I am taking my first trip to Maine in May. I'll be staying fairly close to the coast for most of the trip and I want some recommendations on what filters to use on sunset/sunrise ocean scenes. Currently, my main lens will be a 24-70mm. I only recently acquired it so I don't even have a polarizer for it yet (I plan to remedy that within the week). So please tell me which filters you use and what you like about them. Also, if you have any other tips you would like to share, feel free to add those as well. Thanks in advance.
You will need a circular polarizer (CPL). There are several manufacturers out there, but I've had good experience with B&W-Pro filters. B&H has them.
If you are shooting at 24mm, and are using the CPL to (say) darken a sky, keep in mind that you may see less effect as your field of view approches the axis of the sunlight. Polarizers achieve their greatest effect at 90 degrees from the axis of the light source.
Also, you might consider buying a Skylight-1a filter to protect the front element from spray or blowing sand. You may not need at all times, but it's good to have on hand.
One final note about filters: Use them only when they are needed. A CPL will absorb about 2 stops of light, so if you need depth of field and/or faster shutter speeds, you'll have to take this into account.
Since you have time before trip, order your CPL and then go out and take shots in differing light conditions so that you can get a feel for how its use will affect your images.
--P
Posted by John Mumaw on February 22, 2011 at 8:19 PM
I would not use a polarizer at all with your lens' widest setting when the sky is a large part of your image, whether the filter is at 90° from the sun or not. I've seen more fine wide angle landscape images spoiled by uneven sky polarization than I can count. A Google Image search of 'uneven sky polarization' will show you many examples of what I'm referring to.
Posted by Kent Staubus on February 22, 2011 at 9:39 PM
The only filters I use for color photography any more are a polarizer and a grad ND. The ND grads are HiTech rectangular. I have three: 2-stop soft, 2-stop hard, 3-stop hard edge. I use lens caps instead of filters to protect my lenses. Much tougher. I recently bought a Marumi Super polarizer on eBay, and really like it. I only buy coated polarizers.
Kent in SD
Posted by Greg Lessard on February 23, 2011 at 12:42 AM
I have been using Singh Ray filters for a while and have been very happy with them. I have not experienced uneven skies when using the LB polarizer with warming filter and my straight polarizer. I did experience that with another brand a while back. I think you get what you pay for. I often use my LB polarizer with warming filter to enhance colors in images without the sky. Think colorful lobster buoys!
Grad ND's will be immensely helpful with sunrise/sunset situations. Be sure to play with them before your trip. I prefer the hard edge grad ND, but I think most people would prefer soft edge. I find it easier to see the edge to know where to place it in the frame with a hard edge filter. Be sure to get the rectangular filters, not the the circular grad nd. With a circular grad, your edge will always be dead center of your frame. The recatngular grad allows you to adjust the placement of the edge in the frame.
Neutral Density filters can be used to great effect blurring ocean waves and waterfalls. If you have to choose between grad nd's and neutral density, I would choose the grad nd's, because in a pinch they can double as an ND by sliding the darkened portion of the filter down enough to cover the entire frame.
Make sure that you spend at least a few days in Acadia. It is a photographers dream, particularly at sunrise and sunset. Its worth the extra drive up the coast!
Posted by John Mumaw on February 23, 2011 at 9:04 AM
"I have not experienced uneven skies when using the LB polarizer with warming filter and my straight polarizer. I did experience that with another brand a while back. I think you get what you pay for."
No matter what you pay for a polarizing filter, in the end physics will simply not be denied when using one on a wide angle lens.
Posted by Phil Pogledich on February 23, 2011 at 5:10 PM
I'll chime in just for the sake of agreeing with John. It's a matter of physics that's all there is to it. If you're comfortable blending exposures in PS later on, then you may want to occasionally consider using the polarizer for the water and blend in a separate exposure for the sky w/o the polarizer. Sure, the water exposure will be unevenly polarized as well, but it's quite difficult to tell and the benefit of cutting glare, enhancing color, etc., is more than worth it sometimes.
A little late here Cristina, but I do a lot of coastal shooting and here's my recommendations:
As for a polarizer, it's one of the "must have" filters simply because you can not replicate/mimic it's effects in post processing. You can always add warmth, bracket photos and blend for dynamic range, but there is no effective way to get a polarizer's effect in PP. For that reason alone, it's a must to have in your bag, whether on the coast or not. Having said that, if you are shooting waves etc., many times you want the reflected light off the water/rocks, so I rarely use mine on the coast and NEVER use it for the effect of darkening a sky-I agree with John and that's what NDs/bracketing is for. Pricey, but I can't speak highly enough about Singh-rays polarizers...
As for NDs, they are VERY helpful on the coast for two reasons. The first is obviously to help control exposure. If you're new to NDs, I would look into Hitech brand (at B&H) as they are the most affordable option with fairly good results (meaning less color cast). The second reason NDs are nice is for sea spray (mist floating in the air around the ocean). NDs are much quicker and easier to clean than lens element. If money is no object, I would look into Singh-rays reverse GNDs-these filters are darker right in the middle (say for a setting sun on the flat ocean) and gradually get lighter toward the top (so you don't get the dreaded dark corners like other filters). Very helpful for flat horizon shooting.
Whatever you get, play around with before you go, and make sure you practice cleaning your lens...a lot! A lens blower, brush, wipes WITH solution will be your best friend. Have a great trip!
Discussion
7 repliesYou will need a circular polarizer (CPL). There are several manufacturers out there, but I've had good experience with B&W-Pro filters. B&H has them.
If you are shooting at 24mm, and are using the CPL to (say) darken a sky, keep in mind that you may see less effect as your field of view approches the axis of the sunlight. Polarizers achieve their greatest effect at 90 degrees from the axis of the light source.
Also, you might consider buying a Skylight-1a filter to protect the front element from spray or blowing sand. You may not need at all times, but it's good to have on hand.
One final note about filters: Use them only when they are needed. A CPL will absorb about 2 stops of light, so if you need depth of field and/or faster shutter speeds, you'll have to take this into account.
Since you have time before trip, order your CPL and then go out and take shots in differing light conditions so that you can get a feel for how its use will affect your images.
--P
Kent in SD
Grad ND's will be immensely helpful with sunrise/sunset situations. Be sure to play with them before your trip. I prefer the hard edge grad ND, but I think most people would prefer soft edge. I find it easier to see the edge to know where to place it in the frame with a hard edge filter. Be sure to get the rectangular filters, not the the circular grad nd. With a circular grad, your edge will always be dead center of your frame. The recatngular grad allows you to adjust the placement of the edge in the frame.
Neutral Density filters can be used to great effect blurring ocean waves and waterfalls. If you have to choose between grad nd's and neutral density, I would choose the grad nd's, because in a pinch they can double as an ND by sliding the darkened portion of the filter down enough to cover the entire frame.
Make sure that you spend at least a few days in Acadia. It is a photographers dream, particularly at sunrise and sunset. Its worth the extra drive up the coast!
As for a polarizer, it's one of the "must have" filters simply because you can not replicate/mimic it's effects in post processing. You can always add warmth, bracket photos and blend for dynamic range, but there is no effective way to get a polarizer's effect in PP. For that reason alone, it's a must to have in your bag, whether on the coast or not. Having said that, if you are shooting waves etc., many times you want the reflected light off the water/rocks, so I rarely use mine on the coast and NEVER use it for the effect of darkening a sky-I agree with John and that's what NDs/bracketing is for. Pricey, but I can't speak highly enough about Singh-rays polarizers...
As for NDs, they are VERY helpful on the coast for two reasons. The first is obviously to help control exposure. If you're new to NDs, I would look into Hitech brand (at B&H) as they are the most affordable option with fairly good results (meaning less color cast). The second reason NDs are nice is for sea spray (mist floating in the air around the ocean). NDs are much quicker and easier to clean than lens element. If money is no object, I would look into Singh-rays reverse GNDs-these filters are darker right in the middle (say for a setting sun on the flat ocean) and gradually get lighter toward the top (so you don't get the dreaded dark corners like other filters). Very helpful for flat horizon shooting.
Whatever you get, play around with before you go, and make sure you practice cleaning your lens...a lot! A lens blower, brush, wipes WITH solution will be your best friend. Have a great trip!