Nikon circular polarizers

My local pro dealer,(who also carries B+W and Hoya) tells me they are the best you can buy.

I own a B+W and a Tiffen but as I have 3 lenses that take these 77mm filters, I'm thinking of purchasing one more CPL. (I don't think much of the Tiffen anyway)

Here's my question: Does anyone out there use the Nikon filters?
The dealer says that Nikons CPL is slightly oversize so vinyetting is not a problem with even the widest lenses.

2nd question: Do the Canon lens hoods fit over the larger diameter filter? I would want to keep a hood on most of the time as these filters cost a bomb.

BTW a 77mm CPL costs $240. ( they will sell me one for $200.) thats more than many lenses cost.

What kind of 7mm polarizer filter is that, for $ 240? I know they are expensive (that's why I'm hesitating to buy one), but for example a B+W multi-resistant coating, slim (for wide angle lenses) filter costs $155 at B&H. $ 240 sounds excessive!

So, the dealer told you that Nikon circular polarizers are the best you can buy (for $240)?

Yes, best for him.

Most good circular polarizers that I have purchased cost me from $50 to $150, and that last one was only because of an odd size.

---Bob Gross---

I'd go and get the Canon circular Polarizer from B&H for about $100. It will be more than fine.

As for the Canon lens hoods they should snap onto the lens, not thread onto the filter so there's lots of room.

You don't say which lenses you have but vignetting would only be a potential problem with a lens as wide as the 16-35, and if it was used on a full frame (24x36) camera. But I even doubt that turn out to be so. A quick check with Canon should sort that out.

Oh, when I used Nikon, my polarizing filter was made by Minolta and it was great.

Apparently one of the ways of measuring the effectivness of a CPL is the percentage of reduction of reflected glare. Nikon is supposed to be better in this respect.

My dealer is a Canon guy and dosen't push Nikon products.

I have also heard from others that they are super.

As for my widest lens it is a 20 mm but for this kind of money I'd want to plan for future lenses which likely will be wider.

There are some polorizer filters that are supose to not only be multicoated but use better glass, be sealed around the cut glass edges and mounted in a brass ring. These are priced about what you quoted.

I just bought a thin multicoated B&W polorizer and I'm wondering if I should have got the regular one with the threads in front (the thin doesn't have them). Although I'll be using it on a 70-200 2.8L and 100-400 4.5-5.6L I'll also use it on my 24-70 2.8L, which is why I got the thin one for when I shoot at 24mm. The only problem is that it's so thin it's hard to turn it when I'm looking at the scene I'm shooting. I figure I'd pretty much set the filter before I put the lens hood on and that is how it would stay until I moved, the lighting changed or it was no longer needed. It would be nice if the lens hood cliped to it and you just rotated the hood rather than the filter.

Mike

Go in to a good photo store and ask if you can put a Polarizer on a 16-35 that's mounted on a Canon film camera. Put the lens at 16mm, look through it and check the corners of the focusing screen. If the Polarizer doesn't vignette here it never will, and that's assuming you end up with a 1Ds or its successor.

As far as the reflected glare goes, my principle use of a P filter is to saturate the colours - especially the sky. It comes as a surprise to me that different P filters reduce reflections differently, although it may well be true. It may also be bullshit.

As for your dealer if he makes a 30% margin he'd get $30 for the Canon filter and $85 for the Nikon. He may well be right about the benefit of the Nikon filter (although I doubt it) but he's far from being disinterested in the selection you make. See if you can get any information on this point from Nikon literature. If there's any truth to it Nikon will scream it loudly in their propaganda. If it's not in Nikon's literature then I think that your dealer is making it up.