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Hello everyone, my santa list has come through, i am getting a circular 58mm polarising filter. Local shop has offered it to me for $49.95. Is this a good price, i've done a quick look around (very quick) best i could find in aus was $58....so its obviously better then that price, it's a HOYA brand....are they alright? thanks guys. kristen

Kristen,

One thing to be aware of is that Hoya make a number of different circular polarising filters with different quality and different prices, so you need to make sure you compare apples to apples.

Quality Camera usually have pretty good prices, so here are some examples:

Hoya 58mm Circular Polarizer Glass Filter - $59
Hoya 58mm HMC Multi-Coated Circular Polarizer Filter - $95
Hoya 58mm Super HMC PRO 1D Circular Polarizer Filter - $150

I have to assume the one they are offering for $49.95 is the base model and it does seem like a good price. However, I recommend you get at least the HMC version and perhaps even the PRO D1. Remember, each time you use the filter, every ray of light in the photograph will pass through it. You want the effect of the polariser without degrading the quality of the image.

I have a Hoya HMC C-Pol and it is really thick (it cases vignetting on my Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 -my only DX lens- at all apertures) I also use the Marumi DHG C-Pol (about 3.5mm thin) which I use on the Tamron with a step up ring (this C-pol was bought for 77mm filter thread) but I would imagine that the thinner ringed filters are better than the fat ringed ones.

The differences in between the basic hoya, HMC, Super HMC, and Super HMC Pro1 are primarily the amount of multicoating (basic - basic coating, HMC - Hoya MultiCoating, Super HMC - 12 layers of Super MultiCoating, Super HMC Pro1D - 12 layers of Super MultiCoating + thinner ring)

Hi, have you considered the Cokin range ?
I have gone this way because I can spend good money on glass/filter quality but by simply using a differnt mount (quite affordable) I can use each filter on my whole collection of lenses. I bought the cokin holder and mounts quite cheaply so worth looking around. I realise they are a bit bulkier but I think they are a better investment in the long run and I am lucky enough to receive new 'fun' ones as gifts from time to time - so this may work for you also PS I still have a 'clear' Hoya screw on filter on the front of each lense purely for protection

I have also started to play with using a couple of filters together and it's easy to do with the Cokins.

DebT

I do the same, Marumi (primarily) and Hoya UV's for each lens then Marumi 77mm C-Pol and a Hoya 67mm C-pol, but I do use the Cokin ND filters.

DebT wrote:Hi, have you considered the Cokin range ?

Deb, How well do they work for a polariser? Typically, you need to be able to rotate the polariser to get the right angle to exclude the light you don't want.

ATJ wrote:

DebT wrote:Hi, have you considered the Cokin range ?

Deb, How well do they work for a polariser? Typically, you need to be able to rotate the polariser to get the right angle to exclude the light you don't want.

Andrew,

With a Cokin, you just rotate the holder. That's how it's designed.

gstark wrote:With a Cokin, you just rotate the holder. That's how it's designed.

Yes, that is how it is done, I find that I cant be bothered to take out the holder most of the time so I just hold the filter in front of the lens with my left hand (adjusting my zoom), then I just operate the camera with one hand (I love the NIkons for letting me be able to do that comfortably, no funny scroll wheel on the back)