Polarizers

i_am_cam

i_am_cam

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Have some simple questions about polarizers - and filters in general - hopefully someone can help a wee beginner out with!

I've got a 400d with the 18-55mm kit lens and am having problems with landscape/place photography with the sky being over-exposed relative to the rest of the scene (an example, which I had to attempt to rescue in Lightroom). From what I've read, a polarizer filter is what I need to help prevent this from happening.

- Given I have the 18-55mm kit lens, how do I know which size of filter to buy (I've seen they come in different sizes)

- Is it a circular polarizer I'm after? (Unsure of the difference)

- From the other posts on here, i was planning on getting a Marumi - any reasons not to?

Thanks! (y)
 
i_am_cam said:
Have some simple questions about polarizers - and filters in general - hopefully someone can help a wee beginner out with!

I've got a 400d with the 18-55mm kit lens and am having problems with landscape/place photography with the sky being over-exposed relative to the rest of the scene (an example, which I had to attempt to rescue in Lightroom). From what I've read, a polarizer filter is what I need to help prevent this from happening.

- Given I have the 18-55mm kit lens, how do I know which size of filter to buy (I've seen they come in different sizes)

- Is it a circular polarizer I'm after? (Unsure of the difference)

- From the other posts on here, i was planning on getting a Marumi - any reasons not to?

Thanks! (y)
Click to expand...

Juat went ahead and bought a Marumi 77mm CPL from Microglobe. Heard here on the forum great stuff about them and also heard that they are easy to maintain as Hoya etc get easily streaked. Let's see how they will be when they arrive.
 
ND grad filters might be a better bet to balance the sky with the rest of the scene. The cokin P set is what I use, much cheaper but less quality than the Lee filters set. Do a search on google or any camera shop will be able to point you in the right direction. All you need is the adaptor ring, i'm not a canon user but i think the filter thread on your lens is 58mm?

A circular polarizer will make the sky more blue and cut out reflections in water and metal etc. they are well worth getting too.
 
DiddyDave said:
A polariser affects the whole image, and so won't help you here, blown skies are usually reduced with ND filters
Click to expand...

Not with ND filters, but with graduated ND filters!
Blown skies can also be reduced by blending different exposures in PP. Which is a much more precise method than GND filters can be.
 
DollyBuster said:
Not with ND filters, but with graduated ND filters!
Blown skies can also be reduced by blending different exposures in PP. Which is a much more precise method than GND filters can be.
Click to expand...

Excuse my ignorance - what's PP?
 
DollyBuster said:
Not with ND filters, but with graduated ND filters!
Blown skies can also be reduced by blending different exposures in PP. Which is a much more precise method than GND filters can be.
Click to expand...

Ha Ha - silly me - full NDs are so rarely mentioned I assumed you'd all know what I meant was the grad ones - but you were right to correct my lazy mistake DB (y)

'PP' is a common way of meaning 'Post Processing' - i.e. what you do to enhance/correct images on your computer

DD
 
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