are polarizing filters a "must have" for taking beach pictures?

[purbeast0]

i'm headed to the florida keys next week and i had been debating whether or not i wanted to get a lens that my buddy let me borrow long for my camera. i'm a noob photographer with an SL1, but i borrowed his lens a while back when i first got the camera, and wow the quality of pictures with it was amazing compared to the normal lens that came with it. it is this lens here:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EW8074

my only other lens is the nifty 50, which i am pretty sure will be retired if i get this lens.

but while looking at them, i came across the polarizing filters that can go on the lens. as someone who has polarized sun glasses, i am just wondering if it would be great to take down to the keys since it sounds like it could help with the colors and obviously reflections off the water.

but i also had a question - that lens is 17 - 55. i'm looking at this polarized filter, which comes in many sizes, and is also cheap:

http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Circular-Polarizer-Lens-77/dp/B00XNMYJKO

since the lens i'm looking at is 17-55, i'm assuming that i would want the 55 sized filter. but in general, if lenses are x-y mm, would you always get a filter that is the largest the lens can go?

 

[ControlD]

You buy the filter for the thread size the lens has, not the zoom range. Since the Canon 17-55mm lens has a 77mm diameter thread size you would get the 77mm filter for it.

I can confirm that is a great lens. I don't own it but I have used one a few times (I went with the 15-85 instead).

Do you know if the front element rotates when you zoom in and out? I can't remember. If it does, that makes setting up a shot with a polarizing filter a little more tricky although not impossible. You just have to focus first and then setup the filter. I have a feeling the 17-55 doesn't rotate however. A polarizing filter can certainly make a big difference if you know how to use it, I just never really got completely comfortable with one.

 

[purbeast0]

You buy the filter for the thread size the lens has, not the zoom range. Since the Canon 17-55mm lens has a 77mm diameter thread size you would get the 77mm filter for it.

I can confirm that is a great lens. I don't own it but I have used one a few times (I went with the 15-85 instead).

Do you know if the front element rotates when you zoom in and out? I can't remember. If it does, that makes setting up a shot with a polarizing filter a little more tricky although not impossible. You just have to focus first and then setup the filter. I have a feeling the 17-55 doesn't rotate however. A polarizing filter can certainly make a big difference if you know how to use it, I just never really got completely comfortable with one.

hah okay that is good to know about the fitting, i would never have known that and probably would have ordered the wrong one lol.

i will ask my buddy about the rotation part and see what he says, if he can remember. i don't recall.

my plan was to use tax return money to get the lens, but i have been lazy about doing taxes so i'm probably just going to get it then pay it back after i get not lazy and pay my taxes lol. even with my SL1 beginner level camera the pictures with the lens were great.

 

[ControlD]

A quick google search says the front element does not rotate so that makes using filters much easier.

For the price that filter goes for I would pick one up and see how it works. Always fun to try new things.

 

[purbeast0]

A quick google search says the front element does not rotate so that makes using filters much easier.

For the price that filter goes for I would pick one up and see how it works. Always fun to try new things.

yeah it's $15 for the 77 one, and like you said, it's fun to try new things out lol. think i will just splurge and get the lens + filter. i also need a floating gopro handle.

i just hope there are no shipping delays because i'm leaving monday at 6am lol.

EDIT:

amazon owns - just got my 2 day prime shipping that said guaranteed delivery sunday upgraded to 1 day for free just asking them nicely lol.

 

[Anubis]

just be warned polarizers can produce some banding/uneven effects when use at wide angles

 

[purbeast0]

that's good to know, i'll keep an eye out for it. i'm a completely noob at this still and haven't really taken any time to try and learn like i would like to, so i pretty much just do trial/error for now for things like that.

 

[Aharami]

First off, this image will give you a clearer indication of the effect a circular polarizer (CPL) will have on your photos

Here are two good links that explains filters
https://photographylife.com/lens-filters-explained
http://digital-photography-school.com/landscape-photography-essentials/


That said, not all CPLs are built the same. Initially I'd bought a Tiffen CPL for $25 and it was making my pictures a lot warmer. I didn't like that look for landscape shots, so for my next trip, I bought a marumi CPL for $80. I like marumi filter a lot because while it does make my images a bit cooler, the shift isnt as bad as it was with the Tiffen. Next I want to try a breakthrough photography CPL. Those are pretty pricey, but Ive seen good reviews about them.
http://breakthrough.photography/product/x4-circular-polarizer/

But be wary that you'll have to rotate the front element of the CPL to get the desired effect. You'll what it does when you play with it a bit.

 

[Aharami]

just be warned polarizers can produce some banding/uneven effects when use at wide angles

yes. you'd want to take off the filter if you're shooting a panorama. Otherwise you're going to get a clump of darker sky when the images are stitched together

 

[purbeast0]

First off, this image will give you a clearer indication of the effect a circular polarizer (CPL) will have on your photos

Here are two good links that explains filters
https://photographylife.com/lens-filters-explained
http://digital-photography-school.com/landscape-photography-essentials/


That said, not all CPLs are built the same. Initially I'd bought a Tiffen CPL for $25 and it was making my pictures a lot warmer. I didn't like that look for landscape shots, so for my next trip, I bought a marumi CPL for $80. I like marumi filter a lot because while it does make my images a bit cooler, the shift isnt as bad as it was with the Tiffen. Next I want to try a breakthrough photography CPL. Those are pretty pricey, but Ive seen good reviews about them.
http://breakthrough.photography/product/x4-circular-polarizer/

But be wary that you'll have to rotate the front element of the CPL to get the desired effect. You'll what it does when you play with it a bit.

yeah see i like that CPL side of that first photo a lot more.

looking at that picture just made me realize how different the water actually looks when i have my sun glasses on (obviously since it has a tint), but the water looks "bluer" for some reason when wearing my sun glasses.

i wonder if it's due to the polarized lenses that are on them now that i look at that first picture and see how different it looks. i love that turquoise colored water, i could look at that all day!

EDIT:

i actually also previously bought a red filter for my gopro to take snorkeling with me for underwater shots. i haven't used it yet so this will be my first time with that as well.

 

[Anubis]

its most likely your sunglasses. being polarized. mine are and mine use a grey material so there isn't a color shift as much but its noticeable what it does. ive shot a bunch in the Caribbean with a polarizer and without Ill see if I can dig up some examples when im home

 

[purbeast0]

cool thanks, i'd be curious to see the difference. although i also know you're a much better photographer than i am so that will probably play a role too lol.

 

[EOM]

it depends on the effect you're going for.... they help with reflections and such. if you're going to the beach during the day consider an ND filter as well if you expect to shoot at larger apertures. you'll get EvERYTHING blown out if you're already at 100 ISO and 1/8000 shutter and it's still too hot!

 

[Aharami]

This was taken without a filter. You can see the reflection of the sky in the water

These were taken with a CPL. The CPL helps cut through the reflection and see below the water surface

 

[purbeast0]

yeah i definitely prefer the look of the CPL pictures, especially that first one. i love the color of the water and even the sky/trees look more vivid.

EOM i'd be lying if i said i fully understood what you said in your post lol.

 

[Anubis]

EOM i'd be lying if i said i fully understood what you said in your post lol.

if its bright and sunny on a white sand beach the sand reflects a TON of light, if you want to shoot wide open say f/2.8, you may not even be able to compensate with a shutter speed of 1/8000. there still be too much light

a ND filter is needed in this case which simply cuts a flat amount of light allowing you to get a proper exposure

 

[EOM]

yeah i definitely prefer the look of the CPL pictures, especially that first one. i love the color of the water and even the sky/trees look more vivid.

EOM i'd be lying if i said i fully understood what you said in your post lol.

They reduce the light by specified number of stops. So if it's SUPER bright out but you want to use a large aperture to achieve low depth of field/ bokeh then you'll meter WAY too high. Even if you put the shutter speed at its fastest, possibly 1/4000 or 1/8000 depending on the camera, and you lower the ISO ALL the way down, 50, or "low" depending on the camera..... it still might be too bright. So you'll either have to compromise the shot and use f/16 or f/11 and miss your depth of field or just toss on a ND filter to lower the light hitting the sensor so you an use an appropriate f-stop/aperture

 

[CuriousMike]

Polarizers rob light, so be prepared for that. Perhaps 1-stop of light.

The example Aharmi gave is good - knocks some chop off the water.

I've taken mine to the beach and ended up never finding it super useful for whatever reason.

Waterfalls on the otherhand, they can help. In particular, knocking specular highlights off of rocks and leaves.

I posted this example of a trip I made awhile back and the effect CPL had for me

 

[purbeast0]

i've seen your threads here before CuriousMike and you are on a whole different level than i'll probably ever been with photography lol.

 

[finbarqs]

remember, polarizing filters only "work" when you're 90 degrees from the sun. Without the sun, you do not have any polarized light to filter out. Otherwise, get a "color enhancing" filter if you wanna minimize the PP time. http://www.singh-ray.com/color-enhancing-polarizers/

here's an explanation a la wikipedia about polarizing filters (if you do not want to read about polarized light)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polarizing_filter_(photography)

 

[Red Squirrel]

When I went for a trip to a beach area I found a lot of beach pictures I took would be over exposed, honestly I only noticed AFTER I got home too, otherwise I could have made better adjustments. Worse part is I HAVE a polarizing filter, I just never even thought of using it. lol. But that said a lot of them turned out great without a filter, so you can probably get away without one. I'd say do a mix of both with and without to get a mix of different styles.

These are taken without filter:




(filter would probably have been good here)



I had a lot of badly overexposed ones too though, that I had scrapped. I think it would not hurt to bring a laptop on trips so you can check pictures on a bigger screen throughout the trip, as they sometimes look fine on the camera but then you realize on the computer things you could have done such as lower exposure componsation, use filter, etc.

 

[Brainonska511]

Polarizers rob light, so be prepared for that. Perhaps 1-stop of light.

The example Aharmi gave is good - knocks some chop off the water.

I've taken mine to the beach and ended up never finding it super useful for whatever reason.

Waterfalls on the otherhand, they can help. In particular, knocking specular highlights off of rocks and leaves.

I posted this example of a trip I made awhile back and the effect CPL had for me

Thanks for this. I don't use filters much, but it's good to be reminded of the effect of having one. I'm making a trip out to Yellowstone this summer, so I'll probably be picking up a circular polarizer to go with my Canon 10-22mm lens (I already have one for a 28-75mm lens, but it's a different thread size than the wide angle lens).

 

[radhak]

So, lemme get this right - circular polarizing filters are good for landscape pictures, but not at the widest angle? Or not good for panorama shots (which I gather means stitching multiple shots)?

Just trying to determine which of my lens would be best served with a CPL : my 17-35mm, the 85mm, or the 70-300 mm?
As I understood it, surely for the wide-angle, probably not the 85mm, but how about the long zoom one - maybe whenever I want to use it near the 70mm for scenery?

 

[turtile]

So, lemme get this right - circular polarizing filters are good for landscape pictures, but not at the widest angle? Or not good for panorama shots (which I gather means stitching multiple shots)?

Just trying to determine which of my lens would be best served with a CPL : my 17-35mm, the 85mm, or the 70-300 mm?
As I understood it, surely for the wide-angle, probably not the 85mm, but how about the long zoom one - maybe whenever I want to use it near the 70mm for scenery?

The filter might mess things up at wide angles but a thin design filter can help with that. The design of the lens also comes into play.

Polarizers can be used anywhere where there are reflections, not just landscapes! You can also just buy the polarizer for the lens with the largest thread size and use step-up rings for the rest.

 

[Syborg1211]

Basically, just test out and play with the polarizer when you get it. Try not to let any of the surprises of working with the filter come up while you are on vacation.

When you first get the filter, put your zoom lens on the widest zoom setting and snap a photo. If you see unexpected darkness around the edges, then you know the lens is too wide angle for the filter.

Also just test out and get a hang of adjusting the polarizer. Circular polarizers have a rotating front element that you have to adjust to remove the reflections from your desired angle. You can't just put a polarizer on and expect it to work, you have to rotate it to find the right angle to cut out reflections from. A very easy way to see this effect is to look through the lens/filter at a tv and rotate the filter. You'll see the light from the TV get completely blacked out at a certain setting. That same effect is what you're looking to do with reflections that come off water or other things, but it is so much more subtle from these things than the tv.