Lee Landscape Polariser & 16-35 mm Vignetting

[Foxbat Flyer]

Bought the Lee Landscape polariser filter, but on first using it I noticed vignetting at 16mm. This is at odds with all the information I read prior to buying the filter.

The filter is tightly screwed onto the adapter ring, which in turn is securely mounted to the filter holder, so there is no immediate reason for the vignetting.

Is there anyone reading this with the Lee Landscape polariser on a full frame DSLR and 16-35mm lens who could check for vignetting at 16mm?

Thanks for your help,

Chris

 

[phil_b]

Bought the Lee Landscape polariser filter, but on first using it I noticed vignetting at 16mm. This is at odds with all the information I read prior to buying the filter.

The filter is tightly screwed onto the adapter ring, which in turn is securely mounted to the filter holder, so there is no immediate reason for the vignetting.

Is there anyone reading this with the Lee Landscape polariser on a full frame DSLR and 16-35mm lens who could check for vignetting at 16mm?

Thanks for your help,

Chris

Yep, I get it too. Nikon 16-35 f4 with the same filter set up as you.

 

[RichieTee]

Hi Chris

I have the same with my 105mm polariser (Marumi) and 16-35 f4. The only way to overcome the issue for me was to remove 1 of the slots and step down to just one slot for a grad/nd filter. Otherwise it's evident from about 16-17mm!!

 

[Andrew Benbow]

Are you using a wide angle adapter ring for the filter holder?

All shot on 5D with Canon 16-35mm F4 at F4, ISO800.

With polariser :

Without polarizer :

Without polarizer and adapter ring

 

[nelg]

Hi Chris

I have the same with my 105mm polariser (Marumi) and 16-35 f4. The only way to overcome the issue for me was to remove 1 of the slots and step down to just one slot for a grad/nd filter. Otherwise it's evident from about 16-17mm!!

Same solution here too Chris. EF 16-35 II f/2.8, Lee holder, ring, B+W polariser, which was thinner than the Lee version at the time I purchased but still vignetted.

 

[Foxbat Flyer]

Thanks Phil, Rich, Andrew and Glen for taking the time to reply. At least its not just me with the vignette problem, although it is disappointing to see that our experience does not align with Lee's information on their website.

My experience is identical to yours Andrew, thanks for the sample shots.

Using two filters would be rare for me, so I'll try removing one of the slots, as per Rich's suggestion, to solve the problem.

Thanks guys for your comments, it's great having such helpful and quick responses.

Chris

 

[Teflon-Mike]

Polarisers filter the EM wave oscilating both side to side and up and down, blocking oscilation in one or the other 'plane' at 90 Deg to each other; so as the angle of incident light increased from edge to edge across the frame, so the degree of polarization will change too..

On 'normal' (50mmi-sh on FF) angle lenses, the 45 deg or so FoV makes little odds, and you don't get much if any discernible polariser fade across the frame; but it starts to increase with the FoV; On FF, it's usually not very apparent down to perhaps 20mm when the FoV is approx 90 deg, but beneath that, the angle of view is much greater than the polarizing angle and the 'fade' becomes that much more pronounced, so on an UWA, with much wider FoV than 90Deg, (and 16mm on FF offers an FoV of aprox 110 deg) its almost guaranteed you will see it, and it will be most apparent at the extremities/corners of the frame.

This then begs the query, IS what you are seeing as corner vignetting, entirely down to frame masking from the filter mount? It may be, but could also be more pronounced polariser fade at the extremities, you would still get irrespective of any mount intrusion.

It probably 'is' mount intrusion, TBH, but question is worth asking...

Personally, a polariser is my most used filter, and in digital era, probably the only one I regularly use; but I gave up on 'system' filter polarisers umpety decades ago, due to mount-masking, and bit the bullet to buy a screw fit, one-per-lens; but even there, the polarization 'fade' is noticeable even at just 75Deg FoV from a 28mm wide-angle in some situations.

 

[Foxbat Flyer]

Thanks for the description of the polariser operation Mike, its good of you to take the time to post. I have noticed polariser fade on wider shots and I'm trying to remember to look out for it when taking a shot - I have many a shot spoiled due to deep blue variations.

I definitely have a case of "mount intrusion", it is arguably less severe than polariser fade, but I was surprised to see it, having bought a "landscape friendly" polariser.

Chris