Circular Polarizer Recommendation?

Right now I have a 77mm B+W Slim non-HTC and I am losing 1 1/2 stop just putting it on and 2 2/3 stops of light fully polarized!

Not cool!

While losing that much light is not too difficult for landscapes - it does post a problem when shooting other non-landscape shots like, wildlife, car shows, real estate, some products and some action sports.

So I am in search of a High Transmission Circular Polarizer for my 70-200mm and 24-70mm

I am not familiar with HTCP - so I am reaching out for some direction - I would like to keep the cost around or below $100

Hoya comes to mind. Probably the bang for the buck.

Zeke_M said:

Hoya comes to mind. Probably the bang for the buck.

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I'll second the motion for a Hoya. However, I am not aware of any CPLs that will significantly reduce the 1.5+ f-stop loss. Hoya has a filter which claims a 2/3 less f-stop loss. You might want to check out this link https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/2566867

Hoya makes a good CPL. I've used them in the past and have nothing but good things to say about them. My current, favorite CPL is made by Breakthrough Photography and I like them even better than the Hoya filters I have. As has already been said, though, I do not know any CPL has significantly better transmission, either. It's simply one of those things you has to adjust for somewhere in your exposure triangle.

Hoya for me too................

Horoscope Fish said:

Hoya makes a good CPL. I've used them in the past and have nothing but good things to say about them. My current, favorite CPL is made by Breakthrough Photography and I like them even better than the Hoya filters I have. As has already been said, though, I do not know any CPL has significantly better transmission, either. It's simply one of those things you has to adjust for somewhere in your exposure triangle.

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I'll second that. I use one of their ND filters and very happy with it.

Blacktop said:

I'll second that. I use one of their ND filters and very happy with it.

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After trying the Breakthrough Photography CPL... Yeah, I'm swapping out my Hoya ND's for Breakthroughs; I like them THAT much better.
.....

Frankly, since the OP has a B+W CPL already, I believe he would best be served to save his money and keep what he has. He would then have that $100 towards a new lens or whatever NAS or PAS he wants to itch.

Bikerbrent said:

Frankly, since the OP has a B+W CPL already, I believe he would best be served to save his money and keep what he has. He would then have that $100 towards a new lens or whatever NAS or PAS he wants to itch.

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I think you "and several others" have missed the point.

There are TWO types of CPs - regular with a fairly high loss of light, and High Transmission CPs that let in nearly 2 additional stops of light at full polirezed.

I have a couple of the regular (Hoya & B+W) but no experience with HTCPs - there in lies the bases of my question.

If your not familiar with HTCPs - please don't reply with an opinion on HTCPs - it has no value to the conversation?

I understand what you're saying--CP filters definitely affect the exposure triangle. Although I can't speak from experience, it looks like B+W makes some high transmission CP filters. B+W makes excellent filters overall so I'd suggest reading through reviews of them. Offhand, I don't recall any discussion on high transmission filters here, but I could be wrong. Please be sure to let us know how it goes if you try one.

Tiffen comes to mind regarding HTCP's but they are above your price range.

77MM DIGITAL HT CIRCULAR POL

csgaraglino said:

I think you "and several others" have missed the point.

There are TWO types of CPs - regular with a fairly high loss of light, and High Transmission CPs that let in nearly 2 additional stops of light at full polirezed.

I have a couple of the regular (Hoya & B+W) but no experience with HTCPs - there in lies the bases of my question.

If your not familiar with HTCPs - please don't reply with an opinion on HTCPs - it has no value to the conversation?

Click to expand...

I too vote for Hoya. Their HD circular polarizers transmit 25% more light than standard polarizers and they are reasonably priced. I am not sure that spending the extra cash on Tiffens would improve light transmission enough to justify the higher cost. Best save that for your future Zeiss lenses.

Ok guys,

I finally got a chance to do some side by side compression of a Standard CP and a High Transmission CP.
I am using a Nikon D810 with a 70-200mm VRII Lens on a tripod.
Both Polarizers are B+W German Glass

The Standard CP $70
Amazon.com : B+W 77mm Kaesemann Circular Polarizer with Multi-Resistant Coating : Camera Lens Polarizing Filters : Camera & Photo

The HTCP $110
Amazon.com : B+W 77mm XS-Pro HTC Kaesemann Circular Polarizer with Multi-Resistant Nano Coating : Camera & Photo


The Control Image:


The Polarizers Side by Side:
Right out the gate you can tell there is a big difference in color!


Minimal Effect:


Full Effect:


As you can see, the HTCP does give you back quite a bit of light!
Next - testing on a real-world shoot to see how much difference the HTCP makes when shooting extreme sports.

Ive been using the b+w f-pro with my sigma 18-35 and love it. Light lose is minimal.

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