polarizing filter use during track days

[birrew]

hi all

Ive bought a polarizing filter to go with my P series filters for doing car shoots but its got my thinking does anyone use the screw on filters when there are track days or big motorsport events?

cant find anything on here about it, dont know if there a good idea or if they will cause problems

any help and examples would be good

Cheers

Wayne

 

[JohnStewart]

For road cars on bright sunny days they can help cut down on reflections, and give more saturation. They are particularly good at cutting reflections from the windscreen so you can see the driver clearly. You can often get a rainbow effect with certain types of laminated glass, headlamps and the perspex type windscreens on race cars.

The biggest disadvantage of using one is that you lose 1 to 2 stops of light, which can impact autofocus speed and accuracy. I found that I get a lot more soft images when using one though it maybe because the one I have is a cheap ebay circular polariser instead of an expensive one. Most of the time I try and move around the circuit to try and minimise the effects harsh lighting so I don't need to use it.

 

[birrew]

For road cars on bright sunny days they can help cut down on reflections, and give more saturation. They are particularly good at cutting reflections from the windscreen so you can see the driver clearly. You can often get a rainbow effect with certain types of laminated glass, headlamps and the perspex type windscreens on race cars.

The biggest disadvantage of using one is that you lose 1 to 2 stops of light, which can impact autofocus speed and accuracy. I found that I get a lot more soft images when using one though it maybe because the one I have is a cheap ebay circular polariser instead of an expensive one. Most of the time I try and move around the circuit to try and minimise the effects harsh lighting so I don't need to use it.

Perfect that was the answer I was looking for, saves me finding out the hard way

thanks john

 

[zilly]

Yep use one all the time, cloudy or sunny it helps cuts down on the reflections boosts saturation and helps but the track surface back to being black.

Just don't do the daft thing and buy cheep, you spend 1000's on cameras and lenses to go compromise it with a poorly constructed filter.

 

[birrew]

Yep use one all the time, cloudy or sunny it helps cuts down on the reflections boosts saturation and helps but the track surface back to being black.

Just don't do the daft thing and buy cheep, you spend 1000's on cameras and lenses to go compromise it with a poorly constructed filter.

If I bought one it would be Hoya most likely as that's uv filters I buy wouldn't buy £5 ones

 

[desantnik]

CPL's give weird results with both poly carb "glass" and also on plastic panels on bikes. You get oil slicks and colour distortion and all sorts.

If you are shooting road going cars, no problems, but race machinery... leave it alone, use a ND if you have too much light.

 

[zilly]

Used well the negative effects of a CP can hidden enough not to cause a distraction in the image. Personally I'd prefer to see into a cockpit with a little bit of 'rainbowing' around the edges that just have a full on reflection obscuring the windscreen.

 

[desantnik]

Depends what you want really, I only like to try to represent what the human eye sees - a reflection is natural, an oil slick or red plastics with a green tinge not so much.

Quite often the oil slick is far from minor too and there's not much you can do to remove it.