Filter question

[PatrickBranch]

Is there a big difference between


and



?

I really want a polarizer, but I don't want to spend over $100 on one. I have pro 1 UV filters which are really nice.

[SmartWombat]

I think you answered your own question.
Pro1 filters are better than "high quality" which is marketing speak for ordinary.

[PatrickBranch]

Yes...But how much difference will it make in photos?

[poker]

This is what a "salesmen" told me when I bought my first Canon "L" glass. I wanted a cheap protection filter. He told me a cheap filter would degrade the quality of the lens. So in my mind, if you have a high quality lens use a high quality filter.

It has been said in other threads that cheap filters cast a color hue on photos.

I have two cheap PROMASTER circ polarizers at different sizes. I use them and they do what I expect. If my cheap polarizers are causing me problems then my untrained eye can't see it anyhow.



What lens are you going to put it on?

[PatrickBranch]

I'm going to put it on a Tamron 17-35 f/2.8. I love that effect it did to the sky.

[PatrickBranch]

Could I find a medium level polarizer from another company that would be better tha hoya, or would a low level hoya still be better (all at similar price range)?

[PatrickBranch]

Does anyone else know?

[another view]

My Hoya polarizer case looks like the second one except it doesn't say "Pro 1". Bought it a couple of years ago, maybe they've changed it. I think mine was about $100 or slightly more, and it's a 77mm slim mount. I kind of considered it a mid-grade compared to B+W or Heliopan filters. It's a good filter and a good value.

The problem that you might run into with less expensive polarizers is that they may not be perfectly neutral. They're very close and in 99% of situations should be close enough. For the rest, you'd really need a calibrated system (camera, monitor, printer) and have very tight control over the complete workflow before it would be much of a concern. I've heard that some polarizers can polarize light more than others but this one seems similar to the Nikon polarizer I had - these are the only two I really have much experience with.

One thing to remember when using a polarizer is that it's not an "on-off" effect. In some cases, the maximum effect may be more than what you want and you can turn it back a bit to lower the effect.