Need a polarizer

Hiebs915 · Nov 19, 2011

Hello people

I will soon be going to Florida for school and I'm planning on taking some seascape photos but I don't have a polarizer. I have a Tokina 12-24mm. What is a good/cheaper polarizer that I could get. I'm on a budget but need something that works. I think it has to be slim too.

tirediron · Nov 19, 2011

Tiffen or Hoya (multi-coated) are good, reasonably priced units. If you can squeeze a few more dollars, than a B+W is even better.

Hiebs915 · Nov 19, 2011

Thanks for the reply. If I bought a filter holder setup someday, would the slim polarizer fit in one of the slots in the filter holder?

I will look into those filters. The Tiffens don't seem too much..

WesternGuy · Nov 20, 2011

When you talk about a polarizer, I will assume you are talking about a circular polarizer (CP). You should be aware that polarizers are like any other glass you will buy in photography - you get what you pay for and good and cheaper are not usually two words that I would use together to describe a polarizer. You should expect to pay between $130 and $175 for a good quality CP - if looked after properly, it will last a lifetime.

For your other question, assuming you are currently looking at screw-on polarizers, the ones that I have will not fit in the filter holder that I have for my Lee ND filters and GD filters. There maybe other "filter holders" that they will fit into, but remember they were/are meant to screw on to the front of the lens and not to be used in a filter holder.

Check this review out. Tokina 12-24mm f4 DX Review - Complete "Hands-on" Lens Test . They note that a full thickness polarizer on the 12-24 Tokina will show a small amount of vignetting when used at 12 mm. If you can tolerate this (you can probably edit it out with a slight image crop if needed), then you could go for a regular CP as I do believe the slim ones are a little more $$ than the regular ones. There is also the question of whether you are going to purchase a coated CP - I would strongly recommend that you go in this direction. They are a little more $$, but if you can find the money, they are a better buy than an uncoated one. B&H sell a variety of 77mm filters, I believe that is what you lens takes...77mm polarizing filters. HTH.

Cheers,

WesternGuy

Hiebs915 · Nov 20, 2011

WesternGuy said:
When you talk about a polarizer, I will assume you are talking about a circular polarizer (CP). You should be aware that polarizers are like any other glass you will buy in photography - you get what you pay for and good and cheaper are not usually two words that I would use together to describe a polarizer. You should expect to pay between $130 and $175 for a good quality CP - if looked after properly, it will last a lifetime.

For your other question, assuming you are currently looking at screw-on polarizers, the ones that I have will not fit in the filter holder that I have for my Lee ND filters and GD filters. There maybe other "filter holders" that they will fit into, but remember they were/are meant to screw on to the front of the lens and not to be used in a filter holder.

Check this review out. Tokina 12-24mm f4 DX Review - Complete "Hands-on" Lens Test . They note that a full thickness polarizer on the 12-24 Tokina will show a small amount of vignetting when used at 12 mm. If you can tolerate this (you can probably edit it out with a slight image crop if needed), then you could go for a regular CP as I do believe the slim ones are a little more $$ than the regular ones. There is also the question of whether you are going to purchase a coated CP - I would strongly recommend that you go in this direction. They are a little more $$, but if you can find the money, they are a better buy than an uncoated one. B&H sell a variety of 77mm filters, I believe that is what you lens takes...77mm polarizing filters. HTH.

Cheers,

WesternGuy

I did mean a circular polarizer. Thanks for all the info. I'll keep it all in mind when shopping for one. If I were to buy a filter holder I think I would get the Cokin one. What does the coating on the filters do?

2WheelPhoto · Nov 20, 2011

You may not want a polarizer on a 24mm or below lens at all.

Hiebs915 · Nov 20, 2011

2WheelPhoto said:
You may not want a polarizer on a 24mm or below lens at all.

I figured it would reduce the glare off of the ocean

tirediron · Nov 20, 2011

2Wheel brings up a good point; on UWA lenses CPOLs tend to produce some unusal effects, notably a dramatic increase or fall-off of the strength of the "polarization effect" due to the large field of view. Polarizing filters have their maximum effect when the sun is low in the sky and when the lens axis is at or near 90 degrees to the sun (ie you're shooting with the sun low and at your shoulder). It can be an interesting and dramatic effect, but it can also really detract from an image.

bazooka · Nov 20, 2011

Another problem with the slim filters are that you cannot attach a lens cap or other filters. They are slim because they remove the outside-facing threads. Although I loved my first B+W filter for it's quality, not being able to attach a lens cap was a real pain and ended in it's destruction.

tirediron · Nov 20, 2011

bazooka said:
Another problem with the slim filters are that you cannot attach a lens cap or other filters. They are slim because they remove the outside-facing threads. Although I loved my first B+W filter for it's quality, not being able to attach a lens cap was a real pain and ended in it's destruction.

You got gypped; my B+W slims all came with their own special lens cap!

WesternGuy · Nov 20, 2011

Hiebs915 said:
......... What does the coating on the filters do?

Here's a brief explanation of what coating does for filters. MultiCoated Filters why they are worth the cost. You will also find a more detailed discussion of filters in general including coating and slimline pros and cons. As well, the author gives his thoughts on filters from various manufacturers -
Notes on Filters . You should also note the comments made previously regarding the effects that you might get from putting a CP on an UWA lenses. Ocean reflections - it should work okay, I have used it on ponds, lakes and rivers for the same benefit, just watch the effects that you get from including the sky.

As for your question on using the filter with a filter holder system, Cokin produce various differently-sized versions of its Creative Filter System. You would have to check on the size of their filter system that you are going to buy to see if you "screw-on" filter might be adaptable. You can find all their info here: Filters for Photographic Lenses - Creative FIlters - www.cokin.co,.k

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

WesternGuy

thierry · Nov 20, 2011

Go with a Tiffen Amazon.com: Tiffen 77mm Circular Polarizer: Camera & Photo

Or for a little more $$ the Hoya is Great: Amazon.com: Hoya 77mm DMC PRO1 Digital Circular Polarizer Glass Filter: Camera & Photo

Hiebs915 · Nov 20, 2011

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I don't have the money for a filter holding system at the moment. I will do some research and pick from one of the suggested filters.