Polarizer?

[JayJay65]

Ive found polarizers.. and I dont understand the differences in the polarizers.. such as linear polarizers, circular polarizers, warming polarizers.. whats the difference in all of these?

and for which of my 3 lenses do you think a polarizer would be best for..

Zooming Lens: Sigma Zoom Normal-Telephoto 55-200mm f/4-5.6 DC Autofocus Lens:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/354173-USA/Sigma_684107_55_200mm_f_4_5_6_DC_Lens.html

Macro Lens: Sigma Telephoto 150mm f/2.8 EX APO Macro EX DG HSM Autofocus Lens
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/472099-USA/Sigma_104107_150mm_f_2_8_EX_APO.html

(soon to get) Landscape Lens: Olympus 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko ED Zoom Lens
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/489405-REG/Olympus_261055_14_42mm_f_3_5_5_6_Zuiko_ED.html


My photography teacher told me I needed to get a polarizer.. I have an extremely basic knowledge of polarizers.. Can anyone explain any of this?


Thanks!
Jesse

 

[Garbz]

Linear and circular polarisers do the same thing to light hitting the filter. Light is a Transverse Electro Magnetic wave and it has both an Electric component and a Magnetic component. The way these are aligned is called their polarisation. If they are constantly moving along the same plane (for example vertically across the E field) then the light is linearly polarised. However if the field components rotate with respect to time they are circularly polarised.

That's a bit of useless information for you but the difference between the linear and circular polariser is they both still pass only a single angle of such a wave, but the linear polariser spits out linear polarised light into the lens, which is visually identical to circular polarised light, however it may screw up the camera's autofocus system.

So what you want is a circular polariser. A warming polariser as the name implies produces a warm light normally for a specific polarisation of light. The same goes with B-Y Polarisers which spit out blue light for one polarisation and yellow for the other. The results are quite strange indeed. http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/b-y_polarizer.shtml

 

[JayJay65]

Umm, can you explain it easier?

 

[Sideburns]

Umm, can you explain it easier?

Basically, linear and circular polarizers do the same thing. However, auto focus/auto metering cameras need to use a circular polarizer or those devices won't work. Buy a circular polarizer.

A warming polarizer warms the picture...I'm sure you know what warm light is..

Simple as that.

I'd say it's probably best to get a polarizer for your landscape lens, since it helps the most in shots with water, grass, and sky.

 

[JayJay65]

Thanks for your help sideburns and garbz.. i appreate it alot

 

[JayJay65]

General Brand 58mm Circular Polarizer Glass Filter



Is this what I need?

 

[Helen B]

In very simple terms you can think of a circular polariser as a linear polariser followed by something that removes the linear polarisation (it's actually a 'delay plate' or 'quarter wave plate' QWP that turns linearly polarised light into circularly polarised light). That means that a circular polariser only works one way round.

Best,
Helen