Friday, 04 March 2011 07:00

The Power of a Circular Polarizer

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After obtaining my brand-spanking-new Nikon D7000 this month, I knew the first accessories to get would be a circular polarizer and the Nikon MC-DC2 remote release. In order to take star trail photos, I knew I'd need to use my new handy-dandy bulb setting and a cable release for ultra long exposures of 1-2 hours.

After doing hours of tedious research, I decided to purchase the Marumi DHG Super Circular Polarizer. I had been recommended to purchase a Hoya filter, but after reading this extensive review over at LensTip.com, I went with the superior (and less expensive!) Marumi. In fact, they rated this filter as the best one they tested.

You might be asking yourself what is the point of getting a circular polarizer? The answer is simple if you are into landscape photography like me: deeper blue skies, more color saturation, and less reflection. Just as an example, my friend Ethan Beute and I climbed Missouri Mountain, Iowa Peak, and Emerald Peak this past summer (click HERE for the trip report), and we shot mostly the same photos. Ethan was shooting with a circular polarizer and I was not.

Here is my shot from the summit of Missouri Mountain, which was taken without a polarizing filter. Mouse over the image to see the impact made by Ethan's polarizing filter:

Missouri Basin from Missouri

Did you notice the intense changes to the sky and other colors? They really pop-out when using the filter.

The impact on the sky color is very significant in my opinion.

To demonstrate the impact on reflection, I took two images last night with my Nikon D7000, one with the new Marumi DHG Super Polarizer and one without.

Here is a shot of my 90" panoramic photo from Arrow Peak at sunrise, encased in plexi- glass in my living room, without the filter. Mouse over the image to see the impacts of using the polarizing filter.

Reflection Without Circular Polarizer

I think the effects are pretty clear! The reflection is greatly reduced! For more on circular polarizers, see this article.

I am very excited to get out into the field to test these new accessories, especially the remote release. Stay tuned to see future tests of both of these great Nikon accessories, which can be purchased at Adorama.com.

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