I was planning on buying a polarizer filter to capture the great blue skies on my vacation at cancun at the end of this month. Is it worth it to buy? I get mixed opinions about it. If I do buy it, is it okay if i buy the cheap quantaray one for $15. Hopefully you can offer advice and show me examples of exactly how it works. I have seen many pictures online of how it works, but I just don't believe them. I would like a fellow osp member to demonstrate the polarizer filter's abilities.

No comments?

I'd say a polarizer & a neutral density filter are two of the most important filters to own especially for landscapes. I don't have examples of with & without a polarizer but my husband shoots on a Fuji 6x17 and he almost always uses a polarizer to darken his skies - it really makes a HUGE difference to his images as he still shoots film so he needs to get it all correct in-camera. You say you don't believe what you've seen online - obviously I don't know what you've seen but a polarizer does work!

A polarizer is a must-have for any photographer, in my opinion. I've used mine, not only for blue skies, but for cutting down reflections on windows and water (lakes/ponds and such). I've also used it in the studio for cutting down reflections and even once when my tiny room wouldn't let me get my lights far enough away and they were turned down low and still too much power....polarizer was just enough to bring the exposure down another stop or two. I can't tell you about buying a cheap one or not....I wouldn't....you didn't spend all that money on good glass to put a cheap filter on it.

Just my $.02!

I virtually never use a polarizer for weddings, but on vacation at Yellowstone and Glacier last summer, it was on my camera almost the whole time. If you want it for vacation, get it (I'd think in Cancun it would come in useful) but I wouldn't necessarily count on using it for event photography.

Mine has been pretty useful. I don't use it too often but sometimes the shots come out well.

Ah....but you DO have one. Even if you're mostly an event photographer I think you should still have one. We may not use every gadget in our camera bag on every shoot we do, but still have it anyway. IMO, a polarizing filter is a very basic need for a photographer....but I see more and more photographers (that started with digital) not having one or even knowing about it! Maybe it just seems like a basic need for those who started in film?

And there you have it...