Steve'sDigicams

Tom Rogers · Aug 12, 2005, 4:20 PM

I know several professional landscape/nature photographers. They all have polarizers which are used frequently. Not one of them uses a UV filter. Anyone who argues against what I have said, is arguing with some of the icons of nature photography. Go to the bookstore and look at their recommendations.

Aug 12, 2005, 6:30 PM

On a stormy looking day, I was driving in a parking lot & looked out the window with my polarized sunglasses on. The light rays coming through the clouds looked amazing & I mentioned it to my daughter, who was next to me. She had no sunglasses on & said "what do you mean"? I took them off & was suprised to see a hazy looking gray blanket of clouds. I gave her the glasses & she put them on & said "Oh cool"!

So, being the nerd I am, I took my Olympus C2100 out & focused on the sky, held one lens of the sunglasses against the front of the camera lens & took this shot (while holding the camera out of the window). Kind'a a blind-luck shot...but not possible without the polarized glass.

idelsoni · Nov 4, 2005, 5:58 PM

A polarizer is very useful for making the clouds "pop" out of the sky as well as deepen the blue of the sky. You get the maximum polarizing effect when you are shooting 90 degrees to the angle of the sun.

And be careful at high altitudes (>8000 ft) as polarizers can actually turn the sky black.

tclune · Nov 4, 2005, 6:35 PM

Let me suggest that you may want to consider getting a graduated neutral density filter instead of a polarized fliter. The GND is easy to use and acccomplishes something very important -- commonly in landscape shots, you just don't have enough dynamic range in your camera to do justice to the image. Just about any time you have a bright sky and a darker foreground -- or when you have a distant mountain that is subtley distinct from the sky in the background of the image, you can capture the thing you are seeing very comfortably with a GND.The suggestion that equipment is tricky to learn is generally true and good advice. But, to my mind, a GND is a very natural thing to use and has as close to no learning curve as any piece of gear can have.

Aug 12, 2005, 6:30 PM	#12
Guest Guest Posts: n/a	On a stormy looking day, I was driving in a parking lot & looked out the window with my polarized sunglasses on. The light rays coming through the clouds looked amazing & I mentioned it to my daughter, who was next to me. She had no sunglasses on & said "what do you mean"? I took them off & was suprised to see a hazy looking gray blanket of clouds. I gave her the glasses & she put them on & said "Oh cool"! So, being the nerd I am, I took my Olympus C2100 out & focused on the sky, held one lens of the sunglasses against the front of the camera lens & took this shot (while holding the camera out of the window). Kind'a a blind-luck shot...but not possible without the polarized glass. Attached Images

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Aug 12, 2005, 4:20 PM	#11
Tom Rogers Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 15	I know several professional landscape/nature photographers. They all have polarizers which are used frequently. Not one of them uses a UV filter. Anyone who argues against what I have said, is arguing with some of the icons of nature photography. Go to the bookstore and look at their recommendations.

Nov 4, 2005, 5:58 PM	#13
idelsoni Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 6	A polarizer is very useful for making the clouds "pop" out of the sky as well as deepen the blue of the sky. You get the maximum polarizing effect when you are shooting 90 degrees to the angle of the sun. And be careful at high altitudes (>8000 ft) as polarizers can actually turn the sky black.

Nov 4, 2005, 6:35 PM	#14
tclune Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 1,093	Let me suggest that you may want to consider getting a graduated neutral density filter instead of a polarized fliter. The GND is easy to use and acccomplishes something very important -- commonly in landscape shots, you just don't have enough dynamic range in your camera to do justice to the image. Just about any time you have a bright sky and a darker foreground -- or when you have a distant mountain that is subtley distinct from the sky in the background of the image, you can capture the thing you are seeing very comfortably with a GND.The suggestion that equipment is tricky to learn is generally true and good advice. But, to my mind, a GND is a very natural thing to use and has as close to no learning curve as any piece of gear can have.