He's gone and done it again! - Excellent CHEAP CPL filter.

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Phil
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Following on from my other thread regarding the camdiox 10-stop, here is an excellent CPL filter for £3.59

eBay Link

Quality is excellent and I am very happy with it - especially for under a fiver!

Without CPL:

10520855_10154412280405305_4103187095675437295_n.jpg


With CPL:

10403035_10154412280415305_8083303160816945807_n.jpg


With CPL and camdiox 10 stop:

10402012_10154412284450305_6748199169237395940_n.jpg


AND FOR SHARPNESS (all on Tamron 17-50mm f2.8):

With CPL (f4 / 50mm / minimum focus distance):
10534131_10154434404610305_341930911595991153_n.jpg


f4 cropped:
10482426_10154434359975305_4791993899765149275_n.jpg


With CPL (f2.8 / 50mm / minimum focus distance):

10511229_10154434360000305_2675890557293340539_n.jpg


Without CPL (as above):

10544774_10154434360025305_5362145940895479927_n.jpg


All in all I'd say the level of sharpness lost is minimal.
 
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Thanks, might have to order one at that price.
 
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Phil,

Thank you, have ordered one. Now need to start reading on how to use it.
 
Looks super deep on the front ring. Saying that my rather pricey filter is hardly slim.

The 82mm one is pretty cheap, cheaper than a step ring anyway.
 
I think you just have low expectations Phil...:exit:

Nice find..;)
 
Would it be much better than say - this?

As it seems the ebay one can't be delivered to Ireland
 
Same. The one I linked there is only £4.50, just wondering would it be the same thing? I've wanted a cpl for a while, but as you say, didn't want to pay a bomb for one. It would be merely for very casual use.

I was going to order the one you linked, for my siggy 35mm, but looks like he won't ship to Eire :(
 
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the last cheap cpl filter i bought for my sigma 70-200 was god awful.

i do need one for my tamron however so for £4 i'll give it a go
 
Ordered one for my Fuji 35mm, as been said for the price it's a non brainer.
 
They take ages to dispatch, something to bear in mind of you need these by a certain date. Definitely not dispatched within 1 day.
 
Still waiting for my one. Said it was dispatched on Monday. Should hopefully be here today.
 
Need to learn how to use one first....:D
 
Need to learn how to use one first....:D

How to use a polariser in 30 seconds.

They're all about angles, and rotation. Blue skies (not overcast) are darkened at 90 degrees to the sun. Make a 'gun' your forefinger and thumb at right angles. Point at the sun and rotate around the finger and your thumb will scribe an arc in the sky where the zone of max polarisation is. From this, it follows that when facing the sun, polarisers have no effect on blue sky, as the zone will be above and behind you; max darkening is usually to the right and left. If the sun is directly overhead, the polarised zone runs along the horizon, all the way around 360 degrees. Rotate to taste.

Reflections can dramatically reduced but only at 30-40 degrees to the surface (any surface except bare metal). Sometimes you can see straight through shallow water, but at other times killing the reflection just makes the water look very dark. Polarisers work well on foliage, richening colours, as there are always some leaves etc that just happen to fall at the optimum angle. Be careful with people, as a polariser can wipe the sheen off a suntan making them look like putty.

You don't need to remember all these angles, though they explain why sometimes polarisers work really well, and sometimes not. Always rotate to taste - you can see what's happening through the viewfinder. Note that polarisers work in 180 degree segments - the effect you get at one position will be exactly the same when the filter is rotated 180 degrees.

With a super-wide lens that takes in a very broad expanse of sky, you can sometimes get a patchy effect on blue skies, usually when the sun is low. If that's a problem, moderate the effect with rotation, or just take the filter off. Can't argue with the value for money of Phil's filter, but I'd put money on it reducing sharpness on longer focal lengths that magnify imperfections in the glass. Fine with wide-angles though :)
 
For a few quid, I've ordered a 67mm one which will go in my D300s 'holiday' kit, or whenever I can't be arsed to drag out the 610 and all it's other heavy add ons...
 
Thanks for the OP Phil :)

I've ordered this and the 77mm... even if they are not the finest - although judging from your pics they are hardly shabby - for the money they are well worth a test. Looking forward to getting mine in a day or three.
 
I'll have a good later at 50mm close focus (best I can do I'm afraid) and post back in the OP.

Updated OP :)

I said reduced sharpness at longer focal lengths, like 135-200mm, if you were using a polariser for motorsport maybe, to reduce reflections on the windscreen. Any noticeable impact on sharpness at 50mm would be bad news indeed.
 
Damn! Their price for the 72mm is expensive! :-(
 
Motorsport is the exact reason I got it, as my 70-200 currently has no polariser. Not that it can be easily adjusted due to the lens hood anyway.

Will see if it effects.
 
Motorsport is the exact reason I got it, as my 70-200 currently has no polariser. Not that it can be easily adjusted due to the lens hood anyway.

Will see if it effects.

Once it's set, you can put the hood on and leave it.

Position for reflecting windscreens is with the index mark (if there was one) around the top (or bottom). Same approximate position as for darkening blue skies (y)
 
Just to mention: the light reduction is 1 f-stop.

The lighter-toned variety of polarisers are around 1.2-1.3 stops of overall light reduction - handy for keeping shutter speeds up a bit, and they're also very neutral in colour. The darker-toned variety are around 1.6-1.8 or so stops, and tend to have a very fractionally light blue tint.
 
This one definitely gives around 1500k more to the right on the temperature scale. That's the only thing I've found with it - adjusting WB (which most of the time I don't because the colour it brings out is quite nice).
 
This one definitely gives around 1500k more to the right on the temperature scale. That's the only thing I've found with it - adjusting WB (which most of the time I don't because the colour it brings out is quite nice).

Blimey! That's 1500K warm? The biggest colour shift I've seen is 850K blue, and I 've got 15 different polarisers here now for a magazine review.
 
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