photodoc16

amerapapi,
Did you mean 90 degrees to the direction of the sun and not 45 degrees?
Photodoc16

Bill P

Always make sure to have your lens hood attached, that is the best protection for your lens.

No, it's the best protection for the circumstances under which you shoot, not everyone. A hood isn't worth a damn if you're shooting in windy conditions with blowing sand and dust, on a boat speeding across waves, or a welder doing his work.

John_F Loc: Minneapolis, MN

Try viewing a flower thru a rotatable polarizing filter and note how petal detail comes through as you rotate from full extinction to zero extinction. Then decide what you think about CPL filters.

frankraney Loc: Clovis, Ca.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

A Circular Polarizer is one of the most useful filters for digital photography... But, even so, it's not a filter that should be left on all the time.

A clear or UV filter for "protection" is largely a waste of money. The front element of the lens is probably a lot more durable than thin glass filter. A lens hood while shooting and a lens cap while storing the lens will do better job of protection. Watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0CLPTd6Bds

But if using a "protection" filter makes you more comfortable to get out and shoot without worries, by all means go for it.

There are various qualities of filters. You generally "get what you pay for". Better quality glass and multi-coatings that insure the best possible image quality aren't found in cheap filters. In fact, cheap filters can spoil the quality of every image shot through them. It doesn't make much sense to spend good money for a quality lens, and then put a junk piece of glass in front of it.

Hoya makes some good filters... But they make different series of filters with various levels of quality and and prices. Some of them are much lower quality. So be sure what you're getting.

For C-Pols, it's really hard to beat the value of B+W XS-Pro (which are "slim" for wide angle) or F-Pro (which use standard frames, though even those are pretty slim). Another difference is that the F-Pro have 8-layer multi-coating, while the XS-Pro have more advanced 16-layer "Nano" multi-coating, which make them a bit more resistant to fingerprints and water.... easier to clean. Both use high quality Kaesemann foils, top quality German Schott glass, are sealed for weather resistance and are mounted in brass frames that are less likely to get stuck. They also are now both "High Transmissive"... not as dark as C-Pol have been in the past, so they don't "cost" quite as much light lost to the filter as "standard" C-Pol do. Best of all, B+W XS-Pro and F-Pro are considerably less expensive than other manufacturers' C-Pol filters with comparable quality and features (compare to Breakthrough Photography X4, Heliopan SH-PMC, Hoya HD3 and a few others).

B+W's "clear protection" and "UV" filters (they call them "010") XS-Pro and F-Pro series are also high quality, but are not all that different in pricing from some other manufacturers' similar filters.

Note: Some manufacturers are promoting the new high transmissive C-Pol as dual purpose: both for polarizing and as a protection filter left on the lens all the time. That's utter B.S. It's not as much as standard types of C-Pol, but even with the HT filters there's still some light lost to the filter... typically 3/4 to 1.5 stop or so, which can force the photographer to use an unnecessarily high ISO at times. Also, there are many times when the last thing you want is to remove reflections from images! There are times when the reflection IS the image or an important part of it. Polarizers also do things like make rainbows weaker or completely disappear. Plus, even the best might cause added flare, loss of contrast and desaturated colors in images, such as when directly shooting a sunrise or sunset. And by their very nature, a C-Pol has no polarizing effect when pointed directly at the sun, either. Polarizers have the strongest effect when the lens is pointed at 90 degrees to the light source. Finally, on a wide angle lens, the effect of a polarizer on a clear blue sky can be uneven. That's not necessarily a bad thing in all situations... but it can be in others.

For more info about using a polarizing filter, see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMOsBG2JaZY

While a C-Pol is the single most useful filter for digital photography and I use one a lot (probably 100X more than I use a "protection" filter), I still only use one on 15 or 20% of my images. Maybe even a little less.

JD750 Loc: SoCal

I find the title a tell that OP does not understand the differences. I hope the replies are informative to the original poster.

jkphotos

Thank you for your comments. Lots of good info.

jkphotos

OP here. Yes, I do know the difference but not to the extent of the more experience users on this site. That's why there is a blog. Your comment was not informative.

Carusoswi

I think you meant this post as a response to JD750, and I believe he was trying to be informative. You wrote "Thinking I would get a Hoya but expensive so was wondering if I should get a clear or polarized filter."

From that statement, it seems to me that you feel the Hoya is something different than a clear or polarized filter. Hoya is just the brand of a full line of filters of different types, clear, polarized, some made for B&W photography, etc. Perhaps what you wrote isn't what you meant.

With regard to the subject, other posters in this thread may feel differently, but, when shooting digital, I am less inclined to use polarizers, as I can get much the same effect in post processing (upping blacks slightly or adjusting levels, etc., many ways to get this effect in post).

One area where I don't believe post processing can achieve the effect of a polarizer is when shooting at water or through glass. A polarizer will reduce or nearly remove reflections if used properly.

Except in those situations, I prefer to use post-processing instead of the filter which slows you down as you have to adjust by rotating the filter for each scene/shot. Additionally, a good polarizing filter is expensive, especially so if your lens requires a large filter size.

Of course, all of this is personal, there is no right or wrong. When I shoot film, to get that polarized effect, the filter is the only way to go.

As for protection, I used to put a UV or skylight filter on all my lenses. When shooting, if I accidentally smudged the lens with my thumb or noticed a lot of dust, I would grab a handkerchief or even my shirt tail, exhale on the filter, and just wipe it off. I would never do that on a bare lens (some of you might not do it to a filter, LOL). After reading numerous posts here and elsewhere on the subject, and having replaced most of my lenses with better glass, I decided that I would forgo all those filters. I do use a hood, not so much for protection, but because I like what hoods do to my photos. So far, after a lifetime of shooting pictures, I have never dropped a lens, but, I suppose that day will eventually come.

I am no pro, but doubt that I would take my best equipment on shoots where the camera is subject to salt spray or blowing sand. In my early years, I ruined a lens by taking my camera to the beach where my friends and I were swimming. I made certain to wrap my camera in a towel while I took a dip. I had the front lens covered, but still managed to get some sand into the lens barrel, after which, I could feel it grinding away when I focused the lens. I replaced the lens, but decided never to take good equipment with me swimming after that. Personally, I will use a cell phone or some waterproof setup in those situations.

Again, there are no rights/wrongs in any of this. Use what you feel works best for you and the places and ways in which you shoot.

Happy shooting,

Caruso

jkphotos

Thanks for all your thoughtful comments. JK

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

That depends on what you want to do with it! Each filter has a purpose, so you chose one depending on that. Or do you buy a trailor for your car, just because it has a hitch?

jkphotos

Other responses have given specific recommendations for various needs. It was an open ended question and I got a lot of good information. And , I do have a truck with a hitch and different kinds of trailers for different needs.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Right. Sunlight is unpolarized, but scattered light (which is what makes the sky blue) is polarized at right angles (90 degrees) to the sun. The degree of polarization falls off gradually until when the light is scattered at 0 degrees (or 180 degrees) there is no polarization. Here is a wide angle shot showing a darkening of the sky at right angles to the sun, with the polarization falling off to both sides. (Sun is to the left).