Circular polarisers: difference ?

[Cutter]

I got a cheap camlink and lost all my sharpness in my lense, never again

[dan123]

ive also got a cheep camlink its a nightmare, it barely polarises, a nighmare to clean, dust just sticks to it, and there hard to get on the lense, so ive stopped using it till i get another, most likely a hoya,

dan,

[silversnapper1]

Originally Posted by donoreo

I know you need to be at a right angle, but figuring that out can be tricky. I did recently learn that some CPs have a mark on them and you point that at the sun. I do not know if mine does.

Figuring it out is quite easy really. I saw this trick on another site. If you point your index finger at the sun and extend your thumb to the side, you should near enough get a 90 degree angle.

[donoreo]

Originally Posted by dan123

ive also got a cheep camlink its a nightmare, it barely polarises, a nighmare to clean, dust just sticks to it, and there hard to get on the lense, so ive stopped using it till i get another, most likely a hoya,

dan,

I was thinking the same thing on the "barely polarises" comment. I was thinking it was just me

[chris-p]

Originally Posted by KeithT

By the bye, if you have a cheap polariser and want to know if it is really a circular type, or just two linear filters put together. If you hold it up to a mirror and look through the face side at the reflection, it should show you completely dense black glass that you are unable to see through. If you can see through the filter reflection in the mirror, it aint a circular polariser.

Thats a good trick.

The other one is, if you have an LCD, LED or plasma TV you should be able to sit on your sofa, hold it in front of the TV (with the TV turned on) and rotate it. A circular polariser will block all transmission from the TV.
Same as Keiths trick, if it don't go completely black - it ain't a circular polariser...

[OldBoy]

Originally Posted by chris-p

The other one is, if you have an LCD, LED or plasma TV you should be able to sit on your sofa, hold it in front of the TV (with the TV turned on) and rotate it. A circular polariser will block all transmission from the TV.

Good for EastEnders then!

[chris-p]

Originally Posted by OldBoy

Good for EastEnders then!

With some TVs, you'd need a pretty large polariser... good idea though!

[littlebro]

Originally Posted by silversnapper1

Figuring it out is quite easy really. .

With the sun on your shoulder whichever way you face (forward) if I remember angles must be 90 degrees. Within a few.

[Jolieteddie]

Although you won't use it all the time, a good polarizing filter seems to do wonders when I'm shooting landscapes to darken the sky and enhance the clouds. For use on my wide angle lens I was sure to buy one that specifically had a very thin ring that would not vignette my shots. Those tend to cost a bit more. I don't do professional work, so I tend to opt for filters a few rungs above the low end of some of the standard well-known brands, typically $40-$55US range I would guess.

[donoreo]

Originally Posted by Jolieteddie

I don't do professional work, so I tend to opt for filters a few rungs above the low end of some of the standard well-known brands, typically $40-$55US range I would guess.

It would be nice to find filters for that price! Especially right now since the Canadian dollar is about $1.04 US (Yep, a US $ is only 96 cents here now!). Any decent filters is seem start at $70.