Anything I should look for in a polarizer?

[Blitz]

Or will this one do?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=4687&item=3861357176&rd=1#ebayphotohosting

I'm looking to get rid of reflections like those on the left side of this car:

http://supercarfreak.net/gallery/albums/album494/IMG_1086_small.jpg

[aikidoforever]

Blitz,

I'm not sure if this one is multicoated or not, but I prefer if they are. The cheap ones aren't, the middle of the road are and the pro versions are Super Multicoated.

The Super Multicoated can be fairly expensive depending on the lens size. I would suggest go at least middle of the road... multicoated.

Nice shot by the way...

Ivan

[Scottes]

I've always heard that polarizers will not help (much) on reflections on metal or paint like this. I have no idea why, but that's what I've heard,

And polarizers will get rid of most glare or reflections, but not always all of it. Under most circumstances some light will still come in - it depends on the angle of the light hitting the subject. Best to compare shots with and without to see the difference.

[Blitz]

I've always heard that polarizers will not help (much) on reflections on metal or paint like this. I have no idea why, but that's what I've heard,

And polarizers will get rid of most glare or reflections, but not always all of it. Under most circumstances some light will still come in - it depends on the angle of the light hitting the subject. Best to compare shots with and without to see the difference.

There are some comparison shots in the link I posted. The two of the restaurant windows with and without a polarizer impressed me.

[Scottes]

There are some comparison shots in the link I posted. The two of the restaurant windows with and without a polarizer impressed me.
Yep, they do a good job a lot of the time. But in the eBay link look at the hood of the car near the windshield. The polarizer reduced the reflection substantially, but there's still a little glare/reflection. So you might not completely get rid of the reflections in your car shot, but they should be reduced quite a bit.

Changing the angle of the camera relative to the light source will help, too. I think polarizers do their best when the light source is at a 90-degree angle to the lens. Of course you have to rotate the polarizer to it's optimum setting, too.

[CoolToolGuy]

I've always heard that polarizers will not help (much) on reflections on metal or paint like this. I have no idea why, but that's what I've heard,

And polarizers will get rid of most glare or reflections, but not always all of it. Under most circumstances some light will still come in - it depends on the angle of the light hitting the subject. Best to compare shots with and without to see the difference.
Polarizers will not help on reflections from a metallic surface, but a painted car is not a metallic surface, so you will get glare reduction in a shot like the one above.

However, the trade-off with a polarizer is a loss of 1.5 to 2 stops of light. If you can afford it indoors you will be fine.

I am not totally sold on the multicoated polarizers, but I can't say they are a bad thing, just that you may be wasting money on a coating. Whatever you get, get a Circular Polarizer, as the Linear Polarizers (which are cheaper) cause havoc on the autofocus mechanism.

Have Fun,

[ron chappel]

One thing to be carefull of is that cheap polarizers can cause serious (!) sharpness issues.
I wasn't even aware of this until it happened to me. Mine was a cheap brand bought 2nd hand so was probably just a dud but it's something to lookout for
It was explained to me on another (tech) forum that polarisers are not nessesarily easy to make,especially the circular polarizers,which is the type you need for canon EOS

[CyberDyneSystems]

I did not see the word "Circular" in your E-bay link.. so as Ron mentions.. it may not work for you. (a "non-circular" polarizer will meess up your AF)

A good name brand circualr polarizer will not cost much more than that E-bay hunk of junk... I'd pass on that one and get a Hoya.