Question re M9 and use of pol filter: please advise

[andalus]

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I have the universal pol for the M cameras, but it's a pain the the A**.

 

Question:

 

If one attaches a B&W circular polarizer to a lens, goes outside for a landscape shot and meters with the center red dot lit up and no arrows on either side lit, THEN turns to polarizer until the left LED indicator lights up a bit, is it safe to assume I have just oriented the filter properly to achieve maximum effect for the scene the camera is pointed at???

 

I would assume this to be the case, and maybe a MUCH easier way to always have the pol filter on the lens.

 

Any advice, commentary appreciated!!!

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[chrism]

That makes sense to me (but I don't have a physics degree:rolleyes:!) Can you test it using the universal polariser to see if the decrease in light passing through the filter is registered by the exposure meter?

 

Chris

[Bo_Lorentzen]

Once you have cut the polarized light, the exposure will drop, that is correct.

 

Remember, a pola filter really ONLY works meaningfully at 90 degrees to the sun. the simplest thing is to check the filter off the camera, and note the mark on top of the filter at the best effect, then mount and rotate until the correct mark is pointing up.

 

Pola filters are not good for wandering around a market shooting at lots of angles to the light. they are always most effective at 90 degrees or there abouts.

 

.

[Noel Holland]

Can I suggest you need to look at Kenko vernier polarisers. They have gradations marked on them which match up with a polarised viewer. The viewer is just a piece of polarised filter which can come either mounted on a hotshoe device or else held in the hand in in a device which looks like a magnifying glass. Just look through the viewer and turn the viewer dial until the scene has the right polaristion, read the scale setting from the top of the viewer - then just turn the polariser on the lens to the same setting.

 

Kenko Polariser Viewers | Previewing Rangefinder Polaristaion

 

Remember all polarisers cut two stops of light froma scene. If in doubt of the correct exposure reading, remove the polariser and measure then increase exposure settings two stops and replace the polariser.

[lars_bergquist]

There is a thread on the Customer forum called Polarizer on a M. You should move there; most questions would be answered.

 

The old man from the Age of Edwin Land

[Marty]

If one attaches a B&W circular polarizer to a lens, goes outside for a landscape shot and meters with the center red dot lit up and no arrows on either side lit, THEN turns to polarizer until the left LED indicator lights up a bit, is it safe to assume I have just oriented the filter properly to achieve maximum effect for the scene the camera is pointed at???

In theory yes. However I use the B+W's and in practice it is not really accurate. The angular range of maximum polarisation effect is actually very narrow, and the exposure difference not always big enough to rely on the LED; sometimes it will be flashing/flickering or just weak, sometimes even just because the camera is moved slightly. Like Bo I check it off camera first. Works best.

[leicanut2]

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[andalus]

thanks for all the good advice guys. very helpful!

[doug_m]

What works for me on the M9 is to put a B + W circular Polarizer (I have the KSM versions) on the lens and then shoot 4 to 10 shots while turn the polarizer through a 180 degree arc. Its a lot of shots but on a digital M its no big deal. I then review the shots and decide which ones I like best. By the way, its not always the most polarized shot that is favored. Take more shots for special scenes and less for others. Its much better than the Leica flip up polarizer (which I also own) for compact use/ travel. Digital Ms make this method possible.