tonyjag Loc: Bolton, Ma.

I am about to buy a new 72mm CP filter for a zoom lens on a crop sensor D7500.
1. Does it need to be of the thin type to avoid vignetting at 18mm minimum zoom?
2. Does B&W make thin CP filters?
3. If I use the 72mm CP filter on a 16mm lens with 67->72 ring, will it avoid vignetting?
Thanks.

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

1. I would recommend a thin filter.
2. No. (Check out B+W)
3. You should get no vignetting.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Aside from the vignetting, a CPL on an 18mm lens can result in a sky that is dark blue on one side and light blue on the other.

treadwl Loc: South Florida

I strongly suggest looking at Breakthrough Technologies they has thin filters Circular polarizers and THEY COME WITH A LIFETIME WARRANTY

tonyjag Loc: Bolton, Ma.

All, thanks for your inputs. I found this CP comparison:
https://www.techradar.com/how-to/photography-video-capture/cameras/best-circular-polarizer-filter-5-top-models-tested-and-rated-1320842
They rate the Hoya PRO1 Digital Circular PL best, with the B&W XS-pro Digital MRC nano KSM second and double the cost. Both are thin. Any thoughts?

tonyjag Loc: Bolton, Ma.

Good point and nice picture. Which CP filter did you use? Do you have the same picture without the filter?

tonyjag Loc: Bolton, Ma.

Thanks. Yes, very impressive.
https://breakthrough.photography/products/x4-circular-polarizer?variant=31547348753
But it doesn't look thin.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

As Jerry pointed out, a CPL filter on a wide angle lens with landscapes including sky isn't really recommended. The sky will not be evenly blue.

So, in my humble opinion, I'd either buy a thin CPL or a filter system like the Lee filter system that used large, mostly square or rectangular filters that you slide into the filter holder. The CPL still screws on, but they are much larger than most lenses objective lens therefore you eliminate vignetting. You can also slide in ND filters that are either solid or graduated. They are more versatile.

If you use a wide angle lens and want to use it for things that are very reflective, i.e. green leaves, water on things such as puddles, leaves, or other objects, you will not see or notice the vignetting in most cases. It's when you use that wide angle lens and include blue skies that you run into problems.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Your choice of B+W is a great one. I've replaced almost all of my filters with their products. You'll run into some "appearance" issues using a CP on a very wide-angle lens. The polarizing effect takes place most noticeably at 90 degrees to the direction of the sun. It falls off from there. So, using a wide-angle lens will cause an appearance of a dark sky with a gradual lightening of the sky as the lens covers the areas away from that 90 degrees.

Now, if you're shooting ground photos, such as streams, flowers, etc. with no sky visible, the filter should work well for you at wider angles of coverage.
--Bob

photoman43

B+W makes thin CPLs. They are great. Other brands to look at are Singh Ray and Breakthrough.

My advice is to buy a 77mm or 82mm filter and then step down rings so they fit lenses with smaller diameters.

https://breakthrough.photography/?rfsn=877304.7b105&utm_source=H%20Hill&utm_medium=banner

https://singh-ray.com/product-category/camera-filters/polarizers/

With wide angle lenses CPLs often cause uneven skies so I rarely use a CPL to enhance skies anymore. I use them most for removing glare from nature subjects.

As you research high quality thin filters, think about getting a 6 stop Neutral Density filter to "slow down" things like water movement, etc.

Joe

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Yes, B+W makes "slim" C-Pol. Their "XS-Pro" filters use a slimmer frame than the F-Pro and others they offer.

The B+W XS-Pro is their best. It has 16-layer "Nano" multi-coatings. That and it's slim frame are what set it apart from the F-pro, which has 8-layer "standard" multi-coatings. Both those C-Pol now are also "High Transmissive" C-Pol, which aren't as dark as traditional C-Pol. HT C-Pol don't "cost" as much light lost. Depending upon adjustment of the filter, it's probably between .75 and 1.5 stops of light loss, with the HT. Compare to traditional C-Pol which typically make for roughly 1.25 to 2.25 stops of loss. Both these B+W C-Pol also are "Kaesemann" design, which use a finer polarizing foil and have extra sealing for weather proofing. They both also use German Schott glass and brass frames (as do all B+W filters).

I seriously doubt you would need a slim filter on an 18mm lens on an APS-C camera. That's only mildly wide. For that matter, 16mm would probably not need one either, on that camera.

I've use "regular"B+W, which are pretty slim and low profile already, on 17mm wide lens on full frame (equiv. to less than 11mm on a D7500). That lens used a 77mm diameter filter. There was no problem with vignetting. I still use the same filter on lenses as wide as 10mm and 12mm on Canon APS-C cameras, also without any problem. I also have one of the slim XS-Pro filters, one possible problem with any slim filter is that the lower profile can make them a little trickier to screw on and off your lens, especially a C-Pol where the front half of the filter rotates freely.

The problem with step rings is that in most cases you can no longer use the lens' matched lens hood and it can be very difficult to find an effective "generic/screw-in" hood to use instead.

I used to use step rings when I shot film... because I had around 40 different types of filters in a two sizes (I also tracked down and bought a bunch of different lens hoods that would work with them).

Today with digital I use so few filters that I just buy them in the sizes needed. Today's lenses also more commonly use bayonet mount hoods... plus zooms tend to use "tulip" shaped hoods.... both of which can be difficult to replicate with a generic hood.

I still use step rings, but only to be able to stack 8 or 10 different sizes & types of filters together for safe, convenient storage.

Costing $85, the 72mm B+W XS-Pro C-Pol is a really good value. Top quality and all the best features at considerably lower price than the most comparable filters. A Heliopan C-Pol with virtually the same specs sells for $155. Also similar, Breakthrough Photography X4 costs $138 in that size. Or the Hoya HD3 costs $175. Tiffen's Digital HT costs $125.

JeffinMass Loc: MA

Yes to a thin filter. A step up ring would make it even worse as it extends the filter out even further.
B&W has the best German glass. Just be careful. There are B&W knockoffs too. Those inexpensive ones.
I would guess you will pay $150-200 for the thin PL filter. Maybe even more. Try ebay first. Then the preowned dealers like Hunts, B&H, KEH or Adorama.

tiphareth51 Loc: Somewhere near North Pole, Alaska

Sirui makes thin polorizers. I have one on my 70-200 f2.8 Nikon lense. B&W is also good.

User ID

1. Depends on the physical design of front of the lens barrel.
2. 18mm is not especially wide for a D7500. Use any filter.
3. 67->72 is only one step, usually a "break even", neither
an increase nor decrease in vignetting vs using a 67mm filter.
If your purpose is to use the 72 from the zoom also on the
16mm to avoid buying too many filters, that will work well.