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Using a CPL


Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS

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Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS

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I recently bought a CPL and yesterday tried it for the first time on my S007. Looking through the viewfinder I found it very difficult to see any difference and there are no markings on the CPL itself. ........ Is there a trick to this????

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Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS

The CPL is not as marked in effect as the linear polarisers, any polariser needs the right conditions to have some effect...

 

john

So John. One thing I noticed is that if I was looking at the shutter speed speed while rotating the CPL I would see the shutter speed slowing down......... Is the idea to get the shutter speed to slow down to the max or to ???????
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Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS

And interact I did....read link above.

 

Jeff

cheers mate

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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I use CPLs with my tele photo lenses to cut down on reflections.

In some conditions it is indeed difficult to judge which CPL orientation will net the best effect.

 

This is what I do in such situations:

 

Point the camera to a transparent glass object very close to your actual subject (you don't want to alter the angle between the mein light source (sun) and the lens axis).

Very easy to see for this are car windows or office buildings with large glass facade panels.

Turn the CPL to see when the glass subjects become most transparent vs when they are mostly reflecting sunlight into your lens - decide what you want (full reflections = least filter effect, least reflections = max filter effect or somewhere in between).

Leave the CPL filter set and shoot your subject.

 

Another trick is to watch your exposure meter (TTL):

Max filter effect is reached when your meter reads the longest exposure time vs least filter effect is reached when your meter reads the shortest exposure.

 

Another trick is to watch for contrast changes - if you have a clear sky and have distinct white puffy clouds - point the camera to see sky and clouds at the same time and adjust the CPL filter - you will easily see the effect the filter has when adjusted.

 

Another good indicator for CPL filter effects is to watch for car glass lamination effects (something that is problematic in automotive product photography).

With a CPL set at maximum filter effect, car glass (which consists of several laminated layers) will show a very distinct blotchy repetitive pattern.

 

Very easy is also to look for reflections (landscapes with reflections in water) - the typical sunset at the beach shot comes to mind - watch the sparkling reflections on the water surface while you adjust the CPL - least reflections = max filter effect).

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Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS

I've got the hang of it now. I just watch the shutter speed and either stop when the shutter speed starts to speed up or just judge it by what I see in the viewfinder. 9/10 it's shutter speed I go by

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At the end of the day, it should be an aesthetic choice, not a mechanical one.  Polarizing effects can ruin some pics, and help others, in varying degrees.  No different conceptually than deciding when/how to use color filters, except that you have more flexibility and control all in one.

 

Jeff

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One more comments to the very good ones posted so far: the polarizer produces the greatest effect once the lens is at 90 degree from the sun. if the sun is in the back of you (or in the front) the effect of a polarizer is basically zero. 

 

 

Lorenzo

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