What good would getting a polarizer do for me?

Answer 1

A polarizing filter restricts the light that can enter the camera lens in such a way that only light from a specific direction passes through, and stray light is eliminated.

Polarizing filters can be rotated on the end of the camera lens, so that you can control the direction from which light can enter the camera.

They work best when you're perpendicular to the sun (or light source,) and are less effective the further away you go from perpendicular.

The effect you get is the elimination of glare. A polarizer gets rid of the reflections on water and makes it look clear and smooth. It also makes white or bright skies darker blue, and will highlight white clouds. It can reduce glare on leaves and trees, making them appear richer and greener.

The trade-off is that the reduced light entering the camera increases the exposure time (or increases the apeture) to compensate.

Answer 2

The polarizing filter works just the same as a pair of polarized sunglasses. It blocks randomly diffused light caused by particles or water vapor in the atmoshpere, generally referred to as "glare". It's effect will be most pronounced at a 90 degree angle to the sun, and is used for many purposes including saturating color ( be it the blue of the sky or the green of leaves), reducing reflections on water, and reducing haze. You will lose about a stop and a half of light transmission when it's working to it's full effect.

Use caution at high altitudes, as it will turn the sky near black in color, and it does not "highlight" clouds, it simply makes them stand out clearer against the darker blue of the sky.

It is the most useful filter you can own for landscape and outdoor (natural light) photography, generally making the difference between a so-so shot, and a spectacularly color saturated image. Sometimes polarizers are used in studio lighting as well, though generally attatched to the lightsource, not your lens.

It is the only "effect" that cannot be reproduced in any image editing software.

Answer 3

A polarizer filter will:

Darken a blue sky (keep the sun on your shoulder for the best effects, i.e., pretend you're standing on a clock face and looking at the 12. With the sun at 9 or 3 the polarizer will be most effective.)

Remove glare from snow, sand, glass, painted metal - but not polished metal

Improve colors of flowers

Make sure you buy a Circular Polarizer - a Linear Polarizer will mess up your metering and Auto Focus

I've used TIFFEN, HOYA, B+W & MINOLTA brands for years.

Answer 4

I used to do a lot of high altitude hiking (12,000 to 19,000 ft.), and some of the pictures at that altitude are made much better with a polarizer, by cutting atmospheric haze, as your first answerer said. I always took picture both ways (with and without the polarizer) in the film days. Even with an SLR with a through-the-lens meter, you could not always predict the result. I wouldn't know about digital cameras.

Answer 5

A polarizer is one of the few "effects" that can't be simulated in post processing.

Any time I go outside and the sky is blue I use the polarizer. It drastically reduces haze and can make the sky more blue.

Use it sparingly.

Answer 6

Excellent for those cloudy day waterfall shots with wet mossy rocks and leaves. Brings out awsome color and reduces glare. A must have if you're serious about your photography.

Answer 7

There also at least used to be lenses that would help with "weird special effects" which were considered polarizers.