Do you use a polarizing filter for shooting outdoors?

[NancyMoranG]

Are you hitting the beaches or Disney type places?

 

[SquarePeg]

I think I'm going to buy one for the Sigma, to have it on hand when/if needed, since I use that lens the majority of the time these days, especially when out and about. Any recommendations?

budget ??

you can spend A LOT or a little on one.
I've bought B+W as they offer a range of products that all are high quality.

I'd like to spend $50 or less. I just dug out the one that I use for the 18-105 and it's a Tiffen. I can get that for the Sigma $39 so that one will be my default unless someone has a better suggestion in my price range.

 

[SquarePeg]

Are you hitting the beaches or Disney type places?

Hey Nancy! A little of both. We're spending a few days in the Keys before heading to Orlando - mostly for Universal but we do have a day at Magic Kingdom on the agenda!

 

[tirediron]

... unless someone has a better suggestion in my price range.

Save your money and get a better price range. Seriously... NOTHING will have such an obvious and potentially detrimental effect on your images as a cheap filter. Look for brands such as Lee, Singh-Ray, B+W, and Heliopan. Regardless of which filter you buy however, make sure it is a BRASS body, NOT an aluminum one. Trust me!

 

[SquarePeg]

Not that I don't believe you but more expensive does not always = better.

 

[tirediron]

Not that I don't believe you but more expensive does not always = better.

No, absolutely true, but, in filters it's generally the case. You won't have to look too hard to find someone complaining about issues with Cokin of Tiffen filters, but I've never heard of anyone complaining about problems with Lee, B+W, Singh-Ray, et al.

 

[NancyMoranG]

We're camping at Bahia April 11-12. Have fun

 

[SquarePeg]

We're camping at Bahia April 11-12. Have fun

We'll just miss you by a week. We'll be at Bahia Honda for the day on 4/19, but we're staying in the Key Largo area.

 

[fjrabon]

as tirediron said, also make sure you get brass. Aluminum can crack and also stick to your lens and be impossible to get off.

My take on filters is either get a good one or don't use one, especially for polarizing filters. There's a world of difference between a cheaply applied polarizing and a good one. B&W are great. If you don't want to spend that amount, probably hold off on a CPL. Just my opinion.

I have some $100 lenses that I love. More expensive =/= better. But CPLs are actually sorta difficult to make, and brass can be expensive, in CPLs, you usually get what you pay for.

 

[snerd]

Another surgery? I was hoping that you'd be healed up and ready to meet up at the refuge by now.

Grrrr!! Yes. Infection occurred in new shoulder. Had to go back in today to clean it up. Right now the block is keeping a check on the pain, and my entire arm is so numb I can't feel it! You did know, the healing and therapy were going great, when I had to have emergency gall bladder surgery?! I can't seem to catch a break recently.

 

[weepete]

I use one for 90% of my landscape shots. I opted for a Marumi DHG Super CPL as they are at the cheaper end of the quality filter scale but lenstip rank them beside B+W for quality.

 

[pgriz]

@SquarePeg : keep in mind that if you're going to use the CPL to darken the sky, it works less well with wide focal lengths, because of the varying geometry of how the polarization gets generated. But it's part of my toolkit. I don't use it often, but when it is needed, you just can't replace it with anything else.

 

[astroNikon]

I'm not familiar with Hoya but the one the OP looked at supposedly retails for $312 and sells on amazon for $55.

About the same discount on Adorama.

 

[Braineack]

its not a discount if the price of the filter is actually just $65.

 

[astroNikon]

its not a discount if the price of the filter is actually just $65.

thus the statement "supposedly retails"

consumer's love sales !!