circular polarizers an explanation of what they do, why you should use one, what you gain and lose...
TRANSCRIPT
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!