What are polarizers used for? Recommended polarizer to make you a landscape master

You may have heard of polarizers and know that they can make the sky bluer, but it has no effect or you don’t know how to use them. In fact, polarizers cannot be used in any situation! This article will explain to you in detail the uses and intricacies of polarizing filters. At the end of the article, we will also recommend the ones that the editor thinks have the best CP value. STC extremely transparent polarizer, if you like it, you can buy it directly!

For those who like to take photos while traveling, the correct use of polarizers can turn you into a landscape master and save you the trouble of post-production and color correction. Don’t miss the polarizer!

▲ Figure 1: What is the use of polarizers? ／From Pexels
 

What is a polarizer?

Polarizer is also called polarizer, in English it is Circular Polarizer Filter, or CPL for short. The main purpose of the polarizer CPL is to adjust the color saturation in the picture and reduce the impact of light reflected from non-metallic objects and water surfaces.

There are many tiny gratings inside the CPL filter that block light at certain angles. The polarizer can be rotated through the upper ring to control the impact of light on the photo.

▲ Figure 2: There is a rotating ring on the polarizer/from Kenko

Although the color saturation can be modified using PhotoShop for parts where the color is not bright enough, the reflective effect is difficult to improve in post-production. For friends who are not very good at post-production and retouching, it is highly recommended to buy a polarizer to reduce a lot of unnecessary trouble.

There are also differences in the frame thickness of CPL polarizers. Polarizers with thick frames are suitable for lenses with an equivalent focal length of 35mm or above and will produce less vignetting. Polarizers with thin frames are suitable for wide-angle or ultra-wide-angle lenses. Not every lens is like this, so it’s best to try it out as soon as possible after purchasing a rear polarizer. If you feel that the vignetting is too obvious, you can only return it.

▲ Figure 5: For wide-angle lenses, try to choose polarizers with thin frames/from Kenko
 

Polarizer principle

This paragraph will introduce how polarizers block light. If you are not interested, you can skip it!

If you want to thoroughly understand the principles of polarizers, you may have to start with complex quantum mechanics, but I am not an expert in this field. I found a relatively easy-to-understand explanation video. Please watch this interesting video first.Polarizer explanation videoBar!

Physics has said before that light is an electromagnetic wave. When light travels, the vibration direction of the electromagnetic field will come in all directions. If a certain kind of light travels in the same direction as its electromagnetic field vibrations, this kind of light is called “polarized light”, and this kind of light has polarization properties. If you want to know more about it, you can read the following article.

There are polarized light at various angles in natural light. The editor first uses a simple polarized light with only two angles to represent it. This kind of polarized light will cause imaging interference for the camera. Using a polarizer can effectively solve this problem.

There are many small gratings in the same direction in the polarizer to block light that is inconsistent with the direction of the grating, so you can see that the final filtered light has only a single angle. Part of the light is blocked, which will slightly reduce the amount of light entering.

▲ Figure 6: Polarizer uses grating principle to block light/from NTDTV

 

Polarizer (Polarizer) Purpose

The principle of polarizer is to block interfering natural light to achieve the effect of “increasing saturation” and “reducing reflection”.
 

1. Increase saturation

Because of this feature, many photographers use it to shoot landscapes. In addition to making the sky bluer, it can also make trees, flowers and grass greener. Brighter colors can eliminate the need for color mixing.

For example, the picture below was taken at Daping Red Bridge in Longtan. The weather was good that day and there were not many clouds in the sky. When a polarizer is not used, the sky is light blue and the trees nearby look less vibrant. After using a polarizer, you can obviously find that the sky has become bluer, the trees are greener, and the water flow is clearer!

I don’t know how to compare the photos without putting them together, but you will know the difference once you compare them. Obviously the effect is better with polarizer, the whole scenery comes alive!

This set of pictures was taken in Karuizawa, Japan, on a rainy day. Because the clouds are too thick, the maple leaves look dark and the color is not very pleasing. I adjusted the aperture to a wide aperture and took the picture, but it was obvious that the picture was too bright. At this time, using a polarizer does not have this problem. Not only the maple leaves turn red, but other green leaves also become greener.

2. Reduce reflection

Sometimes when shooting on the street, you will take pictures of store windows or car windshields. The angle will cause reflections and affect the clarity of the picture. At this time, just turn the polarizer to filter out some light, so that you can see the scenery in the window or the glass clearly.

For example, in the set of pictures below, it is impossible to see the text on the advertising banner clearly without using a polarizer, but after adding a polarizer, it is obvious that the advertising banner can be read. What’s interesting is that if you look at it with the naked eye at the scene, the visual effect will be the same as without a polarizer and you will not be able to see the text clearly.

The following set of pictures were taken at Asakusa Station in Japan. The weather was very good and the sun was very strong, causing some reflections on the building body to be slightly different from the actual color, and may even be overexposed. After using a polarizer to block the reflection, it is obvious that the color of the building itself is almost the same as the actual one.

For those who are new to photography, they may think that polarizers are too mysterious and difficult to understand, so they are afraid to buy them. Aside from the principle, it is actually very easy to use polarizers, just turn them around without thinking.Give it a lick XD, just look at the effect, it’s very easy!

Although in terms of saturation, it is not difficult to adjust it in post-production through PhotoShop, but the problem of eliminating reflections on glass materials cannot be adjusted in post-production, so it can only be achieved through CPL polarizer.

▲ Figure 15: PhotoShop post-production adjustment color/from Unsplash

Having said all that, polarizers are not a panacea. The polarizer itself will reduce the amount of light entering (by about 1 to 1.5 stops) and slow down the shutter speed, so handheld blur is likely to occur on cloudy days or in environments with low light sources. It is recommended to use a tripod to assist shooting. If you have the budget, you can also choose a body or lens with built-in anti-shake.

It doesn’t mean that the sky is completely white after the rain, and it can turn blue by adding a polarizer. Or if the glass is highly reflective, add a polarizer to see through it completely. Polarized lenses are not that magical!

▲ Figure 18: Polarizers are not universal and cannot be used as magic / from Unsplash

The following will introduce the situations where polarizers are not suitable, please pay more attention!
 

Limitations on the use of polarizers

When photographing the sky or scenery, it is best to be at a 90° angle to the sun, otherwise the effect will be compromised! Moreover, the distance of the scene to be photographed should be moderate. If it is too far away, it will be backlit by the sun and the picture will become dark!

When photographing ponds, shop windows or car glass, you must maintain an angle of about 30~40° so that reflections can be effectively eliminated. Other angles will also have an effect, but the effect will be compromised.

You may have a question, “How do you know what the angle is?” In fact, this is just a rule of thumb. Of course, it is impossible to use a protractor to measure in the actual shooting, and the fish will disappear after measuring it.

Just think about the composition and stand at a point that feels right for you. Look through the electronic viewing window and then turn the polarizer to see the best effect. As long as you can see the pond or the dark blue sky clearly, it will be the best effect. Of course, you can also take many photos with different effects at once, and then delete the other photos when the time comes.

 

What should you pay attention to when buying polarizers?

The key points for purchasing lens filters are generally the same, but some filters have slightly different key points. If you want to refer to more principles, you can refer to the following article.

 

Buy polarized glasses with thin frames

Most of the lenses used to shoot landscapes are wide-angle lenses, and these lenses tend to capture the filter frame because of their wide shooting angles. At this time, it is more appropriate to choose polarizers with thinner frames.

 

Buy the right caliber

The editor would recommend that the polarizer of the lens should be as large as possible. Although a larger polarizer will make it impossible to use the hood, the lens may need to be upgraded to a larger diameter in the future. In this case, just replacing the filter adapter ring can save a lot of money.

▲ Figure 24: Look at the lens diameter to know how big the filter should be.

If you haven’t seen the benefits of using a lens hood, I suggest you read this article!

 

Buy polarizers from well-known manufacturers

Many manufacturers around the world are making polarizers, but the quality is different and the focus is different. Some are pursuing thinner filters, thinner frames, harder frames or lenses, more coatings, more extreme light transmittance, etc.

The editor firmly believes that only if the quality of the lens filter is good, it will last for a long time. The following are relatively well-known manufacturers, some of which have been around for decades. When choosing polarizers, please give priority to these manufacturers.

• Germany B+W
• Japan HOYA
• Japanese Marumi
• Japan Kenko (Merge with Tokina)
• Taiwan SUNPOWER (A subsidiary of Yonglian International)
• Taiwan STC

 

Pay attention to coating quality

Some polarizers will emphasize multi-layer coating to reduce glare, oil-proof, waterproof, anti-static…etc., such as Marumi polarizer That’s the kind of thing. This part is not mandatory, you can choose according to your own needs.

The editor doesn’t often hang a polarizer in front of the lens, so he doesn’t care too much about multi-layer coating. Coating quality is really what you pay for. Good quality is indeed important, but it will not be the first consideration. Moreover, as long as you find a well-known manufacturer, the quality of polarizers will not be much worse.

The editor cares more about convenience. If a polarizer can be used in any environment, I will definitely buy it first.

▲ Figure 25: Marumi DHG CPL multi-layer coated polarizer/from Marumi Color Promotion General Agent
 

Polarizer recommendation

STC extremely transparent polarizer

Using a polarizer will probably reduce the amount of light entering (by about 1 to 1.5 stops). But this piece is different. After use, the overall level is only reduced by 0.5. After official testing, the maximum light transmittance is about 65%, so you don’t have to worry about shutter speed or raising the ISO sensitivity.

The official claims that “when moving from outdoors to indoors, you no longer need to remove the polarizer from the lens.” This is mainly because STC uses double-sided anti-reflection (Anti-Reflection) coating, which can solve the problems of excessive light reduction and color cast, and increase the light transmittance to 1.3 times that of ordinary polarizers.
 

▲ Figure 27: STC extremely transparent polarizer attached to the lens/from STC

 

It uses double-sided nano-anti-smudge and anti-static special coatings, so it can achieve waterproof, oil-proof, and dust-proof effects, making the lens easier to clean and less likely to get lint stuck.

In the past, the editor did not use polarizers indoors, but the picture below shows the use of this polarizer indoors. Because of the excellent light transmittance, even after hanging the polarizer indoors, there is still no difference. This polarizer is so convenient, eliminating the trouble of disassembly and assembly.

▲ Figure 28: Polarizer has excellent light transmittance and can be used indoors/from Mobile01

Among the many filter brands, the editor willRecommended STC in Taiwan, the reason is not just to support domestic products, but also to provide public data without fear of others talking about it. andEach filter has a serial number and is guaranteed after registering on the website., the headquarters is only in Taipei, so there is no problem in communication.

The following article introduces the STC extreme light-transmitting polarizer in detail. If you are interested, you may want to check it out!

 

SUNPOWER TOP1 HDMC Polarizer

Using this polarizer will reduce the amount of light entering by 1.1 stops. You can use this polarizer normally by narrowing the aperture by about 1 stop or increasing the ISO sensitivity by 1 stop. After official testing, the light transmittance is about 58%, which is not bad.

Using multi-layer double-sided nano multi-layer coating, it can also achieve waterproof, oil-proof, wear-resistant and anti-static effects, making cleaning easier. The official also claimed that “the image quality of the photo will not be damaged without removing the lens.” However, the editor still thinks that the effect is different from the expected effect after using it, and it is recommended to remove it.

 

B+W XS-Pro HT Polarizer

The name of this polarizer series is XS, which is the abbreviation of Extra Slim, which means that the frame is quite thin, so that wide-angle lenses will not have vignetting. HT is the abbreviation of High Transmission, which means excellent light transmittance.

It adopts multi-layer coating MRC (Multi-resistant coating) which is quite scratch-resistant, waterproof, oil-proof and stain-resistant. It is advertised that it can be used indoors and outdoors without affecting the color, which is indeed very convenient for photographers.

 

It has been a century since B+W was founded, and coating technology is constantly innovating. In order to achieve perfect quality of polarizers, their company insists that the manufacturers of optical lenses must be of the highest grade, and all filter materials are sourced fromSchott Group, Germany, this is the largest optical glass factory in the world. With more than 130 years of accumulated experience and R&D work, it produces more than 100 types of optical glass for use in many industries.

 

Marumi EXUS polarizer

This polarizer was launched in 2013, emphasizing the world’s first anti-static coating, and also has a waterproof and oil-proof design. The frame thickness of polarized lenses is thicker than that of home-made lenses. DHG polarizerIt is also slightly thinner and caused a sensation when it was launched. It was even sold out of stock in Japan.

After many years, this polarizer is still available, but there are so many up-and-comers that the price has dropped slightly. For those with a limited budget, this is still a polarizer that can be considered!

When the editor was sorting out information, I found that the second generation of Marumi Exus polarizers has been launched in Japan. Improve color contrast, better light transmittance, and maintain the original dust-proof, waterproof and oil-proof characteristics.

▲ Figure 32: Marumi EXUS Mark II polarizer/from Marumi Japan official website

 

Kenko CELESTE Polarizer

This polarized lens uses an oil-resistant coating, making the lenses easier to maintain. The same kind of coating has been applied to our own products in advance REALPRO series filters, and received widespread acclaim.

When sorting it out, the editor found that this polarizer is not anti-static, so if it accidentally absorbs tiny lint, please use a blower several times to clean it! That’s not to say it’s not good without anti-static. As long as you develop the habit of covering the lens protective cover when you’re not using the camera, you won’t be afraid of lint being absorbed, don’t you think?

this videoThis is to introduce the coating technology used in this CPL filter and compare it with coatings from other brands. It is not difficult to see that the quality of the filter coatings launched by Kenko is also very particular.

 

FAQ

Why don’t polarizers have the effect of blue skies?

Polarizers use the grating principle to block part of the light from entering the lens, so the shooting angle has a lot to do with the direction of the light! Please remember that the best angle between the subject, camera, and sunlight is 90°! When using a polarizer, you can turn the polarizer around through the electronic viewing window to see at what angle the color is best!

Sometimes when the editor is too lazy to look at the electronic viewing window, he will turn the polarizer at the same angle many times without thinking, take many photos, and then go home to see which one is the best.

 

Can polarized glasses be used as protective glasses?

Not recommended.

Most people don’t think of polarizers as lens protection. Polarizers are mainly used to “increase saturation” and “reduce reflections” and can filter out the interference of natural light. Its purpose is completely different from that of a protective lens, so the editor does not recommend keeping a polarizer permanently attached to the lens to protect the lens.

Then maybe you would like to add a UV protective lens in front of the CPL filter. In fact, this is not necessary.

You have to know that the more filters you have, the more filtered you are, which will affect the image and the final result of the photo.

 

Can polarizers be used indoors?

Not recommended.

Because the polarizer will block light interference, the amount of light entering will be reduced, causing the camera’s shutter speed to slow down, which may cause the hand to shake and result in poor shooting. If this doesn’t make sense to you, just imagine that no one wears sunglasses indoors.

Although the outdoor scenery is stunning, it is often necessary to use a CPL filter to increase the vividness of the colors. I also know that when traveling, you frequently go in and out of indoor and outdoor areas, but it is still recommended to remove the polarizer when entering indoors!

 

Do I need polarizers?

If you like to shoot static objects, portraits, pets, sports events, etc., and these subjects have nothing to do with “increasing saturation” and “reducing reflection”, then there is no need to buy a polarizer.

If you like to travel around or want to become a landscape photographer, it is recommended that you buy a polarizer. Despite the complicated principles, it is not difficult to use a polarizer. Remember that the light in each scene is different, so be sure to always turn the polarizer to achieve the best effect!

 

What is the difference between a light-reducing filter and a polarizer?

Although the names of these two filters differ by just one word, the difference is huge.

• Densifier (ND): Reduces the amount of light entering and slows down the shutter speed. It is often used to shoot waterfalls to create a dense effect.
• Polarizing filter (CPL): Although it can also reduce the amount of light, it is only 1.5 levels at most. It cannot replace the light-reducing filter and is often used to reduce reflections.

 

Conclusion

After reading the introduction of this article, do you already understand the purpose of polarizers, how to use them, and how to choose them? If you still don’t understand, you are welcome to discuss it with me!

Whether a polarizer is necessary or not? From my personal experience, if you like to travel around or want to be a landscape photographer, taking photos of landscapes, water surfaces, and window glass is really bad. Turning the polarizer can eliminate reflections. The colors are also more vivid, which saves time on post-production retouching.

Among so many filters, the editor recommends them the most STC extremely transparent polarizer, because you can shoot indoors and outdoors with just one polarizer without having to remove it, which adds a lot of convenience. If you have the same trouble as the editor, then just choose this polarizer!

Then you may ask, “Why not choose B+W XS-Pro HT polarizer or other polarizers?” Although the quality of B+W’s filters is always eye-catching, if there is a problem with the use of the polarizer and requires warranty, then B+W polarizer is not convenient. STC is a Taiwanese company. When the filter needs repair, there is absolutely no problem in communication.

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by Engineer Blake

Source: KOCPC Chinese