Which polarizer for my lenses?

[Starred]

I have the following lenses:
Oly m.zuiko 9-18, 45/1.8, and 14-150
Pani 20/1.7

As I will go on holiday to sunny Greece, I have been advised to use a circular polarizer filter.

But do I have to buy one for all my lenses, or only for 1 or 2? And for which lenses would that be?

 

[F1L1P]

I would buy one 52mm polarizer for 9-18 and 2 step up rings: 45 to 52mm and 46 to 52mm.

 

[addieleman]

I would buy one 52mm polarizer for 9-18 and 2 step up rings: 45 to 52mm and 46 to 52mm.

Agree, and in addition to that: you can also use a linear polarizer on MFT cameras. These can be had second-hand for relatively low prices and are just as good. Circular polarizers are only necessary for DSLR's where linear polarizers interfere with the AF mirror system. I've used linear polarizers on my G1 a lot during my vacation in Barcelona, all pics shown are taken with them.

On another note, be careful not to overdo it. When I was in Barcelona the sky was quite blue already and some shots featured an unnaturally dark sky. Also, with a wide-angle lens such as the 9-18mm the darkening of the sky can get very uneven.

 

[Starred]

Would you also recommend to use a polarizer on the 45/1.8 (or a portraitlens in general)? The diameter of this lens is only 37

 

[addieleman]

Would you also recommend to use a polarizer on the 45/1.8 (or a portraitlens in general)? The diameter of this lens is only 37

Don't see why not. A polarizer is much easier to use effectively on a telephoto lens IMHO.

 

[dhazeghi]

I have the following lenses:
Oly m.zuiko 9-18, 45/1.8, and 14-150
Pani 20/1.7

As I will go on holiday to sunny Greece, I have been advised to use a circular polarizer filter.

But do I have to buy one for all my lenses, or only for 1 or 2? And for which lenses would that be?

One option is to get filter that'll fit your largest (in diameter) lens, and get step up rings for the others. That'd be the 14-150 which needs 58mm filters. It'll certainly be cheaper than getting 4 different filters.

But it's probably worth figuring out first which lens you'll be using out of doors the most. I'd say go for the 58, and get a step-up ring for the 9-18 (52->58). The 20 and 45 will probably see a lot less use outside anyway.

DH

 

[Starred]

What is the formal name of a 'step up ring'? And is there a preferred brand for these rings?

If I would buy a 58 Hoya filter, which one is recommended? They have got several polarizer filters..

 

[dhazeghi]

What is the formal name of a 'step up ring'? And is there a preferred brand for these rings?

That's the name. eBay, B&H etc. have a category for them. Wouldn't worry about the brand. A $10 Tiffen will work as well as a $30 B+W.

If I would buy a 58 Hoya filter, which one is recommended? They have got several polarizer filters..

I try to stick with multi-coated filters, so HMC would be my recommendation. They're a bit spendier than the regular ones, but they work well.

DH

 

[Tycn]

This might be of some help.

 

[Starred]

I try to stick with multi-coated filters, so HMC would be my recommendation. They're a bit spendier than the regular ones, but they work well.

DH

What's the difference between a multi-coated filter and a polarizer?

 

[drewbot]

What's the difference between a multi-coated filter and a polarizer?

A multi-coated filter is a type of polarizer. There are single coated and multi coated filters The coating is a protective layer that goes on top of the glass.

 

[broadway]

A multi-coated filter is a type of polarizer. There are single coated and multi coated filters The coating is a protective layer that goes on top of the glass.

The multi coating is not a protective coating it is to reduce the amount of light lose via reflections. Uncoated bad, single coated better, multi-coated best

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-reflective_coating

 

[dhazeghi]

The multi coating is not a protective coating it is to reduce the amount of light lose via reflections. Uncoated bad, single coated better, multi-coated best

Anti-reflective coating - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Exactly. Here's a brief but informative page on buying polarizing filters.

DH

 

[Art]

Would you also recommend to use a polarizer on the 45/1.8 (or a portraitlens in general)? The diameter of this lens is only 37

In my experience when usung pilarizer in the sun for portraits it oversaturates skin tones. I tried high quality polarizers B&W MRC and Hoya no difference. Furthermore I was not able to correct those skin tones in PP.

 

[Kelton]

Sorry to :horse:, but I've been looking for polarizers for my 20mm f/1.7 and I decided to go with a Marumi one. From what I've heard, they're very good for the price.

Is it important to get a "slim DHG" one? It's almost double the price... It is multicoated though... which I heard is very important. Is there a huge difference between the slim DHG and slim Super DHG?

Marumi Filters 2012 Circular Polarizers for Digital at 2filter.com

That's where I'm looking at prices... for the 46mm version.

Can any of you guys help me out? :smile:

 

[Livnius]

The Super DHG is the version I have....I don't recall if it was the 'slim' or not....what I do know is that it outperformed the more popular B+W in the tests I read regarding flare resistance and color cast much to the surprise of the reviewers. As per usual the differences were fractional but given it was cheaper as well made it an easy decision.

No complaints after a year of use.

It's a good filter, you shouldn't have any problems.

Good luck.

 

[Willabeast]

I'm looking for a polarizing filter(s) for an upcoming costal trip where I will be photographing tide pools. I appreciate the advise about getting a filter for the largest lens and using step-up rings to fit it to smaller lenses but...

I'm looking on line and seeing huge price differences. For the 58 mm size the price ranges from $8.85 for a Vivitar brand to $290 for a Heliopan. That's a heck of a range!

I want something decent but the cost is coming out of my 'restaurant and other fun' fund. What should I expect to pay for a filter that will do the job? I'm an amatuer and may not use the polarizing filter more than 5 or 6 times a year.

Thanks for your help!

 

[DeeJayK]

I use a $15-20 Hoya circular polarizer that I'm happy with. Singh-Ray is considered the "gold standard" by many, but you'll have to part with a lot of gold to get there.

In my experience, the quality of any filter does not increase linearly with the price (i.e. the cheapest filter you can buy probably gives you 95% of the IQ that the "best" filter would afford you).

Basically, I would make my decision based on the value of the images I was trying to capture. If I was just shooting images for my own enjoyment, I wouldn't spend more than $30, but if I was working professionally or trying to make saleable images, I might spend a bit more.

 

[RT_Panther]

*If money isn't that big of a concern*, I like to have a single filter for each of my lenses to allow for easy & quick switching.

Keywords being those within the asterisks

 

[Willabeast]

based on reading this thread I'm thinking of buying 2 lower cost filters for the lenses I think I'll be using most (a manual close-up lens and a moderate telephoto zoom) so I don't have to fuss with step up rings.

Thanks for your help!