What's a good Circular Polarizer

[AKPhotos]

For a simple cheap plain window glass filter, they are ok. most are pretty similar. But if you are using a Pro series lens, and want to keep the good optics, I would HIGHLY suggest getting a filter, even the UV ones, that are made from Ground glass. The only 2 I know that do that are the Heliopan and the B+W and they are even not too much more than the cheap glass filters like the tiffens and stuff.

[Gerry_Walden]

I use B+W whenever possible. They are expensive, but they are so for a reason - they are the best and will last you a lifetime.

Gerry

[PB&J photography]

B&W or Singh-Ray.

[Doug_Kerr]

Hi, Noel,

Originally Posted by Noel_Carboni

By the lack of other responses touting Canon, have I been mislead in my understanding that they make some of the best filters? I notice Canon's price isn't out of line with the others.l

The only Canon brand filters I ever bought were three UV's a number of years ago, and they were dreadful. I used them to make coffee filter white balance diffusers.

[Richard_Coyle]

From my experience, for simple UV and lens protection, the "original" Hoya Super HMC Pro 1 slim profile series is equivalent to the B&W optically, which is about as good as it gets. It's also slimmer than the B&W, with a slightly lighter frame. Note however, I don't find the new Hoya Pro 1 digital series to be as good as either the original Hoyas, or the B&Ws. For more complex filters, from polarizers to grads, etc., as mentioned above, I prefer B&W and Singh-Ray. And I've put my money where my mouth is since I own Hoya UVs, B&W polarizers and Singh-Ray grads.

Whichever you decide to purchase, make sure the lens(es) with which they're used won't have additional vignetting problems, as many of the newer super wide zooms already do. Even the Nikkor 70-200 VR lens, a pro favorite, exhibits vignette and corner softness on the D3, which is unexpected. Adding any filter, let alone a thicker one may tend to exacerbate the problem.

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