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Re: [OM] Sunglasses, Polarizers and Photography

Subject: Re: [OM] Sunglasses, Polarizers and Photography
From: Joel Wilcox <jowilcox@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 21:47:49 -0500
At 03:11 PM 6/21/1998 EDT, Gary Reese wrote:
>Hi Joel:
>
>> Thanks [to Doris Fang] for sharing the
>>  suggestion about "bracketing the polarizer."
>
>Remember my posting that quoted Ansel Adams?  He said to compensate exposures
>at +1 1/3 stops and not adjust exposures according to the polarization
effect.
>I believe Kennedy shot some holes in that when he said that not all
>reflections are polarized in the same plane - an assumption Adams makes when
>he claimed that non-polarized objects would be overexposed when metering
AFTER
>getting the polarization effect through the lens.
>
>At any rate, it is confusing enough that I now bracket my polarized shots.  I
>tried the constant 1 1/3 compensation and got some mis-exposed shots.  I now
>hesitate to even use a polarizer with the 4x5 since I lack the bucks to
>bracket in that format.
>
Hi Gary:

Hmmm, I always assumed that the 1 1/3 compensation was simply the filter
factor. It sounds like it is more complex than that.

Theoretically, I've always determined my exposure prior to screwing on the
polarizer and then set the exposure compensation 1 1/3 stops. Except that
while hiking with the OM-2S I get lazy about removing the thing and simply
leave it on auto and bracket on the exposure comp dial. I know better, but
interestingly the meter-chosen shots are a high percentage of the time dead
on. In tricky mixes of hard light and shadows, I've sometimes found the
polarizer evens out the light! In those quick-grab, one-chance
opportunities, I often get lucky just using the polarizer as a skylight
filter. I'm sure we've all been there:  35-70 (or similar) zoom, pola
screwed in, and hood screwed into that. Who wants to take it all apart,
find the skylight filter and lens and repack it all when there's a strong
chance you'll want to screw all the items back on at the next vista?  But,
sigh, this leads to the bad habit Doris referred to as indiscriminate use.

This indiscriminate use has net me more graduated skies than I care to
think about.  So I think Doris' suggestion of bracketing the amount of
"dial in" is good. Henceforth, my method:

        determine basic exposure
        compensate for pola filter 1 1/3 stops
        shoot exposure and two half-stop brackets at moderate dial in
        shoot exposure and two half-stop brackets at full dial in

At least for starters.  And otherwise try to use it a little more
discriminately. 

Joel




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