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Thread: Circular and linear polarizers not the same after all?

  1. #1

    Circular and linear polarizers not the same after all?

    I am looking to get a 105mm polarizer for the screw in adapter ring for the Lee system. I have the linear Heliopan in mind, which is a fair bit cheaper than the circular version. I have used both linear and circular polarizers and I am aware of their differences when it comes to split-beam metering, quarter wave plate etc. Recently, however, I have come across some accounts claiming that linear polarizers are more efficient in eliminating reflections while circular polarizers would cause or enable stronger color saturation than linear ones and therefore a circular polarizer may prove more beneficial than a linear one for critical color work regardless of the camera's metering system or lack thereof. Someone goes on to say that it's written in Heliopan owner's manuals that their circular and linear polarizing filters differ in the aforementioned way, whereas B+W supposedly claims that their linear and circular polarizing filters produce identical outcome on film. This is all news to me. I do work mostly with color and do not like the idea of the linear polarizer being less punchy than the circular one. It will be much appreciated if anyone can help me out on this. Many thanks.

  2. #2

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    Re: Circular and linear polarizers not the same after all?

    I've got both types and strongly recommend getting a linear polarizer, unless you really need to spend the extra money on the circular for a known requirement. I've found that some of the autofocus/metering systems that supposedly don't work correctly with linear polarizers are just fine with them and I've never noticed a significant difference in saturation.

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    Re: Circular and linear polarizers not the same after all?

    I have little experience with circular polarizers for photographic use. That said, I would speculate that this is a case of a marketeer who understood little other than that the circular polarizer costs more, attributing more of the usual positive polarizer characteristics to the more expensive circular version.

    My foggy recollection is that a circular polarizer is first a linear polarizer with a quarter wave plate following it. I am willing to bet that the quarter wave plate induces a delay (in one polarization plane relative to the perpendicular one) that is not exactly a quarter wave across all wave lengths. If I am right, then the circular polarizer will be to some degree eliptical for all but one wavelength. It is difficult to imagine how the quarter wave plate and its imperfections could improve the polarizer's performance.

    I would recommend saving the extra cost of the circular polarizer and buy instead the best linear one you can find.

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    Re: Circular and linear polarizers not the same after all?

    A circular polarizer is only needed if one uses an interior light measuring system used in SLR-cameras to avoid depolarizing by prisms and mirrors inside the camera. So a circular polarizer should be choosen if the same filter has to be used with LF- and SLR-cameras. For LF-cameras only there is no difference at all except the price.

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    Re: Circular and linear polarizers not the same after all?

    The first thing to keep in mind, is that both linear and circular polarizers have exactly the same effect on the film.

    The second thing to consider, is whether you now own any other cameras that require a circular polarizer.

    The most important thing to consider, IMO, is whether there is any possible chance that you may decide to purchase such a camera at any time in the future. If there's a snowball's chance in hell that you'll ever own a camera that requires circular polarizers, you might as well bite the bullet and buy one now; it'll just cost more in a few years. In the meantime it will work just fine on everything else you own. Circular polarizers work on ALL cameras.

  6. #6
    Peter De Smidt's Avatar
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    Re: Circular and linear polarizers not the same after all?

    The consensus of the pros where I work is that linear polarizers are more effective than circular ones.

  7. #7

    Re: Circular and linear polarizers not the same after all?

    Thank you all of you for your replies.

    Quote Originally Posted by Peter J. De Smidt View Post
    The consensus of the pros where I work is that linear polarizers are more effective than circular ones.
    Peter, in what way do the pros consider the linear polarizers being more effective? I have heard from different sources that they for instance should reduce reflections on a water surface more effectively than circular polarizers, but again, I have not seen this with my own eyes.

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    Re: Circular and linear polarizers not the same after all?

    If the polarizer comes before the lambda/4 foil also a circular polarizer removes reflexions on non-metalic surfaces like water, if the surface reflects the incident light coming from an angle of 30° to 40° depend on the surface material. But the polarizing foil and specialy the lambda/4 foil can only be made for a certain wave band. So not all wave-lenghts are cut-out and turned in circular waves. But in photography this isn't important.

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    Re: Circular and linear polarizers not the same after all?

    I'm not sure I'd use any polarizer for "critical" color work, at least not without first testing it. Joe Englander wrote an interesting article in the final issue of "Camera and Darkroom" magazine many years ago, showing the results of his tests of different brands of polarizers. Each different brand produced a slight but noticeable difference in the color cast. I don't remember whether he compared linear and circular of the same brand or not but there was a definite difference among brands.
    Brian Ellis
    Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you do criticize them you'll be
    a mile away and you'll have their shoes.

  10. #10

    Re: Circular and linear polarizers not the same after all?

    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Ellis View Post
    I'm not sure I'd use any polarizer for "critical" color work, at least not without first testing it. Joe Englander wrote an interesting article in the final issue of "Camera and Darkroom" magazine many years ago, showing the results of his tests of different brands of polarizers. Each different brand produced a slight but noticeable difference in the color cast. I don't remember whether he compared linear and circular of the same brand or not but there was a definite difference among brands.
    Thank you Brian!

    I googled the Englander article and the results are in fact found on largeformatphotography.info!

    Below are the results of Englander's test. Highly interesting!

    http://www.largeformatphotography.info/filters.html

    Many polarizers tend to have a cold color bias. It's generally better to have a warm color bias than a cold color bias, hence the interest of the warm tone polarizers. In a C&D article, Englander compared ten linear and circular polarizers. His densitometer readings are (total,red,green,blue):

    Wratten (.6,.62,.62,.62)
    B+W Warm (.56,.57,.57,.58)
    B+W circular (.51,.55,.52,.48)
    Heliopan circular (.58,.64,.58,.53)
    Heliopan linear (.62,.69,.63,.57)
    Heliopan Warm (.60,.60,.61,.56)
    Tiffen linear (.50,.52,.49,.50)
    Tiffen circular (.51,.50,.52,.47)
    Hoya circular (.54,.56,.55,.53)
    Hoya linear (.45,.47,.45,.43).
    Tiffen Warm (.62,.58,.62,.62)

    He concluded that the most neutral filter was the B+W Warm. The Tiffen Warm is linear. Hoya has subsequently introduced a Warm polarizer (called the Moose filter, after the so-named wildlife photographer) in circular version, which is relatively economical.

    Englender also found the Wratten .6ND filter to match the density of the polarizers well. This confirms the rule to use a filter factor of two stops for a polarizer.

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