Circular Polarizers

An explanation of what they do, why you should use one, what you gain and lose in the process, and how to handle them.

What do they do?

• Brighten or darken the sky in your images

• Decrease reflection intensity on glass and water surfaces (but not on metal)

• Enhance color saturation on flora

Why should you use one?

• To enhance the impact of images• To increase color saturation• To make white clouds stand out

against a blue sky• To intensify rainbows!• To see below the water’s surface

What do you gain?

• Artistic/creative control • Increased contrast in the image• Ability to salvage a bad image• See what the human eye can’t• You will develop an

understanding of and appreciation for reflections

What do you lose?

• 1.5 – 2.0 f/stops of exposure, due to the darkening effect of the polarizer

• Forces slower shutter speeds, or larger aperture settings

• Can’t use lens wider than 28mm • Can’t be used for panoramic shots,

due to inconsistent sky darkness

Mounted on SLR lens or handheld loosely

• Can be mounted on the front of interchangeable lenses

• Can be handheld in front of the lens on point & shoot cameras

Examples of unpolarized vs.

polarized images

NOT polarized

Polarized

NOT polarized

Polarized

Not polarized

Polarized

Not polarized

Polarized

Not polarized

Polarized

Not polarized

Polarized

Not polarized

Polarized

1963 Corvette Coupe with split rear window

Not polarized

Polarized

Not polarized Medium

Maximum

Not polarized

Medium

Maximum

Not polarized

Medium

Maximum

Examples of when you might WANT reflections!

Experiment with YOUR polarizer!