What Is a Polarizer Filter?

A polarizer filter is easily one of the best filters that you can buy for your camera. It is a filter that every serious camera person should have. These filters are made for most sorts of cameras. You can buy them for virtually all DSLR cameras, and even some point and shoot devices. Remember that an autofocus DSLR (which is what most modern DSLRs are) requires you to have a circular polarizer filter. This is a design where the front side of the filter is rotated so that you can see the polarizing effect gradually.

Effects of a Polarizer

The most important feature of this filter is that it cuts down on reflection from many surfaces that are non-metal. For example, it cuts down on the reflection of light in the sky off of the tiny water droplets that are always in the atmosphere. This means that the sky in your pictures is slightly darker and more saturated. Keep in mind that this effect does not work the same from every angle. It works the best when the sun is about 90 degrees from the position in which you are standing. This filter has little effect when the sun is straight in front of you.

The polarizer filter also cuts down on reflections from water and other surfaces that reflect light. The filter will tend to make the water in a shot more transparent. It also depends somewhat on the angle of the camera to the water. There will be little effect if you shoot a picture with the camera right above the water, for example.

The filter further will cut down on reflection from other surfaces, and will make tree leaves look more saturated in color. Also, shadows will look darker.

Also keep in mind that this product will absorb 1.5 f stops of light. This means the filter is not usually suitable for indoors or low light shooting.

Buying a Filter for Your Camera

On most DSLR cameras, you buy a filter that screws right into your lens. You need to make sure that the diameter of the filter fits your lens, of course. Remember that the wider your lens is, the pricier that filters will be for it. If you buy a filter for your wide angle lens, be careful that you do not get vignetting. This is where you get darker corners in some parts of the image.

Joseph Pickett is a web content writer for Focuscamerablog and Discountappliancesblog, a subdivision of Focuscamera.com and Asavings.com

http://www.focuscamera.com/
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