Do you still need a Warming Polarizer ?

I just got done reading an article and the individual mentioned using a Warming Polarizer. This made me thing, that do we in this digital age still need a Warming Polarizer or just a regular polarizer? What do you guys and gals thing?

Personally, I'd never really find much use for a warming variety nowadays. It's much easier to add that via wb changes after the fact and you get a better degree of control over how much you want applied (and even where). The polarizer itself is still a valuable filter in my book as pp tools can't duplicate all its characteristics, particularly in terms of glare removal.

I think that capturing the light on the sensor as best as we can is still the best course of action, so to me warming filters are still useful. In my experience, using an appropriate warming filter with the RAW processing at daylight will provide a better result than using the WB sliders. This idea is also based on information I've read that indicates adobe calibrates cameras for their models at daylight and tungsten while other WB settings are extrapolated. Unfortunately, I've never sat down and created a test case for this scenario.

I'm with Guy, use filters where they are the best tool but recognize that they also add another piece of glass cw scratches, haze and marks in front of the lens. I have never used a warming filter but would use a polarizer for glare removal (not for sky color) if needed.

I think that capturing the light on the sensor as best as we can is still the best course of action...

For some things, like a polarizer, yes. But for a warming filter, absolutely not. Since the raw file (I'm assuming we're talking about shooting raw files) is going to record the same info no matter where you have the WB set, it just doesn't matter. All you really need to do is make sure you're not clipping either the highlights or the shadows (better yet, bias the exposure towards the highlight end of the histogram), and you can do pretty much anything in post-processing, and in much finer detail than you can with an extra piece of glass or plastic in front of the lens.

It's sort of the equivalent of carrying a hand-held light meter with you, or worse still, actually using a hand-held light meter. (We all carry shiat we don't need!) It's a waste of time. (Or as they say in "Prairie Thunder," a waist of time!)

Nope.

I used to carry warming filters a-c and they just sit in a cabinet now. I've used a warming polarizer a few times since switching to digital ~ 4 years ago and found myself trying to desturate to remove the warmth. It's even more apparent in winter, when light is so cold.

Thanks for the post - I think I'll go make some Ebay buck$ selling Singh-Ray warming filters.

I agree with most of the previous posters.
Easier to add warmth via (selective) postprocessing than having to subtract global warmth determined by a filter that self same way.

I've never compared the results of a warming filter vs. software.
My assumption has been that software provides much more flexibility, with no disadvantage.
To date, I have not seen any demonstration otherwise, but would love to see some documentation.

However, filters do allow the photographer to state that all "adjustments" were made in the camera and not with software.
This could be an issue for some competition entries,

I use a warming polarizer as my polarizer, not because it is a warming version. I bought it back in the days of film and being a Singh-Ray it was pricey, so I'm not about to buy a plain polarizer. I shoot RAW with AWB so the warming effect is useless. Straight warming filters on a digital camera is worse than useless.

I use a Singh-Ray warming polarizer, too, but only because someone was nice enough to "loan" me one and never ask for it back.

Not sure about a warming filter, but you can get some really interesting results with a blue/yellow polarizer. That said, it is in no way similar to the effect on film and you really have to torture the file to make it usable. Took me about 1000 frames to really get the hang of it.

How about an example, Bill?