Circular polariser question

Recently bought Hoya polariser (CPL) for my 24-105 lens. Basically want to use to enhance clouds & foilage in outdoor pictures.

Some querries to members on this forum:
1. Oooof... how do you rotate it with lens hood on. I had not anticipated that I will have to work without hood.
2. How do you use CPL as I dont see much difference in two pictutures using CPL -- first with point marked on CPL in up position and second with point on CPL rotated 90deg clockwise. Can I use with CPL permanently at 90degree (max affect is at around 85deg)

I would like you to see two 'test' pictures using CPL as below (Pic taken towards East, Sun is in West)

First with CPL -- 'mark' on top
Second with CPL -- 'mark' 90deg clockwise from top

This picture is taken just before above pics. No CPL used in this.

If you look at the little bit of blue sky in the images you'll notice that the first one seems to have a darker blue. Clouds don't polarize the light that they reflect very much. Because of the overcast, this scene isn't a good one to experiment with a polarizing filter.

Typically, one views a scene through the viewfinder and, while viewing the scene, rotates the filter for the desired effect. If you have to, pull the lens hood off while setting up and put it on before making the shot. That's what I do fairly frequently.

You will quite probably not get the desired effect very often by simply leaving the filter in one position on the lens.

Thanks. I didnt notice that. It implies the cpl makes blue sky darker. I also find shadows in clouds darker than the picture without cpl.

I also read some where that cpl cuts haze and hence makes landscape to look crisper. Planning day out tomorrow with cpl on lens. Will be using with people in foreground and landscape in background. Hope it will add value.

ssmanak wrote in post #16347650
Thanks. I didnt notice that. It implies the cpl makes blue sky darker. I also find shadows in clouds darker than the picture without cpl.

I also read some where that cpl cuts haze and hence makes landscape to look crisper. Planning day out tomorrow with cpl on lens. Will be using with people in foreground and landscape in background. Hope it will add value.

Yes, a CPL will make blue skies darker, and won't have as much effect on clouds as shown in your above pictures.

Also, CPLs have the most effect when they are used perpendicular to the direction of the sun. You said the sun was in the West, and you were facing East. The CPL will not have too much of an effect here. If the sun is to the West, try taking a picture to the North or South and you will see more pronounced effects.

http://www.cambridgein​colour.com …ls/polarizing-filters.htm

Find something with glare... e.g. a wall picture in a glass frame, a river/lake.

Compose and focus the shot.
Now slowly rotate the polariser and be amazed.

You might find this link helpful: http://www.photography​blogger.net …for-using-your-polarizer/

Diffused light is not the best light to use a polarizing filter for.

The "point" mark on Hoya CPL's is for a reference to the sun. If you turn the mark to point to the sun is it will give the maximum effect. So having it straight up or straight to the side is not necessarily the best place.
The best way to use a polarizer is to turn it while looking through the viewfinder to get the effect you want.

It also appears that all your sample shots were made with the sun directly behind you or right overhead... which is a situation where a CPL will have the least effect in the sky, clouds and foliage. If the sun is off to one side or the other, you'll see much more effect.

You can see some helpful effects on reflections, even with the sun directly behind you. For example, I used a CPL for this shot, to reduce the reflectance off the water a bit and deepen it's color, though because the sun was fairly directly overhead there wasn't a whole lot of effect on the sky....

ssmanak wrote in post #16347594
Recently bought Hoya polariser (CPL) for my 24-105 lens. Basically want to use to enhance clouds & foilage in outdoor pictures.

Some querries to members on this forum:
1. Oooof... how do you rotate it with lens hood on. I had not anticipated that I will have to work without hood.
2. How do you use CPL as I dont see much difference in two pictutures using

1. I use a CPL with the hood on my 24-105L all the time. There should be room for you to get your fingers in there and rotate the filter.

2. As has been mentioned already, the best way to use the filter is to rotate the filter while looking through the viewfinder to observe the effect. Once you get the desired effect, stop rotating.

amfoto1 wrote in post #16348473
It also appears that all your sample shots were made with the sun directly behind you or right overhead... which is a situation where a CPL will have the least effect in the sky, clouds and foliage. If the sun is off to one side or the other, you'll see much more effect.

Not to argue, but if the sun is directly overhead, and the CPL works best 90 degrees from the sun, you should be able to get good effect shooting toward the horizon in any direction. It's when the sun isn't directly overhead, that you have to be concerned with the direction. Or is my thinking flawed here? Wouldn't be the first time

Rotating the CPL

I use my index finger and just touch the edge of the CPL. I can usually rotate it doing that.

It helps to have fingers like these...

IMAGE LINK: http://rpcrowe.smugmug​.com …oto-Equipment/i-rjpnprQ/A

IMAGE LINK: http://rpcrowe.smugmug​.com …oto-Equipment/i-bttPb4k/A

RPCrowe wrote in post #16350128
Some folks cut an access slot in the bottom of their sunshade with a Dremyl Tool (get a Chinese knock-off hood to try this with).

Pentax has a great idea which I wish other manufacturers would follow...

IMAGE LINK: http://rpcrowe.smugmug​.com …oto-Equipment/i-bttPb4k/A

Nikon took it even farther with certain lenses... There was a hood offered for the 180mm Nikkor that had a built-in rubber wheel that rode on the edge of the polarizer and rotated it. I bet some others did the same.

Of course, there isn't one of these avail. for the Canon 24-105... But you could just get a screw-in hood and then it's dead simple to turn the hood and CPL at the same time.

amfoto1 wrote in post #16350160
But you could just get a screw-in hood and then it's dead simple to turn the hood and CPL at the same time.

+1

The type of rubber hood that folds to three positions is nice for zooms, to keep from cutting off the image corners at the wide end.