When to Use Polarizing Filters

maiMelissa

I have polarizing filter and I find that every time I use it my photos dont look so nice. Can you tell me when is the best situation to use them?

Auston

@maiMelissa - The purpose of this type of filter is to reduce the amount of glare in the photo. It can also help with making the blues and greens in your image stand out more and give definition to the puffy white clouds in the sky. But primarliy it is used to cut glare when shooting places around water and the like.

Try this and it might help you get a grip on it. Go out side with your camera and put an item in the dash of your car. Stand back until you get the glare and reflection of the sky in the windshield. Take a photo with and without your filter. You should notice the the image that had the filter will not have the glare and you can see the item in the car.

Same concept when using it around water. It filters out the glare on the water.

Know that there are 2 types of polarizer filters:
1) Circular Polarizer - this one gives you the ablity to rotate the very outer ring of the filter to adjust the effects of the fliter. It is also the most recomended type for any camera the has a barrel motion focus (60D is one of these). This like our Canon 60D and Nikons.
2) Fixed Polarizer - just like the name implies it is fixed to the front of the lens and turnes with the lens as it moves to focus. It can also alter the image but you have less options to correct it.

I hope this helped.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,
Auston

maiMelissa

Thanks Auston I will try that. I have a circular polarizing filter and I didn't know I could rotate it to adjust effects of the filter. When you are taking pictures of people outside you dont need it do you? My photos on which I used it on people outside are coming out darker.

wessyfiesta

I use my Circular Polarizer for taking slow shutter speeds of waterfalls as they let less light into the camera. You can get different strength filters depending on what you're shooting.

Gnhntn

Here is a link to a good read on Polarizer Filters.

Circular Polarizers are for cameras with an auto focus feature, which the 60D is. Linear is for older manual focus film cameras. They could drastically affect how the light enters into your viewfinder.