Tiffen Polarizer Confusion

[damansidhu]

I recently got a Tamron 17-35mm f2.8 for my Rebel and was looking at buying a Circular polarizer for the same. Tiffen comes with 2 different 77mm circular polarizers which would fit the lens.

One is stated as the regular polarizer and the other states it is wide angle polarizer. Its not stated though that what focal length upwards is the regular polarizer is good for and what ranges would the wide angle come in handy.

The lens IS wide angle but i'm wondering how much difference would this make? The price difference between the two is around 45$ which is quite a bit. Does anyone have experience with these two? Would really appreciate any help in this regard!!
Thanks,

[milou]

I guess by the phrase "wide angle polariser" they mean that's it a slim one. I've found that using a regular polariser on my 17-40 on a full frame means that the filter edge intrudes into the photo. The slim ones have no front filter thread and usually have a profile of about 5mm or so and consequently would not intrude into the shot.

Useful post: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=125563&highlight=Shedding+light

[Double Negative]

Stay away from Tiffen filters... Get a Heliopan, B+W or Hoya.

"Wide angle polarizer" is the same as another company's "slim" polarizer. The metal ring around the filter glass is usually shorter/not as deep to prevent vignetting and may or may not have front threads.

[damansidhu]

Ah! Got it, thanks for helping me out guys. On a 1.6 camera body i probably wont have that problem then, maybe on a FF camera as Milou said. Ill go with the regular polarizer then.

Double Negative- is there a quality issue with Tiffens? Sorry for my ignorance as i dont have much experience with filters yet.

[milou]

I used a regular sized one on my 17-40 wide open with a 300D with no problems. As for filter brand, I'd say it's best to buy the best you can afford especially if you're using it on some pricey lens!

[damansidhu]

I used a regular sized one on my 17-40 wide open with a 300D with no problems. As for filter brand, I'd say it's best to buy the best you can afford especially if you're using it on some pricey lens! Thanks for that info Milou. Much appreciate it,ill go with a Hoya probably then.

[Double Negative]

On a crop camera, the chance of vignetting is pretty slim. But a good polarizer can be pretty pricey (Heliopan SH-PMC slim = $140-180!) so you might as well get the slim version in case you ever go full frame.

Tiffen filters just really aren't that good. This may have changed in recent years, I don't know - but I avoid them just the same.

[damansidhu]

The Tiffen regular one was coming to around 75 and the wide angle one for around 125 something. Ill take a look at how much the other ones you mentioned cost and if the difference isn't much then maybe spring for it, but 180 bucks for a filter really does seem quite steep[read wife will kill me] ! Thanks for the help again.

[Michel Souris]

Check eBay. I think you'll find them a lot cheaper there. Also look at the Fotodiox filters - far cheaper than B+W and Hoya, and, according to fstopjojo, just as good. You'll find them on eBay and www.fotodiox.com.
Secondly, is it necessary for circular polarizers to be coated - they are always being used at angles away from the light, aren't they?

[Double Negative]

eBay is a good place to find filters. If you're not in a rush, watch for items for a while and see what they go for. Maybe you can score a clean used one. The three I mentioned are generally the most expensive, naturally. I suppose you could go a little lower-end for a polarizer that sees occasional use.

Personally, I'd get the best coated filters you can. Unlike a UV filter (if you're the type to use one for protection) that affects practically every image... A polarizer is used far less often, and IMO - you can skimp a little bit here too if you really needed to.

It IS a lot of money for a filter - I totally agree. At least Canon kind of standardizes across a range of lenses on the filter size, making sharing the filter easier.

[MrChad]

I have the Tiffen WA filter, it works fine...it simply lacks front threads.