Circular Polarizer

[3Turner]

Has anyone purchsed/used the Sunpak Platinum Plus Circular Polarizer that Best Buy sells. I would like to buy a CP, but cannot really spend too much money right now. The CP at Best Buy retails at 19.99, but I don't want to buy it if the filter is not very good. I cannot find any customer reviews on the CP filter or any sample shots....any help would be appriciated.

thanks

[Pinto]

I'm not familiar with that filter, but you will be much better off in the long run if you wait until you can afford a good quality, multi-coated filter like B&H, Hoya Pro or Heliopan. Expect to spend about $150.00.

[Jon]

$150 for a 52-58 mm CP is more than a little on the high side. I pay less than that for my B+W MRC 77 mm ones. 52-58 CPs will run you around $80-$100 at B&H.

[3Turner]

Thanks for the replies. I may just end up waiting and it may be awhile if a CP is $150. I was expecting no more than maybe $80-$100 range. Is the multi-coated really necessary, or does it just help reduce lens flare?

[Bob_A]

Always choose a good multi-coated filter. The two brands that most will recommend will be Hoya or B+W.

If you've already spent a ton of $ on your camera and lenses, why use a cheap filter that will cause flare, possilbly cause distortion and likely reduce the contrast of your images?

[Jon]

It helps reduce flare, and also improves light transmission (for the same reasons - the light is getting passed through rather than reflected back). Also the multi-coated filters tend to have better glass.