One CPL for all!

I am now starting to look into a good CPL for my lenses. What I would prefer to do is buy one good CPL that will work with all of my lenses. As far as I know, I have two options: buy a regular circular CPL, say, a 82mm one and use step-up rings with my lenses. That way, if I buy a lens needing a 72mm filter in the future, I would still be set. Another option is to get a square CPL and be set for all of my current lenses and future lenses as well. Which option do you guys recommend?

That's what I did but soon realized it was a PITA.
Now all my lenses have their own CPL's. When you consider the amount of $$$ involved in your lenses and the fact that you want them ready for that certain opportunity it just makes sense too spring for excellent CPL's for the different sizes so your ready to capture that shot with the best chance of success. Changing step up rings and fiddling with different caps and screw on's etc just didn't work for me!

Not to mention that step up rings pretty much negate being able to use your hood.

NU27D wrote in post #12852604
That's what I did but soon realized it was a PITA.
Now all my lenses have their own CPL's. When you consider the amount of $$$ involved in your lenses and the fact that you want them ready for that certain opportunity it just makes sense too spring for excellent CPL's for the different sizes so your ready to capture that shot with the best chance of success. Changing step up rings and fiddling with different caps and screw on's etc just didn't work for me!

I've just come to this realization. Even though the step-up rings will save you money over buying a separate CPL, it's a pain to get polarizers off the rings.

crn3371 wrote in post #12852786
Not to mention that step up rings pretty much negate being able to use your hood.

This I also recently realized. It was in the back of my mind, but now it's clear the hood can't be used with step-up rings.

crn3371 wrote in post #12852786
Not to mention that step up rings pretty much negate being able to use your hood.

I don't normally use a hood with a CPL anyways - makes it more difficult to adjust.

I'm in the same camp as you, OP. I have a 77mm CPL and two 77mm lenses. The other two lenses have a smaller filter size and so it makes more sense to me (economically and otherwise) just to get a pair of adapters/step-up rings.

I have been using ring type filters for about 3 years. I have 6 B+W filters ND, GND, and CPL. I now have made the move over to the Lee Filter system. I have only had it for 2 days, and I live in a place that I cant use it much but always use them on vacations. After looking around and this thread https://photography-on-the.net …ead.php?t=22444​8&page=244 I made the move to the 4x6, 4x4 square filters from lee. The ring filters work great, but in a GND ring filter.... just not the same as one you move to fit the shot, also you can do some much with them when you stack them.

All this said, if you like landscape you might want to look into a square filter system.

I'm another multiple CPL owner. I don't actually have one per lens, but I do have 4 in 3 different sizes so I can just mount them straight to the lenses in use and still use the hoods (I don't find it too difficult to use them with the hoods in place, slightly awkward maybe but I can always get a finger to the edge and turn it). I originally only bought one 77mm CPL but I quickly got fed up constantly switching it from lens to lens when in the field. I carry two bodies and often have a pairing of 10-22 and 24-105L or the 24-105L and 100-400L all of which use 77mm filters. The whole purpose of having two bodies to enable quick swapping between using one lens and the other was negated by having to stop and swap the filter over. I now have two 77mm CPLs so I can have one on each lens and just switch one body to the other when I need the other lens.

A Lee holder and 4x4 CPL is the best option IMO. It allows you to stack multiple filters w/o vignetting on all of your lenses - all you need is an adapter ring for each size of lens you own.

Like most everyone has said - get a polarizer for (at least) every lens diameter you have. It saves headaches and makes use of a lens hood at least possible, plus saves time and headaches in lens changes. I have at least one CPL for every lens size I have, and enough that if I have multiple lenses with the same diameter, I've got one for each lens I'd be likely to carry (300 f/4, 28-300 f/5.6, 100-400, 70-200 f/2.8 and 24-70 all take 77 mm, but I won't be carrying more than 3 of them at any given time, so I only need 3x77 mm CPLs).

NU27D wrote in post #12852604
That's what I did but soon realized it was a PITA.
Now all my lenses have their own CPL's. When you consider the amount of $$$ involved in your lenses and the fact that you want them ready for that certain opportunity it just makes sense too spring for excellent CPL's for the different sizes so your ready to capture that shot with the best chance of success. Changing step up rings and fiddling with different caps and screw on's etc just didn't work for me!

crn3371 wrote in post #12852786
Not to mention that step up rings pretty much negate being able to use your hood.

Both of these issues are the reason I went to several different sized CPLs. Now All my lenses are the same filter size (77mm) and I just have one CPL and have and plan to stick with that for some time.

I went with a Cokin "P" series holder and some rings and the Cokin CPL, works up to 77mm. Not a bad CPL actually. This works good for when using a tripod and doing landscape, but for other purposes you just can't beat using a dedicated CPL for the lens. Sure would be nice if they were all the same size though!