How do I choose a polarizer?

Question

It was suggested that I should get myself a polarizer filter to get over my reflection problem. ( How to avoid reflection when taking a picture of a ceramic object with a shiny glaze? )

I found out that a Nikon 52mm Circular Polarizing Filter CPL cost about 75 usd while I can get another filter for less than half the price — about 33 usd. (Please note that I know nothing about these filters and googled them just for the example.)

What is the difference between polarizer filters?

I need to remove the glare and nothing else — would either of the two do the magic for me? What filter do you recommend for me?

Answer 1

Here's polarizers' test: http://www.lenstip.com/115.4-article-Polarizing_filters_test_Results_and_summary.html. Even if you don't choose anything among these filters, it still gives good idea what to value.

Answer 2

Choosing a polarizer you have to consider the size, its use and the conditions that you will be under.

The price range of polarizers coincides with a huge variance in quality. I have owned several between $80 and $280 USD and I can tell you first hand that the $280 is absolutely the best.

Now, before you go and buy the most expensive one for you should consider what the quality difference means:

• Light transmission: Higher quality polarizer let more light through but at least one stop difference compared to the cheapest ones. If you plan to shoot from a tripod or with plenty of light, this is not important.
• Resistance to glare: This depends on what you photograph. If there are direct light sources (bright lights) in the scene, then a super-multi-coated filter will perform better. If you can control the lighting and make sure it is diffuse, then you do not have to worry about it.
• Color: A polarizer should not affect the hue of colors directly. Bad ones do. So if you are trying to make an accurate reproduction of something you need to get a high quality polarizer.
• Contrast: A polarizer that is not well coated will reduce contrast and make your images look dull.

By your setup you can manage to nullify the impact of the first two points above but if you buy one that does not give you accurate color and good contrast, you may find yourself spending time corrected for this using image manipulation software.

If you are afraid of the costs you can consider buying the largest filter size and use step-up-rings so that the expensive filter you buy will be suitable for all your lenses. That is the strategy I used only at first I underestimated the size I needed and settled on 77mm, so I ended up also buying a single 86mm circular polarizer for my largest lens.

Answer 3

In the specific case for shooting that ceramic, yes perhaps a better lighting setup would be a better solution. Generally, of course, that isn't always possible.

When I was choosing a polariser, I was unsure what to go for myself, and it took me buying a cheap one to realise you do need to pay the extra to get one that works well.

I steered away from camera manufacturer own filters as I felt these had unjustified high prices as with most official accessories.

I found the Hoya Pro 1D CPLs came highly recommended, but at a high price. I hunted more and discovered Nicna have a Pro 1D series, which people were saying were as good as/very similar to the Hoya but without the high price which comes with the Hoya brand. I picked up one of the Nicna Pro 1D CPL filters off eBay and I am really pleased with the results - it's my filter range of choice now.

Note that in the specific case above I wouldn't expect a CPL to knock the entirety of the glare out - but it would do a pretty good job. How effective the polariser is depends on a lot of conditions, such as the angle of the light source relative to the direction of your camera, the surface which the light is reflecting off, etc.

Hope this helps,
Chris

Answer 4

Just to add something to Karel's very useful link. I think there's a saying "not to cover expensive glass with cheap glass". (Even though "cheap" may not always mean "low-quality") If you modify/filter the light with low-quality/cheap glass your expensive lens may not be able perform up to its maximum, and then the sensor/film either.

And may be investing on an expensive CPL and buying the biggest possible (may be 86 instead of 56) and buying adapters (that's relatively cheap) to match your filter screws might be an idea to think about as well. So you won't be spending money that frequently on expensive filters each and every time you buy a lens.

And stacking CPL with UV might also not be a good idea (specially if you are just using UV filter for protection) since UV filter can also modify the light to a certain degree.

Hope these will give you a start exploring more on these :)