So Much to Choose From

[SoaringUSAEagle]

I am looking at getting a 77mm circular polarizer but there are so many out there that I cannot decide on one... I guess the hard part is not knowing the difference between them. All the sample photos look the same to me, but yet, the price differs so much.

Any help would be appreciated.

[mrmarklin]

I use B + W filters. Excellent quality.

[SoaringUSAEagle]

Which one though? I know B&W and Hoya are highly recommended by many...

[DavidW]

If you're going to pay for B+W, it doesn't seem to make sense to go for anything other than MRC, B+W's multicoating. I don't believe any Canon lens will benefit from an Extra Wide filter - that's when a larger filter than the thread size is used in an oversized mount.

That leaves three options, 77mm Circular Polariser MRC, 77mm Kasemann Circular Polariser MRC, and 77mm Kasemann Circular Polariser Slim MRC (the slim MRC variant is only available in Kasemann).


The big choice here is whether to go for a slim mount or not. My 77mm circular polariser is a B+W 77mm Kasemann Circular Polariser Slim MRC, but it has no front threads. You do get a reasonable push-on lens cap included with the slim filter. As I don't leave the polariser on my lenses, I don't find the lack of front threads a problem, but some find it awkward to have a polariser with no front threads.

My reason for going for a slim polariser is that I own an EF 16-35mm f/2.8L, which is wide enough to risk vignetting when used on a full frame body. At the moment, my only body is a 20D, but I am interested in a 5D (or future replacement of the 5D) in the future.

If you decide you don't want a slim polariser, then you need to decide whether to go for Kasemann or not. The Kasemann option is potentially a little more robust (as it's less likely to delaminate), and the price differential isn't usually that much. However, if you're not going into extreme environments and you can find a good deal on the non-Kasemann option, you'll probably be very happy with it.


All my screw-on filters are B+W, and I'm happy with them.



David