A Polarizer lens can improve color saturation and reduce reflections, and they are one of the few lens filters that cannot be replicated with digital photo editing.
They are an essential tool that every photographer should have in their camera bag. Developing an intuition for how a polarizer might affect a photograph often causes extensive experimentation.
This article aims to speed up that process by demonstrating how and why polarizing filters can help–and, sometimes, harm–various types of scenes.
About Polarizing Lens
A polarizing filter, also known as a “polarizer,” is a photographic filter that is placed in front of a camera lens to reduce reflections, reduce atmospheric haze, and increase color saturation.
In photography, they keep a polarizer lens or polarising filter in front of the camera lens to darken skies, manage reflections, or suppress glare from the surface of lakes or the sea.
Because reflections (and skylight) are usually at least partially linearly polarized, a linear polarizer can alter the light balance in the photograph.
The filter’s rotational orientation is adjusted to achieve the desired artistic effect.
A circular polarizer (CPL) is commonly used in modern cameras.
This comprises a linear polarizer that performs the previously described artistic function, followed by a quarter-wave plate that further transforms the now-linearly polarized light into circularly polarized light before entering the camera.
This extra step helps to avoid problems.
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Types of Polarizer Lens
There are two types of polarizing filters readily available: linear and circular, both of which have the same photographic effect.
However, because the beam splitters used to split off the light for focusing and metering are polarization-dependent, the metering and auto-focus sensors in certain cameras.
Including virtually all auto-focus single-lens reflex cameras (SLRs), will not work properly with linear polarizers.
Instead, manufacturers are focusing on producing high-quality circular filters with excellent light transmission qualities.
These filters work perfectly on modern mirrorless cameras but I do not recommend them for use because of a lack of high-quality alternatives.
Because mirrors and beam splitters split circularly polarized light, the same way they split unpolarized light, this works with all cameras.
I easily distinguished linear polarizing filters from circular polarizing filters.
The Best Polarizer Lens
Polarizing filters are excellent for increasing image vibrancy and contrast. They reduce unwanted reflections in water and glass while also improving the color of the skies by removing haze.
A low-cost polarizer is an excellent investment for almost any photographer.
A polarizing filter works by cutting out specific light waves, reducing glare and haze from sunlight.
They shine when photographing large bodies of water, such as rivers or lakes. By removing reflections, you can capture the character and color of the water in greater depth.
Below are some polarizer filters that I highly recommend:
1. Marumi DHG Super Circular PL
Marumi has four distinct ranges of circular polarizers, each with a different glass/coating combination.
However, unlike Marumi’s EXUS polarizers, DHG Super polarizers do not include high light transmission glass.
This may explain why our sample filter restricted light by half a stop more than the best filters on the test.
Other than that, optical performance is excellent, with no loss of image sharpness and no evidence of color casts or vignetting.
It screws smoothly into the filter thread of your lens, and the polarizer’s front element rotates smoothly as well.
With filter thread diameters ranging from 37mm to 95mm, there’s a DHG Super polarizer for almost any lens, and most are very affordable.
2. Hama Polarizer Lens, Circular, AR Coated
Hama’s entry is inexpensive, but it provides solid performance and is available in a wide range of filter diameters from 37 to 82mm.
There is at least an AR anti-reflective coating that works to improve light transmission.
Water and fingerprints cling to the front element infuriatingly well, making cleaning difficult.
A 6% decrease in image sharpness is technically the worst performance on this list, but it is still insignificant.
3. LEE Elements Circular Polarizer
LEE Filters were previously only available as part of a holder system, requiring an additional attachment to get on and off the front of the lens.
However, in 2021, the company relented and released the Elements series, which are circular filters that are quickly attached and detached from a lens without the use of a holder.
They made the Elements Polarizer of premium glass and includes a useful change ring for fine-tuning the polarizing effect.
It won’t fit all lenses because the minimum thread size is 67mm, but it covers a wide range of optics.
If you don’t mind paying a slightly higher asking price, we believe the Elements Polarizer is well worth it.
4. Lee Filters LEE100 Polariser
They designed Lee’s Polarisers to be used with the LEE100 100mm filter system. This is based on the LEE100 holder, which connects to your lens via a suitable adapter ring.
The polarizer is then clipped to the front of the holder, leaving room behind for additional square filters to be inserted.
Another factor to consider is the high cost of the combined filter, holder, and adapter ring. Lee even includes a high-quality zippered pouch to keep the filter in.
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What to Look for in the Best Polarizer Lens
Thin Frames
When working with filters, you’ll want to look for a slim mount to ensure maximum versatility when shooting.
This is because thick amounts can cause vignetting and are difficult to work around when shooting with a wide-angle lens.
Color Control
You can sometimes introduce color casts into your images if you use a low-cost polarizer. This isn’t ideal, but it’s easily fixed in post-production.
A Clearer Picture
Although some manufacturers use hydrophobic coatings to help repel water, we still advise caution when using your polarizer near water.
Lighten Up
Remember that polarizers can reduce light by up to two stops, so monitor your shutter speed. However, premium polarizers frequently use higher transmission glass to help mitigate this effect.
Maximizing Value
One of the most inconvenient aspects of owning multiple lenses is that, unless you happen upon a fantastic fluke, they will almost certainly have different filter thread diameters.
However, this does not cause purchasing a polarizer multiple times to accommodate your various pieces of glass! Buy one with the largest filter thread diameter to fit your lens, and then use step-up rings to attach it to the others. Sorted!
Notable Facts About Polarizer Lens
At one extreme, you can rotate your filter so that the maximum polarization direction is perpendicular to the sun’s directions.
If you rotate it slightly (say, 10–20°), you can shift the angle of maximum effect slightly towards or away from the sun — but the polarizing effect will be less pronounced.
At the other end of the spectrum, once the filter has been rotated a full 90°, no polarizing effects are visible.
Any more rotation than these causes the effect to increase once more, and the cycle to repeat.
Saturation of Color
One of the first things you’ll notice about polarizers is how they increase color saturation.
Polarizers have a much stronger influence on clear, sunny days than on overcast or rainy days.
When direct reflections are reduced, a greater proportion of the subject’s light becomes diffuse, resulting in a more colorful representation.
It will render the foliage in brighter green, the skies will be rendered in a deeper blue, and the flowers will be rendered more intense.
Saturation is not always increased uniformly. This is all dependent on whether an object is at an optimal angle to the sun and whether it is highly reflective.
When using a polarizer, more reflective objects will see a greater increase in saturation.
Polarizer Lens: Windows, Reflections, and Transparency
A polarizer filter can be a very useful tool for eliminating reflections and isolating objects that are wet, underwater, or behind a window.
A polarizer can also remove unwanted reflections when photographing through a window or other transparent barrier.
When photographing objects in store windows, out of a moving train, or within a glass case, for example, this can be a very useful tool.
However, polarizers can sometimes produce an unrealistic-looking rainbow or ripple effect on windows that are uneven, tinted, or coated.
A good example of this is “birefringent,” which appears when taking a polarized photo through an airplane window.
Contrast & Glare
Because polarizers reduce direct reflections, they frequently have the unintended consequence of reducing image contrast.
This makes it easier to capture scenes with a wide dynamic range.
Such as balancing a bright sky with relatively unreflective land (which can even make using a graduated neutral density filter or high dynamic range less important).
However, less glare/contrast is not always desirable. In most other situations, however, a glare reduction is desirable and results in a more pleasing photograph.
In other cases, polarizers can increase contrast. Using a polarizer on clouds and skies almost always increases contrast, but if the subject is highly reflective, a polarizer will almost always decrease contrast.
A polarizer lens can sometimes improve the color and contrast of a rainbow by darkening the background clouds, but only if the filter is rotated precisely. Including both ends of a rainbow usually causes the use of a wide-angle lens, which may cause the scene/rainbow to appear uneven.
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