Circular polarising filter. small scratch

[candlestick]

Afternoon all,

Having been reading Understanding Exposure as recommended by EOS JD, I now have a vague understanding about what the circular polarising filter does. I have one which marky_h threw in for nowt when I bought a lens from him, but I've managed to scratch the front of it slightly. I'm heading home to Cumbria this weekend and was planning to head into the lakes and see what the sky/water is up to, should I bother with the filter now it's scratched, or not?? :shrug:

Oh, and big up the 2 forum members I've mentioned above!! :)

[Dappa44]

All depends on these few things mate,

1. How big the scratch is?
2. If your shooting landscapes or portraits.
3. How good your photoshop skills are.

Obviously the closer the shot the more you will notice the shot, personally if i was shooting landscapes or distant shots i would fix them in photoshop.
If shooting close ups, lose the filter.

[Alistair]

Define 'scratch it slightly'? Small scratches you won't notice, larger scratches will only become visible on long exposures. Ultimately, if the scratch is small and not deep then it will be too close to the lens elements to be visible.

[mobilevirgin]

You're shooting digital?

There's an easy answer.

With and without.

[Vertigo1]

Whilst a mark that close to the front of the lens will be so far out of focus as to not be visible (a la dust on the front element), if the scratch has damaged the polarising element of the filter then this could show up on the picture. Only way to know is to test it.