Recommend a Circular Polarizer for My Situation

[NeedMorePractice]

The products I shoot are often highly reflective with high-gloss finishes. Sometimes I want to use that in the photography and sometimes I want to hide it or minimize it to show the underlying materials/colors/etc.

I have experience with a couple polarizers - both Promaster CPLs (one Digital HD and one HGX Prime) - but I need more for my variety of lenses.

Since it's a big purchase and my experiences are limited, I'm hoping to dial in on a particular brand/model before spending a significant amount on the various sizes needed. Saving money is always nice, but budget isn't an issue if the quality and results are noticeably better.

Which brands/models have you had positive experiences with? Do you find that how well it works in terms of removing reflections is consistent across the price range and it's more about maintaining the image quality/contrast/light gathering, or does the effectiveness of removing reflections change significantly with cheaper versus more expensive options?

Lighting is not an issue, so I'm primarily concerned with build quality, reflection removal, and maintaining image "quality"/contrast as well as can be expected with a filter.

Bonus question: what are your experiences with the magnetic filters? I like the idea but have never used them.

 

[Nebido]

My Not Nearly Complete, But Rather Entertaining, Circular Polarizer Filter Article by Roger Cicala / Lens Rentals

https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/20...tertaining-circular-polarizer-filter-article/

Lens Rentals test shows all circular polarizing filters work great, price doesn't matter.

https://www.dpreview.com/news/79960...izing-filters-work-great-price-doesn-t-matter

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I use polarizing filters from various manufacturers, but I can't see any optical differences.

Now, I have no experience with absolute cheap no name filters, but with the brands I use, the differences are certainly not in the area of polarizing performance.

- NiSi 82mm CPL

- Rodenstock 72mm Digital pro MC CPL

- Hoya 72mm CPL

- Heliopan 62mm High Transmission (HT)CPL

- B+W 58mm CPL

- Hoya 52mm Fusion Antistatic CIR-PL

If at all, this should only happen in areas that might be relevant in a measurement laboratory, but definitely not in the practice of photography.

In my opinion, more important are criteria such as usability, with extreme wide angles you should also pay attention to vignetting, possibly slim version with lenses like the 14-30mm, whereby in these focal length ranges a polarizing filter is critical one way or the other.

The polarizing effect as such does not differ, it is dependent on the recording angle, light angle, how close/perfect you are to the so called Polarizing angle / Brewster angle.

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Other factors besides ease of use, which can be very individual depending on the operation and size of the hand/fingers, the used lens hood, material possibly, are then more on the emotional level.

It is certainly not necessary, but a lens in the Z 50mm f/1.2 S or 85mm f/1.2 S category can be fitted with a Rodenstock, Zeiss T, Heliopan, or similarly expensive filter, even if it is only for the good feeling.

With a Ferrari, I wouldn't save on the floor mat either.

 

[sirhawkeye64]

The products I shoot are often highly reflective with high-gloss finishes. Sometimes I want to use that in the photography and sometimes I want to hide it or minimize it to show the underlying materials/colors/etc.

I have experience with a couple polarizers - both Promaster CPLs (one Digital HD and one HGX Prime) - but I need more for my variety of lenses.

Since it's a big purchase and my experiences are limited, I'm hoping to dial in on a particular brand/model before spending a significant amount on the various sizes needed. Saving money is always nice, but budget isn't an issue if the quality and results are noticeably better.

Which brands/models have you had positive experiences with? Do you find that how well it works in terms of removing reflections is consistent across the price range and it's more about maintaining the image quality/contrast/light gathering, or does the effectiveness of removing reflections change significantly with cheaper versus more expensive options?

Lighting is not an issue, so I'm primarily concerned with build quality, reflection removal, and maintaining image "quality"/contrast as well as can be expected with a filter.

Bonus question: what are your experiences with the magnetic filters? I like the idea but have never used them.

I've kind of settled on Breakthrough Photography filters, but the higher-grade/quality B+W filters can also be good (I actually have one of both and can't really tell the difference). But I do like Breakthrough Photogrpahy for their other filters (ND filters) as well so I decided to just stick with one brand moving forward.

I would say you can't really go wrong with any of the major brands: Breakthrough Photography, Nisi, B+W, Hiada, etc. Just make sure you get a quality multi-coated one (I think most CPLs are multi-coated). My vote would be for BP or B+W (if you get B+W be sure to get the newer XS-Pro version as it's a thinner profile).

(I had medium-grade ProMaster -- still have it actually -- that I sort of dislike now after using the B+W and BP filters... I never felt that the ProMaster could address reflections as well as the more expensive ones, but it was a free filter with one of my lenses so I took it, and still have it. But I rarely use it (it's a backup now).

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NOTE: If I don't reply to a direct comment in the forums, it's likely I unsubscribed from the thread/article..

 

[Diswantsho]

I purchased filters for landscape use, so I cannot tell if my preference would be relevant for product photography, but I switched from Lee and Breakthrough to Kase magnetic filters.

I keep rings on each lens so in the field I simply have to click a filter on or off. A real game changer for me. I also like their metal square filter holder over the plastic Lee holder. The polarizer attaches close to the lens on the ring, whilst the Lee polarizer was far forward on a separate ring on the holder and caused vignette from about 24mm lenses. The Kase only vignettes at 14mm on my 14-30 lens.

I have a set of 95mm rings for normal square filters, and a 82mm set which is fairly compact for light travel, when I leave the sqare holder. The 82mm might be quite suitable for use in studio, too, I guess.

 

[Nebido]

Where there are subtle differences, see lens rental article, are in areas such as light transmission / ND effect and possibly slight differences in color cast, in color temperature, which shouldn't matter if you shoot/process RAW.


In terms of the polarizing effect, however, this does not matter.

Otherwise, of course, it helps save money to work with step down rings.
In my case, the 82mm CPL was added at the end and a lot of my smaller CPL filters have been in use for years, but with step down rings I could have theoretically saved all other polarizing filters with smaller filter diameters if necessary.
So consideration would be what is the largest filter diameter needed, possibly include planned new purchases and then buy the largest diameter needed and work with step down rings for anything smaller

Disadvantage with step down rings, even with very high quality like the Heliopan Step Downs (made of brass) I use meanwhile, the filter eats itself fast firmly/stucks, since the contact surface for the fingers is too small for turning with the needed force.
Since you sometimes have to screw on 2 more filters, so three on top of each other, so that you can exert enough torque.
With the method I have so far always got it solved.
Another factor that can be disadvantageous, most lens hoods are no longer mountable when working with larger filters and step down rings.
Away from lens hoods that are screwed onto the filter thread, as with my CV 35mm f/2 Apo-Lanthar Z,, which also significantly increases the usability of the polarizing filter, since you can turn the filter over the lens hood
With my Z lenses, some polarizing filters can no longer be operated with the lens hood on, even if they are of the right filter size

 

[wilberforce_1]

I have found Marumi (Japan) CPLs to be high quality at a reasonable price (at least, for their higher grades). Worth looking into. They generally score highly in comparative tests.

https://www.marumi-global.com/

 

[sirhawkeye64]

I purchased filters for landscape use, so I cannot tell if my preference would be relevant for product photography, but I switched from Lee and Breakthrough to Kase magnetic filters.

I keep rings on each lens so in the field I simply have to click a filter on or off. A real game changer for me. I also like their metal square filter holder over the plastic Lee holder. The polarizer attaches close to the lens on the ring, whilst the Lee polarizer was far forward on a separate ring on the holder and caused vignette from about 24mm lenses. The Kase only vignettes at 14mm on my 14-30 lens.

I have a set of 95mm rings for normal square filters, and a 82mm set which is fairly compact for light travel, when I leave the sqare holder. The 82mm might be quite suitable for use in studio, too, I guess.

I tried glass square filters (mainly from Hiada due to cost and recommendation, and while they were fine, as a landscape photographer, I always was concerned about flare, especially if using more than one filter stacked, so I resorted to just using screw-in filters and adapter rings when necessary.

BP does have a magnetic filter system now I believe (they used to have one, but they took it off the market in preparation for their new one -- although there was about a good 1-2 year gap you couldn't get magnetic filters from them). However, considering the price of the filters, I may just stick with the screw in ones unless they can be used with the magnetic filter rings -- then I might get that (and I can't remember if they told me if that could work or not so I'd have to go back and check).