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 Post subject: Polarizers Passe?
Unread postPosted: Fri Dec 28, 2012 2:35 pm 
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It's kind of odd. I'm a fan of the deeply saturated colors that polarizers can bring (I don't use them to reduce reflections so much except for making water more translucent). But in shooting the M8 and M9, especially with good lenses - the colors are already so nicely saturated that I find a polarizer relatively superfluous.

I had the Leica Universal Polarizer with me but didn't break it out once. It really wasn't practical. In fact, I hardly changed lenses. This seems to be a pattern as I've brought the pol with me on various excursions and never seem to use it. Much like the flash... I totally see why both tend to show up (together even) in the B&S forum regularly. They're probably the same two, passing from one person to the next. :p

Then there's the variety of solutions, none of which are really "ideal." Perhaps for local use where you plan to shoot with it a lot... Less so for more "stop and go" shooting while on vacation or traveling, for example.

Consider some of the following shots - none of which used a polarizer. Now granted, the 28 Cron shots will exhibit some of the sky darkening effect simply because it's a wide angle (which increase the effect). But even the second shot, from the 50 Lux exhibits this (though granted, to a lesser degree).

M9, ISO 160, Summicron-M 28mm f/2 ASPH, 1/1500s @ f/5.6:
Image

M9, ISO 160, Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 ASPH, 1/1500s @ f/8:
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 Post subject: Re: Polarizers Passe?
Unread postPosted: Fri Dec 28, 2012 6:08 pm 
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Here are two shots using a polarizer, for comparison.

M8, ISO 160, Zeiss Biogon 2,8/25 ZM, 1/1000s @ f/5.6:
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Canon 1D Mark IIn, ISO 100, EF 24mm f/1.4 Mark II USM, 1/640s @ f/4:
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 Post subject: Re: Polarizers Passe?
Unread postPosted: Fri Dec 28, 2012 8:09 pm 
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Here's another example. No polarizer. Oddly enough, also the 28 Cron. I think to some degree, post processing (including DNG import settings) and slight contrast bump add to the effect:

M9, ISO 160, Summicron-M 28mm f/2 ASPH, 1/750s @ f/8:
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 Post subject: Re: Polarizers Passe?
Unread postPosted: Fri Dec 28, 2012 9:16 pm 
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I find the switching of filters quite annoying on the go. Typically the only time ill use a Polarizer with my Leica is when I'm shooting landscape and have the time (and more importantly patience) to fiddle around with the thing.

Good examples, I've never seen too much of a difference (in the sky) with the Leica lenses on digital or slide either.

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