I'm undecided about getting a CP filter. I've read plenty about them and still aren't sure, so advice please. Is it useful to have on safari for photographing animals? Anyone who has any comparisons - pics would be very much appreciated. btw - was going for Hoya HD - good/bad/indifferent?
Polarising filter
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CT
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Polarising filters are great for deepening a blue sky and for reducing reflections off non metallic surfaces. If you're going to be shooting over or into water they can also be great fro reducing surface reflections. For wildlife generally though I'm not sure you'll see a benefit.
I have a drop-in polarising filter I can use with my 300mm and 500mm lenses and it doesn't get much use tbh. Where I find it is great is in reducing reflections from very glossy foliage, but there's a two or three stop loss of speed which has to be taken into account. Since I'm usually shooting at full aperture or very close to it, it usually means I pay the price in reduced shutter speed which I can usually ill afford.
African light may well give you more leeway - I don't know. Hoya tends to be at the budget end of filters so I'd expect their polarising filter to be OK, although you'd do better to pay a lot more. What's new?
I have a drop-in polarising filter I can use with my 300mm and 500mm lenses and it doesn't get much use tbh. Where I find it is great is in reducing reflections from very glossy foliage, but there's a two or three stop loss of speed which has to be taken into account. Since I'm usually shooting at full aperture or very close to it, it usually means I pay the price in reduced shutter speed which I can usually ill afford.
African light may well give you more leeway - I don't know. Hoya tends to be at the budget end of filters so I'd expect their polarising filter to be OK, although you'd do better to pay a lot more. What's new?
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The only trouble you'll have with a circular filter is that light will change as you move and also the filter could spin as you change focus (depending on your lenses of course).
I went on a safari last september/october (Kenya - Masai Mara / Amboselli / Lake Nakuru) and while I took a CP, I never used it, just the usual UV for dust and scratch protection. You tend to go out early morning and late afternoon as that's when the animals are out and about so there's no really harsh sunlight to worry about.
My best advice would be to make sure you've enough reach on your lenses, I hired a 100-400 and used it 95% of the time (on my crop body that's 160-640), it was the best thing I could have done and the pics it helped me get were great.
Best thing to do is a search here for safari advice, there's loads of it!
I went on a safari last september/october (Kenya - Masai Mara / Amboselli / Lake Nakuru) and while I took a CP, I never used it, just the usual UV for dust and scratch protection. You tend to go out early morning and late afternoon as that's when the animals are out and about so there's no really harsh sunlight to worry about.
My best advice would be to make sure you've enough reach on your lenses, I hired a 100-400 and used it 95% of the time (on my crop body that's 160-640), it was the best thing I could have done and the pics it helped me get were great.
Best thing to do is a search here for safari advice, there's loads of it!
Llamaman
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At the risk of pedantry, a CPL is NOT the same as an ND!
CPL is a circular polariser. It blocks light of a particular polarised plane (which you adjust by rotating the filter). Since light reflected from water etc has the same polarisation, a properly rotated CPL will block reflections. It will also deepen blue skies and give better defined clouds, although as the polarisation varies across the sky, you can get fading effects when shooting at wide focal lengths.
A secondary effect of a CPL is that they also block a little (about 1-2 stops depending on brand) of all light, and so act a little like a weak ND. But this is not the main reason why you use a CPL.
You get the same effects wearing polarised sunglasses...
A ND simply reduces all light entering the lens, to allow longer shutter speeds. You won't get the fading effect across the sky on wide angle shots as an ND doesn't do anything fancy with polarised light.
CPL is a circular polariser. It blocks light of a particular polarised plane (which you adjust by rotating the filter). Since light reflected from water etc has the same polarisation, a properly rotated CPL will block reflections. It will also deepen blue skies and give better defined clouds, although as the polarisation varies across the sky, you can get fading effects when shooting at wide focal lengths.
A secondary effect of a CPL is that they also block a little (about 1-2 stops depending on brand) of all light, and so act a little like a weak ND. But this is not the main reason why you use a CPL.
You get the same effects wearing polarised sunglasses...
A ND simply reduces all light entering the lens, to allow longer shutter speeds. You won't get the fading effect across the sky on wide angle shots as an ND doesn't do anything fancy with polarised light.
CT
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I beg to differ. Every photographer should have a polariser, even if it's the only filter you possess. They can do wonderful things with blue skies and reflections, in the right situation. For landscapes, it's almost permanently on my lens.
For safari, maybe not so useful, depending on the scene of course. They reduce overall exposure by a bit under two stops, but the Hoya HD is only 1.2 stops which makes a useful difference when keeping shutter speeds up.
Hoya make loads of filters, from budget to premium. Hoya's HD range is, IMHO, as good as it gets and they're cheaper than say B+W
Try Amazon.
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I can't think of a use for an ND.
CT
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I think he means on Safari.
I lived in South Africa for about 30 years and never found any need for a CPL or an ND filter in game reserves. The light tends to be strong, and saturation shouldn't present any problems either, but you can end up with a bit of a dusty/washed out image in the dry season, and it can be quite difficult to make out animals in the bush. This is realistic, but possibly not what you want in the photographs. Just adjust the contrast and colour in post processing until you get the results you like. I prefer raw, but I don't want to start another raw v JPEG debate.
What polarising filter would you recommend for rally/motorsport photography?
I have a Canon 550d with a 70-200mm USM L-series f/4. I have done some reading up in an attempt to buy one that will set my pictures off nicely and looked at a few online but I am overwhelmed with information and all the different brands/types that are available etc. :shrug:
So any suggestions?
I have a Canon 550d with a 70-200mm USM L-series f/4. I have done some reading up in an attempt to buy one that will set my pictures off nicely and looked at a few online but I am overwhelmed with information and all the different brands/types that are available etc. :shrug:
So any suggestions?