But for professional landscape photographers, this Nikon circular polarizer might be your best option. You can purchase this filter on Amazon. First, the Tiffen circular polarizing filter does a decent job of reducing reflections and saturating skies.
Unfortunately, your image quality will take a hit—sharpness and contrast drop with this Tiffen on your lens. Like competitors in its price range, the Tiffen frame is made out of aluminum, not brass. This means you want to be careful not to give it too much of a beating. And the filter itself is quite thin. For some users, this might not be a problem. But others may struggle to twist the glass, or even to get the filter off the lens. All in all, the Tiffen is a decent option for landscape photographers on a budget.
By now, you should have a sense of the best circular polarizing filters. And you should know which filter fits your own needs. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Certain content that appears on PhotoWorkout. Is it distortion, color shift, contrast changes, reflectivity, evenness of effect across the width of the filter, consistency between brands…? Ultimately — How did you select your brands and types, and what balance of metrics did you use to decide the final rankings?
Does Nikon use brass as well? Your email address will not be published. Save my name and email in this browser to see the comment immediatley and edit it if needed. You can clear your browser data at any time.
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. PhilthePhrame I would have been interested in a test of the "Kaesemann foil" Polarizing filters, as they do make claims of high transmission and quality, at a premium price. Mike FL Lens Rentals did not test "quality". Also, Lens Rentals has no mentioned of "frame quality" JackM Mike FL, he describes the optical quality test below. Mike FL dprived prev; Right, all these attributes are not only important, but also cost money which Lens Rentals omitted.
MatVicensPhoto No mention of durability?! RCicala Several people made the pertinent comment that they would expect some effect in sharpness and contrast. The clear filter made no difference.
Eric Hensel. Rensol Absolutely agree with you. Notthecase It's obvious why. It will not measurably affect transmission. Deardorff Nothing on sharpness? No Singh-ray filters? ZeroGravitas no mention of the jessops own filter :. RogOldBoy Although not deciding factors for me, the composition of the rings, and how smoothly they operate, are factors that I consider when purchasing a c-pol.
Also color cast is different with the more expensive ones having a linear color shift Second: In the "real world", where filters are made of photographic grade glass, that is how much filters cost. Zdman Hey badi time for you to read the article more closely as well.
According to Roger's tests, there should be very little difference in the colours. Paul Petersen I would like to know more about how much contrast a filter kills. Zdman I suspect that has much to do with the anti reflective coating which was not tested here. Clyde Thomas That's all we need Rod McD Thanks for the link. Rod McD Surely surface flatness is only part of the story?
Zdman Theres is also a quarter wave plate at the back of a circular polariser which converts the linear polarised to circular polarised light so it still works with the beam splitter on DSLR's which will undoubtedly have an affect on quality. RCicala OK, point is taken. Rod McD Appreciated.
Thank you. Toselli This is a very stupid assumption, you don't choose a polarizer only for its ability to polarize light, but also for not adding artifacts to your image. Zdman Non-flat glass is not the only cause of aberrations. TwoMetreBill All medium and high end so he proved, perhaps, that price does matter? The Name is Bond Mutlicoatings? KaiZenDon Lens Rental and Roger is such an asset to the photographic community, a wholehearted thanks.
RCicala It's in the works, but it's going to be more complex. MyReality sirhawkeye64 - Some of the greatest photographers of the past used variable ND filters. Within two days it was in the post back to the supplier. RCicala I think the sharpness points are very valid, and I'm going to run some MTF bench tests on known lenses with the various CPs and see what we see. KCook Agree with sirhawkeye MyReality Smitty1 - No, the first one is a definition, the second one is a quote. Poweruser "All filters" Pretty bad dpreview My whole house is a junk cabinet according to my wife.
AbrasiveReducer Thanks, Roger! If you're going to criticise someone, maybe educate yourself on the subject beforehand? Battersea Roger Cicala at Lens Rentals is awesome! Both are KaiZenDon Anything above mph on the speedometer is illusionary and they are both stuck on the anyways. A very. KCook Hey - Olaf opened this can of worms in the first place :-D. RCicala That is so totally awesome.
I watched the video and just went "I am unworthy". Lars V Of course not all ND filters are exactly the same. How does this apply to polarizers? Greg VdB dialstatic: interesting video! Greg VdB It's exactly the "filters in parallel" part that I couldn't follow in the video. Always entertaining nonetheless when Roger writes about something! RCicala I didn't bother testing the really cheap ones because the UV filter article steered me away from cheap glass.
Greg VdB Roger: testing one or two of the cheap ones could have made the results a lot more interesting for a large part of the community. You may also like. Video: How scratch-proof is a Sony a image sensor? Fujifilm Instax Square SQ1 review: simple square-format fun.
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Nov 8, 16 Sponsored. Hands-on with the new OM System M. Nov 7, Nov 6, When working with wide lenses, thick mounts can be a challenge. Getting cheaper filters can cause color cast on your images which is not the best thing. Those who intend to shoot without a tripod should maintain an eye on the shutter speed while you use the polarizer.
The reason for this is that the polarizers will help restrict about two stops of light. But the best quality polarizers will usually use higher transmission glass which cuts down this adverse effect. Although you may use your polarizer close to water, you should be careful that none of the water will find itself in the filter. You could, however, get perfect filters that come with antistatic and hydrophobic coatings, which help keep the filter in shape.
One of the challenges of owning different lenses is that they are usually of varying filter thread diameters. But this does not mean that you need to buy the same polarizer severally to fit other glass pieces. Purchase one that fits your lens with the most oversized filter thread diameter, and then you may use step-up rings to have it mounted to the others. Filters are made using glass, and although glass means better image quality, using low-quality glass can adversely affect the quality of your images.
With glass, it isn't easy to know the quality except you use it in the field. The underlining factor here is that you get the quality you pay for ultimately. Be aware that some filters are made with coatings, and such layers have different uses, including maintaining contrast, cutting down glare, and averting scratches.
Filter threads are generally made using metal, and weaker metals usually are susceptible to being broken. Low-quality filters are produced with aluminum which can be bent, and this causes dents.
The premium quality filters are made using brass which can withstand abuse and is generally more robust. Polarizing filters blend two glasses that are fixed together, with the front piece rotating while the other does not.
By turning the front of the filter, you will cause a change in the reflection's intensity. Note that while shooting using a polarizer filter, you begin by rotating the front filter and observing the effect changes. Also, the reflection will become apparent, and colors become less or more saturated.
Ensure to search the position which adequately captures the image effect you desire. You could opt to eliminate reflections or enhance them as the case may be.
However, be mindful of the fact that polarizing filters help impede light at a particular angle. Usually, you get the best effect from your polarizing filters when the sun is at an angle of about thirty-seven degrees. By changing the position of the filter, you will be able to adjust the intensity of the polarizer's effect. If you want the best effect, you should point the lens 90 degrees away from the rays of the sun.
The most innovative way to do this is to tell your index finger at the sun with your thumb up. Yes, you should be careful when you are using a polarizer on a wide-angle glass. But because the lens helps cover over the ninety-degree angle from the sun, there won't be a uniform polarizing effect across the whole image. The best and easiest way to get suitable polarizer filters is to scout online on reputable platforms.
Do well to search for reviews from past and current customers who have used this product. Also, ensure you only go for products that come with warranties. Search Query Submit Search. Best Polarizer Filter Overall. See Full Review. Runner Up. Honorable Mention. Best Circular Polarizer Filter. Best Linear Polarizer Filter. Buyer's Guide The best polarizing filters are designed to help you make the most of your landscape shots, thus allowing you to cut down reflections and give contrast and colors a notable boost.
What is a polarizer? Otherwise, optical performance is excellent, with no drop in image sharpness, and no sign of color casts or vignetting. You can forget about fancy glass and coatings though, as water and fingerprints stick to the front element annoyingly well, making it difficult to clean. This is based around the LEE holder that attaches to your lens via a suitably sized adapter ring. The polarizer then clips to the front of the holder, leaving space for additional square filters to slide in behind.
This system means the polarizer is large at mm in diameter, allowing it to cover numerous different lens diameters. However, the clip-in mechanism is surprisingly difficult to detach again, requiring more squeeze than is comfortable.
Another consideration is the combined filter, holder and adapter ring cost, which is significant. But that said, you get what you pay for.
This is also easily the best filter for resisting fingerprints and repelling water, with droplets beading away perfectly. Lee even includes a high quality zippered pouch in which to store the filter. The Cokin P-series range of filters is known for being affordable and offering a wide range of creative effects, including polarizers.
Most of the range is square or rectangular, fitting into the mount via a P-series filter holder. This filter holder attaches to your lens with an adaptor ring, which is available for lenses with attachment threads of between 48mm and 82mm. The filter holder has three slots for filters. One fits circular filters, such as the Cokin P polarizer. However, there are also two central slots that fit square or rectangular shaped filters as well. The knurled outer edge of the P polarizer is designed to ergonomically allow easy rotation.
While the Cokin P-series is affordable, we did feel that the plastic holder felt a little flimsy in comparison to the Lee Filters holder.
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