I just bought a 55mm lens and I want to get a polarizer. There is a difference in price and I was wondering If a Linear will work just as well as a Circular. It was my understanding that circular was a must for automatic lenses.

-- Ed Raphael (edraphael@juno.com), April 28, 1998

Answers

It's my understanding circular polarizers are needed for most autofocus cameras to work properly. Shouldn't be a problem to use the less expensive linear polarizer on the P67. I use one on mine and it works great. If you have an autofocus 35mm camera and would be sharing the filter between cameras, then opt for the circular.

-- Dave Herrick (dherrick@centuryinter.net), May 11, 1998.

No need for circ. polorizer, I use a cokin set up and sing-ray filters on all my lenses. Slight vingetting w/ 45mm.

-- Roy Feldman (royfel@hotmail.com), August 30, 1998.

Dear ED

Cir Polarisers are used for the (split-beam?) metering systems of most modern cameras. If you are using the Metering Prism Finder of the P67 a linear polariser may cause it to give inaccurate exposure readings. Users more familiar with the Metering Prism Finder may tell us whether it is needs the Cir Pol or not. If you are using a head-held meter then a linear pol. is all that's needed. Autofocussing capabilites has nothing to do with it. For a quick read on the net check out the static page on photo.net/photo under FILTERS.

-- Mommy (000@ooo.com), August 31, 1998.

Sorry, that's 'hand-held' and not 'head-held'.

-- Mommy (000@ooo.com), August 31, 1998.

How would you meter your exposure for the effects of a polarizer with a hand-held meter? Is there a set factor, or is it bracket, bracket, bracket? The image seems to get lighter and darker as I rotate the polarizer thru its range.

-- Jon Sall (Jon509@aol.com), January 05, 1999.

Jon,

The way I do it for MF and LF photography is to simply hold the filter up in front of the meter and meter through the filter. With a polarizer there's a little white mark on the rim of the filter, note where it is when you've got the right amount of polarization and hold it that way in front of the meter and then be sure to mount it on the camera at the same angle of rotation.

Frank

-- Frank Kolwicz (bb389@lafn.org), January 05, 1999.

Any metering system that uses a split mirror (usually at the bottom of the mirror box) and any autofocus system that uses a split mirror (most of them) need a circular polarizer. Otherwise metering will be off or autofocus capabilities will be diminished.

-- WKato (wkato@aol.com), January 06, 1999.