camera away? Are there other solutions?

...

With todays computer software polarizers are not as needed as in days past. Still very useful for shooting reflective surfaces, glass, snow, water but I would just keep it stowed away unless needed then attach. A lens hood is useful almost all the time to keep side light out of the lens and increase contrast. To use both it depends on how the hood attaches, for most of my modern lenses the hood uses bayonet fittings that do not interfere with attaching screw on filters. The hood for a 14-44 lens might leave enough room so you can work the filter with the hood on, if not take off hood, move filter, put hood back on. If hood is a screw on type, get a filter with front threads.

 

[digit]

I woulldn't cut the lens hood as it will allow stray light in.

You can go the route of sticking your finger or a pencil with an easer on it in the hood to move your filter.

What I do is not use the hood when using the filter. If I find a need to sheild the lens do to bright stray light I use my hand. That is very rare.
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[jammyjammy]

Thanks very much for the replies.

Amazing what you learn from posting what you think is a really dumb question!

David

 

[Heie2]

As far as I'm aware, Pentax is the only camera brand that consistently offers the innovative ability to use a CPL while a hood is mounted.

It's a small removable window that can be attached or detached simply by sliding it in and out of the hood's locking position.









The DIGITAL PRO CP 67 is the filter which is accessible to be rotated through the window.

With the opened window at the bottom, no stray light comes in, and now you can put your finger through it and rotate your CPL while having the filter attached.

This is standard on every detachable lens hood made by Pentax, to include the cheapest kit lenses.

-Heie
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[scorrpio]

As far as I'm aware, Pentax is the only camera brand that consistently offers the innovative ability to use a CPL while a hood is mounted.

They probably patented the wazoo out of the feature, hence nobody else offering it.

Personally, I'd rather use a hinged flap that's not likely to get lost.

 

[Heie2]

As far as I'm aware, Pentax is the only camera brand that consistently offers the innovative ability to use a CPL while a hood is mounted.

They probably patented the wazoo out of the feature, hence nobody else offering it.

Personally, I'd rather use a hinged flap that's not likely to get lost.

Possibly, not sure.

And are you going to lose it if you put it in the case you use to protect your CPL's each time you put a filter on?

It's what I do with my hot-shoe cover - put it in my flash's battery container since the batteries are being used in the flash. To me a little innovation is worth the 5 secs of stowing something away - hot shoe covers and many lenses later - never lost any of either

-Heie
--
Need affordable weather sealing in a DSLR you can trust?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo61t5fH6Qw&feature=player_embedded

Take a look at my deployment to Afghanistan:

pentaxforums.com/forums/general-talk/196667-update-number-eleven-my-afghan-deployment-new-post.html
(you will have to copy and paste that into your browser's address bar)

 

[Mark B.]

Firstly i was gonna get one without a front filter thread (for cost reasons). If i do and therefore cannot attach a lens cap when it is not in use, do i have to take it off when i put my camera away? Are there other solutions?

...

With todays computer software polarizers are not as needed as in days past. Still very useful for shooting reflective surfaces, glass, snow, water but I would just keep it stowed away unless needed then attach.

Photoshop still cannot replicate a polarizer, whether to remove a reflection or enhance saturation & contrast in a landscape.

Mark

 

[Mark B.]

I woulldn't cut the lens hood as it will allow stray light in.

It's still better than no hood at all. Besides, as shown in a reply below, there are hoods with a slot built in to the bottom.

Mark

 

[jeffsvisions]

i only use filters with screw threads and buy lens hoods with threads problem solved
--
The best picture is the one you take.
Jeff

 

[scorrpio]

i only use filters with screw threads and buy lens hoods with threads problem solved
--
The best picture is the one you take.
Jeff

Hardly so. This approach necessitates circular hoods, which are not as effective at blocking stray light as petal hoods. Also, a circular hood that is open enough to cause no vignetting when mounted on a CPL, will not be as effective at cutting stray light when mounted directly to a lens.

 

[Mark B.]

i only use filters with screw threads and buy lens hoods with threads problem solved
--
The best picture is the one you take.
Jeff

Hardly so. This approach necessitates circular hoods, which are not as effective at blocking stray light as petal hoods. Also, a circular hood that is open enough to cause no vignetting when mounted on a CPL, will not be as effective at cutting stray light when mounted directly to a lens.

Agreed. Stick with the proper bayonet mount hood for the particular lens.

 

[photosen]

Ok i'm about to go all out and buy a circular polarizer for my 14-45mm lens for when i go trekking in nepal.

How does a cpl work in practice?

Firstly i was gonna get one without a front filter thread (for cost reasons)

So-called 'thin' polizers typically cost a little more, but that's the right way to go with a wide angle lens.

True, although if you can get away with it a normal size polarizer can be less of a hassle; I have a slim B+W which I love but there's a good chance my fat fingers will end up on it...

. If i do and therefore cannot attach a lens cap when it is not in use, do i have to take it off when i put my camera away? Are there other solutions?

If i was to put my lens hood on then how does one turn the polarizer to the right strength? reach into the hood?

Personally I use the hood with or without a polarizer. Yes, it takes a few extra seconds to remove the hood to adjust the polarizer, but with an ultra wide lens you want the hood in place to reduce flare. Some folks have cut a notch in the bottom of the hood to adjust the polarizer w/o removing the hood.

This is probably the best way to use it; unfortunately I'm usually fidgeting with the polarizer and forget about the hood...

Do you need a lens hood with a cpl?

See above.

Mark

 

[Twah]

That is wrong. Polarizer effects cannot be recreated in software. You can’t take the sun glare off of leaves or the reflection off of water in software.

 

[ThrillaMozilla]

Firstly i was gonna get one without a front filter thread (for cost reasons). If i do and therefore cannot attach a lens cap when it is not in use, do i have to take it off when i put my camera away? Are there other solutions?

Lens hood or lens cap?

Usually it costs extra for a slim polarizer without front threads, so it's not really for cost reasons. I would be surprised if a slim filter is really required, although there is a possibility, of course, that it's needed at the extreme wide end of an ultrawide.

And with an ultrawide, you've got problems with a polarizer anyway. Use with caution and full knowledge. It probably looks worse on your computer than in the preview, so beware. If the sun is straight overhead, the sky should be uniformly polarized from left to right, and more polarized toward the bottom, if that helps any. Few of us have any experience in the Himalayas, so you're on your own there.

 

[hotdog321]

Sensible question. First, you likely wouldn't want a hood that screws onto the filter with a wide angle lens--it would likely vignette wide angle shots.

Personally, I found it easiest to remove the lens hood, screw on the CPL and adjust it to taste, then put the hood back on and shoot. Then I reverse the process and stick the CPL back in my pocket. Honestly, it's a bit of a hassle but only takes a few seconds.

























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[scokill]

I'm sure they appreciate the responses almost 7 years later.

 

[ThrillaMozilla]

I'm sure they appreciate the responses almost 7 years later.

Yeah, if they don't want that to happen, they need to quit putting the date in fine print.

 

[hotdog321]

Snort! Completely overlooked the date. Hate it when that happens.