Circular Polarizer - love it!

[ukaskew]

Ok, a bit of an odd thing to get excited about, but easily the best £20 I've spent on photography equipment ever.

Hama 62mm Circular Polarizer, not even a great polarizer (didn't want to spend too much as getting a new camera soon) but did the exact job I wanted it to do. Removed the sheen from the windscreen and cut through all the haze whilst it was at it...

Both shots with the sun roughly behind me, both in similar conditions (light cloud)

With:

Without:

Although they are generally for landscape photography I knew they also had an effect on reflections on non-metallic surfaces, so I tried it out and it has worked beautifully. A lot easier to use with a D-SLR I imagine (hard to tell what it was doing through mine, only got an electronic viewfinder) but I figured it out in the end.

A few polarized shots with decent exposed sky in it too, never been able to get shots like this before.

 

[unofficialPete]

Really add's nice blues to the sky

 

[unofficialPete]

Oh yeah, just a thought about your next camera, with the 400D out expect lots of cheap 350D's to be in the shops come October

 

[Nik]

Hmm, might have to get me one of those, looks well worth £20

 

[Rich]

I like the look it gives on the static pics, looks a bit odd on the track picture to me though?

 

[ukaskew]

Oh yeah, just a thought about your next camera, with the 400D out expect lots of cheap 350D's to be in the shops come October

Yeah have noticed that, doesn't make the lenses any cheaper though

Going to try a Sony R1 I think, 10.3MP CMOS sensor so quality is absolutely stunning, all the samples I've seen so far look amazing.

 

[ukaskew]

I like the look it gives on the static pics, looks a bit odd on the track picture to me though?

How do you mean?

Here is a better example, would simply never have been able to get the pic of the 5 like that without the filter. My camera just seems to react well to it, really cuts through the haze and windscreen.

Without:

With:

 

[dk]

i would like to see the same car pictured with and without the filter though as two different cars to me means nothing as a comparison sorry.

 

[Brown.]

i would like to see the same car pictured with and without the filter though as two different cars to me means nothing as a comparison sorry.

that would mean he changes the filter in an instant.. ithink the two display the difference perfectly!!!!!!!!!!

put it this way...one you cant see through, the other you can!!!

 

[ukaskew]

i would like to see the same car pictured with and without the filter though as two different cars to me means nothing as a comparison sorry.

I guess so, but I literally have thousands of head-on pics without the polarizer and they are all the same, a sheen over the windscreen. I've only had the polarizer two days but I've taken over a thousand motorsport pics and all the head-on shots are much 'cleaner'. It can't be coincidence...

Looking through, here is the closest I can get to like-for-like...

Without:

With:

 

[dk]

that would mean he changes the filter in an instant.. ithink the two display the difference perfectly!!!!!!!!!!

put it this way...one you cant see through, the other you can!!!

not really, different windscreens have different properties, some are solar coated, they have different rakes, different curvatures etc etc etc.

he could have take the same car in the same position on two different laps with and without the filter, thats all i am saying!

but thanks for your input!

 

[dk]

I guess so, but I literally have thousands of head-on pics without the polarizer and they are all the same, a sheen over the windscreen. I've only had the polarizer two days but I've taken over a thousand motorsport pics and all the head-on shots are much 'cleaner'. It can't be coincidence...

i guess so, its just difficult for me to appreciate without seeing the amount you have i guess.

maybe i should get one and try for myself.

 

[Rich]

How do you mean?

Here is a better example, would simply never have been able to get the pic of the 5 like that without the filter. My camera just seems to react well to it, really cuts through the haze and windscreen.

For me makes the track pictures look unreal and a bit odd like there is no glass on the car. Just a personal preference I guess. Ideal if you want to see the drivers face etc, but that almost makes a different focal point for to the shot - focus is drawn looking at people in the car, not the whole car it's self. Not to keen on that look here.

Loved the results on the static or on the line shots, where your not drawing attention to the occupents but the the sky behind.

 

[Justin]

definately better on the static ones, but the williams seems to looked photoshopped to me?!

 

[ukaskew]

definately better on the static ones, but the williams seems to looked photoshopped to me?!

All my pics are pretty much straight from camera, just a bit of cropping usually. I guess it's personal preference, I like it though!

You can vary the intensity etc but it's borderline impossible without a D-SLR, I have to lock onto the car with AF, track it, and whilst doing that rotate the polarizer to get it in the right place, then fire off a shot. With a D-SLR you could set it up pre-shot as it will always show you exactly what sort of effect it will have.