Hoods and Circular Polarizer

[murfdig09]

Quick question. Does anyone shoot w/ a hood and a circular polarizer? I ask because I find it annoying taking the hood off everytime I want to adjust the polarizer. I know the hood is important to cut down the glare but can I leave it off while I shoot w/ the CP?

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Mark Murphy

 

[joyclick]

The polariser by itself is employed to cut unwanted glare and reflections.As such you need not have the hood when using it.Take two photos of the same subject at the same settings- 1)hood+CPL 2) no hood but just CPL. Compare the results.See if it made any difference.If just CPL works fine keep the hood off when using the polariser.

Gajanan
--
student4ever

 

[Graystar]

The hood is used to block bright light sources from creating flare when they're just out of your frame. The polarizer cannot perform this function for you. However, when using a polarizer, the sun shouldn't be so near the framing. To get the maximum polarizer effect you need to be rotated 90 degrees away from the sun. For example, if the sun were directly overhead, then the entire horizon would be the area of greatest affect. When you're pointing in the right direction, you shouldn't need a hood because the sun should be well out of the frame.

So you can leave the hood off until you find yourself wanting to get a shot with the sun just out of the frame. Then you can put the hood back on. At that point, the polarizer probably won't do much because of the angle to the source, so you don't have to worry about turning it.

Read this on lens hoods.
http://toothwalker.org/optics/lenshood.html

Read this on polarizers.
http://archive.popphoto.com/pdfs/2002/0902/Polarizer.pdf

.

 

[Graystar]

The polariser by itself is employed to cut unwanted glare and reflections.As such you need not have the hood when using it.

That is incorrect. A polarizer doesn't block the light that causes flare. You cannot use a polarizer to replace a hood.

.

 

[hotdog321]

Yeah, I shoot with both when doing landscape photography, and it is a pain. Take off the hood, put on the polarizer, adjust the polarizer, put on the hood, shoot photo. You don't want to leave the lens hood off.

 

[Deleted1929]

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StephenG

 

[JudyTee]

Quick question. Does anyone shoot w/ a hood and a circular polarizer? I ask because I find it annoying taking the hood off everytime I want to adjust the polarizer. I know the hood is important to cut down the glare but can I leave it off while I shoot w/ the CP?

--
Mark Murphy

The lens hood and the polarizer serve two mutually exclusive purposes. You should use a hood at all times, and if the polarizer is needed to give you a desired effect, then suffering a little annoyance iis worthwhile.

--
Judy

 

[beshannon]

I have found that with a little practice, I can reach my index finger around the hood on my Nikkor 24-70 to adjust my polarizer
--
My photos http://brianshannon.smugmug.com/
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[Plastek]

Do what my friend did.

Laser-cut the hole in side of the hood.

First find way you hold the lens and where it'd be best for you to have it cut, mark it with a pencil as a narrow square. Than find some point where they do laser-cutting - ask to cut you a square in it.

Aim for something similar to this, only bit smaller to avoid high amount of light getting into lens from sides (you don't need space to put entire hand into lens hood as it's in this one) :



OR: Change system to Pentax and enjoy it with no effort!

 

[Wheatfield]

Quick question. Does anyone shoot w/ a hood and a circular polarizer?

I use a hood and a linear polarizer, actually. All of my Pentax add on hoods have a cut out for adjusting the polarizer, and I've seen no reason at all to buy into the circular polarizer madness.

 

[dsjtecserv]

The hood is used to block bright light sources from creating flare when they're just out of your frame. The polarizer cannot perform this function for you. However, when using a polarizer, the sun shouldn't be so near the framing. To get the maximum polarizer effect you need to be rotated 90 degrees away from the sun. For example, if the sun were directly overhead, then the entire horizon would be the area of greatest affect. When you're pointing in the right direction, you shouldn't need a hood because the sun should be well out of the frame.

So you can leave the hood off until you find yourself wanting to get a shot with the sun just out of the frame. Then you can put the hood back on. At that point, the polarizer probably won't do much because of the angle to the source, so you don't have to worry about turning it.

That's true for pictures where the polarizer is being used for its effect on the sky, but not for photos where reflection off of other objects are the target. There are lots of situations where the sun is near (or even in) the frame but the polarizer is still an appropriate tool for reducing reflections of water, foliage, wet stuff, etc. I've had lots of situations where I have needed the effect of both the hood and PL, and struggled with this issue. More often that not I end up using my hand or hat to carefully shade the lens. Maybe someone needs to invent a combination polarizer and hood, where rotating the hood does rotates the polarizer as well!

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

 

[murfdig09]

Great feedback guys, thank you so much. Seems like I'm not the only one with this issue. I appreciate your opinions.
--
Mark Murphy

 

[joyclick]

The replies sound as though you cannot be using CPL without the hoodand there is always going to be an over-whelming flare.A hat, a cupped hand,a napkin,can all block the flaring end of the CPL.Having to go through the hell of the hood +polariser seems unncessary.

Gajanan
--
student4ever

 

[Chris R-UK]

I can access the polarizer with all of my 5 hoods in place and with most of them I don't find it any real problem to turn the polarizer. With the largest hood that I have, on a Canon 100-400, I can only just reach the polariser to turn it, but I can still reach it.

I find that a small notch on the polarizer helps positioning by feel.
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Chris R

 

[Mark B.]

Quick question. Does anyone shoot w/ a hood and a circular polarizer? I ask because I find it annoying taking the hood off everytime I want to adjust the polarizer. I know the hood is important to cut down the glare but can I leave it off while I shoot w/ the CP?

Yes, I leave the hood on. Sure, it's a minor inconvenience to have to take it off, adjust, and put it back on. But it's far better than the alternative, and that is risking flare. I've heard of some photogs cutting a slit in the bottom of the hood to adjust w/o removing the hood - not a bad idea, I may do that as well.

Mark

 

[Mark B.]

The replies sound as though you cannot be using CPL without the hoodand there is always going to be an over-whelming flare.A hat, a cupped hand,a napkin,can all block the flaring end of the CPL.Having to go through the hell of the hood +polariser seems unncessary.

Good grief..."hell"? You must live a charmed life if the simple act of putting working with a hood + polarizer is "hell". Wish my life was so uncomplicated.

Mark

 

[joyclick]

The "simple" act of putting on the CPL and the hood and not being easily able to manipulate the CPL ,so having to work around the issue ,having to post in dpr and then...

All I am saying is do you really have to? No hood and CPL ,that impossible?

Gajanan
--
student4ever

 

[Mark B.]

The "simple" act of putting on the CPL and the hood and not being easily able to manipulate the CPL ,so having to work around the issue ,having to post in dpr and then...

All I am saying is do you really have to? No hood and CPL ,that impossible?

Of course not. All I'm saying is it's not worth the risk to me to have flare ruin a shot, which is far more difficult if not impossible to remove in post processing. So to me, taking a few extra seconds to use the hood is a no brainer.

Mark