circular polarizer metering

mrgas

mrgas

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Hi

I've been playing with my circular polarizer with mixed results and one of the many things i was wondering was if the camera had to be set in a specific metering mode when using this filter ?

things do seem a little "different" with the filter on and was wondering if i had to compensate when metering

hope this makes sense

thanks
 
Polarizers tend to need more light, so you will find that - depending on what mode you're in - you will need a longer exposure or wider aperture than for the same shot without the filter. Not sure exactly by how much they adjust, but I seem to think it's up to 2 stops.
 
I use the guestimate method of metering... eg: get my exposure sorted, plonk on the polarizer, and increase the exposure two stops if fully polarizing, or less if using the polarizer just partially polarized.

Then take it from there based on the screen and histogram. It's usually not a bad guess though.
 
Thanks for the quick replies , much appreciated

I was finding the filter made me need more light , but wasn't sure if it was my lack of experience or i was imagining it , its definitely something i need loads more practice with

I also can never quite make my mind up what i'm really looking for whilst rotating the filter , is it just what looks best ?
 
mrgas said:
I also can never quite make my mind up what i'm really looking for whilst rotating the filter , is it just what looks best ?
Click to expand...

Well, water or reflective surfaces are dead easy... just look for the the reflections disappearing. On general landscapes, I look at the the sky and cloud and you can see the contrast changing as you rotate the filter.

It might depend on what make of polarizer you have though, as I believe some are better than others.
 
68lbs said:
Well, water or reflective surfaces are dead easy... just look for the the reflections disappearing. On general landscapes, I look at the the sky and cloud and you can see the contrast changing as you rotate the filter.

It might depend on what make of polarizer you have though, as I believe some are better than others.
Click to expand...


Thanks for that

Its a Cokin filter
 
Theoretically the meter is through the lens so will automatically meter for the darker image it gets, I don't alter my shots,but do prefer them very slightly under exposed.


just shoot, chimp ,(have a look at the results)and then you can add or take away to suit you're taste.:D


PS.
You need to have the sun over you're shoulder for it to work best, shots directly into or away from the sun will not be as good.
 
Think that's what he meant, you want the sun on your right or left shoulder. Something I didn't know when I last took my 10-20 and CPL out, and was wondering why the sky wasn't getting that 'zip' I'd expected :)
 
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