Polarizer or Yellow-Orange filter, Guatemala

[mcfactor]

I know, I know, its is a very subjective question. But, I am going to Guatemala in April and will bring my 8x10. I usually do not use filters, but the elevation is pretty high and I will probably be spending a decent amount of time at least a couple of thousand feet up. I have a UV filter, but am trying to decide between a polarizer or a yellow orange fillter, mostly for clouds, but also for jungle shots. Any recommendations?

Thanks

[Donald Miller]

I personally do not favor a polarizer because it can and does lead to uneven tones in sky regions. I am basing this on black and white and not color film. A yellow orange filter would tend to deepen shadow values.

Donald Miller

[mcfactor]

thats good to know, i shoot both black and white and color, but obviously the yellow-orange would just be for b&w. I thought that if the polarizer darkened the skys it would be more versitile since I could use it for color too.

[Vaughn]

If you are in the jungle, the polarizer for color would be great to have. What happens is that the top surfaces of the leaves (and other surfaces like wet rocks) reflect a lot of the blue from the sky -- making those surfaces blue-green while the rest of the leaves are green. The polarizer can reduce the blue reflected light, giving a much more natural looking foliage.

For the skies, the yellow-orange would be enough (personal bias -- I dislike overly darken skies as it looks like a cheap trick after awhile). If you are using T-max films, just a yellow (or no filter) would be fine, as it has a much more even response to color than conventional films (which tend to be overly sensitive to blue) -- again with my bias to be considered.

But filters pack well and take up almost no space (they can be stored screwed into each other, also). Take a few!

And have fun!

PS...I am adding this link to a recent image posted on this forum -- great image, and you can see the effect of the reflected blue light in the leaves and rocks. If the photographer had wanted an image with a warmer feel, a polarizer would have done the trick.

http://www.largeformatphotography.in...postcount=1017

[Phil Hudson]

At high altitudes an orange filter can be very strong on a blue sky......do you have a regular or light yellow just in case?

[mcfactor]

Interesting, i did not think about the effect of altitude on the filter strength. I also do not like overly darkened skies, so maybe a yellow would be ok. If using a yellow filter, would I use a UV at the same time?

[Phil Hudson]

No just use yellow by itself. The yellow also absorbs UV (as do most other glass filters).

[mcfactor]

This is a separate question but, do you think UV filters degrade the image to any noticable degree, Im talking a new BW multi-coated UV?

[Vaughn]

This is a separate question but, do you think UV filters degrade the image to any noticable degree, Im talking a new BW multi-coated UV?

No...and even cheap ones will not degrade the image if you habitually use a lens shade.

[cjbroadbent]

Somebody correct me if this is bad advice.
I get by outdoors with one filter, an 85c colour conversion screw-in glass filter. I use it for both B&W and Ektachrome 64T which I alway take along just in case (the tungsten film is for stopping down and making long exposures in poor daylight).
The 85c keeps black and white sky in shape without exaggeration and I am more agile outdoors with a screw-in shade. Sometime I wish it was an 85b but I can't find one the size of the 120mm SuperAngulon.