I miss my polarizing filter

Oct 11, 2003

Could you get a polarizing filter for your new camera? I mean, is it possible to attach one to your lens? We had to get one for my grandmother’s digital camera as it just couldn’t handle outdoors stuff too well (cutting down on the glare did end up helping somewhat). They have circular polarizing filters available for auto focus lenses (as opposed to the linear ones for manual focus lenses). They do not offer you the kind of control you may have been used to with your old one (not sure if it was automatic or not) but it’s better than nothing.

I can’t help you with your actual question, though. I don’t know enough about PSE yet. Someone else here will likely give you WAY better info than anything I could offer. 🙂

Jane_Carter

Oct 11, 2003

Here is what I did; I was on vacation soon after I had gotten my Coolpix 990, and realized that I needed a polarize filter. So I took my sunglasses and held them over the lens. Had to make sure it was correctly aligned, by slowly rotating the glasses.
It worked! The pictures came out great!
When we got home, I found that there wasn’t anything available for the camera, so I just took my old polarizing lenz and held it over the camera lens whenever we were out in the boat or whenever needed, just as I did with the sunglasses.
Works just fine.

And yes, there is a way to simulate the sky in PSE, I found it in the October 3 Macworld magazine starting on page 55. There are other ways to do this, but I havent learned them yet, filters and more.
example, I had fun with this and made all kinds of neat and whacky skys. These 3 came out well. <http://www.pbase.com/image/22094526>
see the 2 previous pictures too. I have guests now and have to start dinner, but I will be back here later,
Jane

Leen_Koper

Oct 11, 2003

Jane, you are right. Holding a polarizer in front of the lens and turning it slowly until the maximum effect shows, will do the trick.

About a polarizer. I cannot understand why so many people prefer to apply a polarizer to their images. Too often it produces unnatural skies, displaying an unrealistic exaggerated blue.

A few weeks ago, durig the lunch break of a meeting, I discussed about this polarizer with some colleagues (all internationally qualified professional photographers)and hardly anyone uses a polarizer frequently. We all applied this filter mainly when reproducing oil paintings, sometimes to reduce facial glare on portraits and when photographing gardens to remove part of the reflection of the sky on the leaves. Nobody ever mentionned darkening the skies. And this group of people are shooting thousands of images each month.

So I wouldnot care too much about it.

(my 2 eurocents)

Leen

Jane_Carter

Oct 12, 2003

When you are out in a boat sometimes a polarizer lens is very helpful, especially if the sun is in the direction that you need to take pictures into.
Another neat thing that happens with it too, is when the ocean is really calm and the sun is bright, you are able to remove the surface reflections and seem to be able to ‘see’ under the surface. You can see the coral reefs thru your polarized sunglasses, and can capture this with the camera too.
I have pictures like this, I should try to find them.
<http://www.pbase.com/image/22194099/large>
Here is one good example, but not with coral reefs, just seaweed and northern stuff. I can’t find the one that I took without the polarize lens, but you can imagine how it did look without.
Jane

Mike_O_Sullivan

Oct 12, 2003

Thanks for the replies. I have still got a 49mm polarizing filter which I could just hold in front of the lens. My new pentax digital doesn’t take screw-in filters of any kind so this is a (rather clumsy) solution. BTW my SLR was stolen on holiday in France in a bag snatch. I also lost FM radio, cellphone and passport, but that’s another story.

I agree about the possible over-use of this filter, it must be used judicially to avoid the unnatural effect of a too blue sky, but with care it can be a very useful addition.

It would be nice to know however if this effect can be reproduced in Photoshop Elements.

W_Bobrowski

Oct 12, 2003

Check out the polarizer filter in the demo version of nik Color Efex or Color Efex Pro from nik multimedia, and their other Photoshop plugins at:

< http://www.nikmultimedia.com/usa/products/maincontent/all_pr oducts/products.shtml#colorefexprod>

Best regards,
Walt

Bob_Polk

Oct 13, 2003

I have an adapter for my Casio 3000 to fit a 52mm tele. Same adapter will take a Cokin filter holder and I just pop in the circular polarizer. Do have to hold the filter to my eye and rotate for best setting though as you can’t really see the image on the LCD.
Bob

I miss my polarizing filter

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