Polarizing filters for EX-1

[Daniel Startek]

I use a Tiffen 4×4 polarizer filter UPC 049383018837 and it works great for bright skies and water without affecting everything else. Make sure you use a linear NOT a circular polarizer. White balance AFTER you put it on because I have noticed that it affects the EX far red idiosyncrasy (reds in the black).

[Jay Curlee]

Actually, I have just read that we can ONLY use circular filters in the EX-1. My concern is that I am running and gunning and can’t be white balancing more than once every five minutes or so.

Jay Curlee

JC Communications
Makers of Rocking the Boat: A Musical Conversation and Journey
http://www.rockingtheboatmovie.com

[Michael Pruitt-bruun]

i don’t know why you’d need to get a new balance every 5 minutes. if you’re going in and out of doors without warning, save an indoor and an outdoor balance. if it’s really that hectic, you could use auto.

anyway if it’s a screw mount polarizer make sure it’s a slim profile (it’ll say something like that in the product description), or you won’t be able to use it under the standard lens hood.

[Jay Curlee]

I will only be outside when using the polarizing filter. The first issue is linear vs circular filter. I was wondering how sensiitive the filter would be to light angle. I read on another forum that the linear filter caused major color shifts.

Jay Curlee

JC Communications
Makers of Rocking the Boat: A Musical Conversation and Journey
http://www.rockingtheboatmovie.com

[Michael Pruitt-bruun]

i’ve only ever used screw mount, circular polarizers. they need to be aligned when mounted. in the field, the quickest method i’ve found is to use zebras and rotate the filter til i see the smallest area of zebras in the viewer. if you’re dealing with reflections rather than glare, you can just rotate the filter til you see the least amount of reflection. but both methods should get you to the same alignment.

i’m not familiar with color-shift issues. but that is not to say that you shouldn’t keep asking about it. i did find that for some reason i didn’t get as much joy out of the polarizer with this camera as i have with others, and i’m not sure why. it didn’t give me the rich blue skies that i recall getting with polarizers previously. maybe it was the polarizer i was using, but i never experimented further because i returned it as it wouldn’t fit under the lens hood.

[Derek Reich]

Hi, Jay
Daniel was incorrect…. you MUST use a circular polarizer on the EX1 and EX3. A linear polarizer will most definitely cause color shifts as it is rotated.

You should not need to tweak any of your camera settings when using a polarizer, and the results will be pretty visible. It should be quite helpful in reducing reflections on the water.

There are several good polas to choose from, I’m not sure if you are using a matte box or just need a 77mm screw-in. Schneider, Tiffen, B+W are a few good ones that jump to mind.

Happy shooting!

[Jay Curlee]

The daytime shooting conditions are typical very sunny, requiring use of the eyepiece. I am hoping that I don’t have to do too much rotation of the filter when I go from one side of the stage to the other.

I was looking at a Tiffen kit that has a UV filter as well. I have been living dangerously with the lens exposed to the elements before now. I am going to keep a clear, polorizer, or UV filter on the lens henceforth.

Maybe I should look for a hoodman shade for the lcd screen, too.

Thanks for confirming what I read elsewhere.

Jay Curlee

JC Communications
Makers of Rocking the Boat: A Musical Conversation and Journey
http://www.rockingtheboatmovie.com

[Clint Fleckenstein]

I have used the CP filter from one of my still camera lenses on our EX1 and EX3 and love the results. If your angle relative to the sun changes, just rotate the filter. You will have to leave the matte box off to make this adjustment. I also put UV filters on both cameras (and all my still lenses) immediately to protect the front element of the lens. UV filters fit under the matte box just fine but do not work with the Sony bayonet mount wide angle adapter.

You do get a color shift from a polarizer as it tends to “warm” the picture perceptibly. How pronounced this effect is may depend on the ambient light. When shooting outdoors this winter I noticed it a lot, since there’s more blue light bouncing around. On a golden sunset shoot it’s only visible in the blue/green areas of the shot.

Cf

[Derek Reich]

The amount of polarization you will get is relative to your angle to the sun. Ideally, a 90 degree angle will yield the most visible results (with the sky, anyway). As you approach either 180 degrees (either the sun is directly in front of you or directly behind you) the results will be less effective. This does not apply as much to reflective surfaces, only the darkening of the sky. You really just need to play with it and see what works best for you.

I have never used a UV filter on any video or still camera in 30 years of professional photography. I suppose they are useful for protecting your outer element from a possible scratch or something hitting the lens, but I’ve always felt that if you pay good money for a decent lens, why put anything in front of it that you don’t absolutely need? And, if you buy a cheap UV filter, you could negate the optical quality you just paid good money for. If you do use one, make sure you get a good one! You should also pay attention to your VF with respect to the sun. Be very careful to avoid ever having the sun shining directly into your VF, or you will damage the viewfinder itself. The magnifier works just like a magnifying glass under the sun, and can not only damage the components of the viewfinder, but actually melt the plastic housing. ALWAYS keep the VF pointed down or covered when not shooting.

I’m not aware of any significant color shift when using a polarizer unless it’s a ‘warm’ polarizer with a warm tint added like an 812. All a polarizer should do is remove reflected light on surfaces or from particulates in the air. This will often result in increased saturation without the reflected light bouncing back to your camera.

One last thing….. are you aware of the IR issue with these cameras? The EX cameras (and many other CMOS sensor cameras) suffer from some level of infra-red or near infra red contamination. If you ever have had a black article of clothing in your image turn magenta or brown, that’s what you’re seeing. It most commonly affects black synthetic clothing, which has become a real pain to wedding photographers for obvious reasons. At the moment, the only solution is an IR cut filter. There are two currently available which work very well but each has it’s own limitations. One of these filters, the Schneider 486 is what is known as a ‘hot mirror’ filter and MUST be the first filter light hits. This means that if you are also using a polarizer, the polarizer must be BEHIND the 486 or the 486 will not work. The Tiffen does not have this limitation and can reside in front or in back of the pola, but this filter loses about a stop of light. If you’re outside, this probably wouldn’t be an issue, or if you’re not seeing the contamination, then you don’t need to worry about it at all until you do.

[Daniel Startek]

You are right. I saw a video on YouTube about polarizers on the EX-3 and got circular and linear mixed up! But I’ve been using my Tiffen 4×4 polarizer (which Tiffen says is linear) for months and not noticed the color shift other than the far red effect in the blacks. This can be corrected with an initial white balance.