Hi,

I'm considering investing in this filter holding accessory here, mainly to add a polarizer to my equipment. It's a bit pricey but looks neat. Has any of you an experience with this one here to share? And: would you rather recommend a circular polarizer (for uniform wideangle effects) or is a linear one okay? Which brand do you recommend? Thanx for your advice.

-- Lutz Konermann (lutz@konermann.net), December 05, 2001

Answers

My top (linear) polarizers have the same effect with wideangles as the circular polarizers. The only thing the circular polarizers do is not interefere with the metering or AF on cameras with beam- splitting mirrors (like the Leica R's) that are basically polarizers themselves.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), December 05, 2001.

Lutz, it seems to solve one problem and create another, because of the bulkiness of the 77mm filter. There was a swing-out filter holder at one time, which allowed you to rotate the filter while viewing through it, and then swing it over the lens without changing the polarization plane. I wonder if that would work for you. Also, wouldn't the circular polarizer obviate the need for adjustment? I'm not sure I really understand them.

Of course, if you think it looks neat . . .

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), December 05, 2001.

The "circular polarizer" must still be rotated to adjust/vary the amount of polarizing effect just as must be done with a linear polarizer. The only differences I know of in the two types are:

1) The circular polarizers will not interfere with AF camera focus operation.

2) The circular polarizers will work with beam splitters (built-in light meters) as used in the R8 camera.

3) The circular polarizers are more expensive. (Naturally.) LB

-- Luther Berry (lberrytx@aol.com), December 05, 2001.

For the Leica M a linear filter is fine. Have you seen the official Leica M polarizer attachment? I think you might want to check that out first. I think I would try a Heliopan filter which has numbers on it to calibrate the rotation - look through it off the camera and twist to effect - then put on lens and make the same alignment (easy because of the numbers) and there you are. Advantage is that you still can use a hood. If you get more than one filter then you can leave one on the camera and use the other solely for viewing with and transfer the values. This is all my theory, I have not tried it yet!

-- Robin Smith (smith_robin@hotmail.com), December 05, 2001.

I made the same type outfit a while back (before seeing the FilterView), cutting slots in step up rings, and find it quite versatile. I even made a special one just for the Kobalux 21 (no vignette problems either). Having the Voigtlander 12mm which takes the 77mm filters; I decided to go with one filter size, even on a 39mm lenses. Kind of looks funny but for infrequent use it works just fine. I have not had flare or reflective problems either. I commonly use a yellow or orange filter in B/W shots.

A Linear polarizer is fine on the M6, metering is correct, and is what I have. I understand that for more complicated metering schemes the only choice is Circular. I remember reading somewhere that the Linear polarizer has more "effect" than the Circular type but I can't prove it. My setup works fine and I think the FilterView should do the same. I can even see through the polarizing filter via the camera's viewfinder.

My biggest problem is my prescription polarized sunglasses have to come off to set the polarizing effect on the filter due to their interaction.

-- Jon Ladd (jonladd@mediaone.net), December 05, 2001.

So, will the circular polarizer give the more uniform wideangle effects Lutz mentioned? Or does it affect the image the same as the linear one, with the only difference being in the performance of auto- focus and beamsplitters?

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), December 05, 2001.

After seeing mention of the FilterView in an earlier post here, I tried centering a 77mm filter on my M6 (with both 35mm and 50mm lenses), and it didn't provide much left-over polarizer to look through. Then, I tried a 105mm polarizer I have for one of my view camera lenses, and that didn't work well either. The Leica Universal Polarizer is still better for the smaller lenses.

Someone else had mention that a particular brand of filter (B&W?) had graduation marks on the edge, so one on the lens could easily be set to the same position as another small one being hand-held at the eye. That struck me as a reasonable solution for the larger lenses.

-- Ralph Barker (rbarker@pacbell.net), December 05, 2001.

if you use a polarizer on a ultra-wide angle only one part of the sky will be affected. a polarizer works best at a 90° angle to the sun, if your lans covers more than about 70° you will notice the fall-off.

how is the filter attachment of the voigtländer 12mm lens hood made? could it be adaptable to the 39 or 46 mm mount of leica lenses? it would be a cheaper alternative to the filterview.

or there is the swing-out polarizer for the mamiya 7. maybe this one could be adapted for leica lenses. it's cheaper than the leica one and got very good reviews. has anyone used it yet?

-- stefan randlkofer (geesbert@yahoo.com), December 05, 2001.

Lutz,

For polarizing filters on my M6 I have settled on this: I have three Heliopan linear polarizers, 39mm, 46mm and 55mm. Mount one on the lens, sight through another free hand. When you see the desired effect orient the lens filter to the angle of the reference filter. Press the shutter and bask in the glow of success. Except,

1) As some have noted the Heliopans have graduations on the rim which you would think means their orientations can be interchanged. Not true. I can’t figure what the graduations are for, but don’t trust them to indicate the angle of polarization. Email me if you want to know how I arrived at this. Good news is you can calibrate and mark the filters quite easily. This applies to any brand, or a mixture of brands.

2) I always end up sticking the free-hand filter in my dusty, lint- filled pocket. It is always a mess and needs to be cleaned before it can be used for shooting.

I really don’t see how a section of the hood periphery can reveal much about the filter’s effect. With the freehand method you can very quickly evaluate the sky, foliage, water, whatever, dial it in and shoot.

Just remember, when switching from landscape to portrait you have to spin the filter 90 degrees to maintain the angle of polarization.

BTW I use this method even with my SLR now. It is much easier to view through the reference filter than through the lens, mirror, prism and screen. I see subtle changes in color and luster that get swallowed up in the optical labyrinth of the SLR.

If this helps in any small way please consider it thanks for all you contribute here.

Cheers,

-- Jeff Stuart (jstuart1@tampabay.rr.com), December 05, 2001.

Jeff Stuart; Ingenious - sounds like you might want a pocketable filter wallet for Xmas.

-- Andy Piper (apidens@denver.infi.net), December 05, 2001.

Short reply: A linear filter is perfectly O.K.for Leica 'M' series. You do not require the more expensive Circular variety. But DO make sure you purchase a good make, I always stipulate B&W.

-- David Seaman (Lincolnshire,England) (david@leicam.freeserve.co.uk), December 06, 2001.

Thanx to all,

To sum it up, I understand that circular polarizers have no advantage over linear ones as far as M use is concerned, not even when shooting with wide-angles, where a non-even distribution of the polarizing effect may occur. As far as holders are concerned, the universal Leica swing-polarizer is apparently fine but pricey and not compatible with 60mm threads. The Mamiya 7 variety might be a viable alternative, test rides still to be made... On the other side the FilterView still appears to be an attractive alternative to a set of several polarizers, which require extra pouches and precise transfer of hand held test positions. In short, no perfect solution in sight (so far... might give it a thought... ;o). B&W would be a quality brand. I hope I got it correctly. Thanx a lot again.

-- Lutz Konermann (lutz@konermann.net), December 06, 2001.