UV Filter, Polarizer, or Both at DVinfo.net

David Bird · June 20th, 2006, 08:33 PM

I have a shoot coming up in a few days that involves agricultural operations and scenes. I did a similar shoot last week and due to the heat (90 degrees plus and high humidity) I wound up with some lovely grey color casts in the background. I'm now faced with trying to color correct in post.

I have a circular polarizer....think this might cure some issues or would a UV filter work better...or as the title of the topic says, possibly both?

Any assistance would be appreciated...

David Bird

Marcus Marchesseault · June 20th, 2006, 11:05 PM

A UV filter mostly will protect your lens. CCDs apparently don't register UV very much. A polarizer will almost always have a larger impact on an image than a UV filter. It will bring down the exposure on blue sky and the foliage. Of course, it will bring the total amount of light down by a stop or two, but it brings blue sky, foliage, and water and glass reflections down more so they are what appears darker. If your polarizer has a strong effect, rotate it to lessen or strengthen your results to suit your shot since sometimes it can actually be too much. Blue sky can sometimes look a bit dark and foreboding if the polarizer is dialed in too much. Also, try to retain a small amount of the highlight on foliage since all the leaves will blend together into one green mass if they don't have any highlight at all.

June 20th, 2006, 08:33 PM	#1
David Bird Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Sikeston, Missouri, USA Posts: 118	UV Filter, Polarizer, or Both I have a shoot coming up in a few days that involves agricultural operations and scenes. I did a similar shoot last week and due to the heat (90 degrees plus and high humidity) I wound up with some lovely grey color casts in the background. I'm now faced with trying to color correct in post. I have a circular polarizer....think this might cure some issues or would a UV filter work better...or as the title of the topic says, possibly both? Any assistance would be appreciated... David Bird

June 20th, 2006, 11:05 PM	#2
Marcus Marchesseault Trustee Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 1,961	A UV filter mostly will protect your lens. CCDs apparently don't register UV very much. A polarizer will almost always have a larger impact on an image than a UV filter. It will bring down the exposure on blue sky and the foliage. Of course, it will bring the total amount of light down by a stop or two, but it brings blue sky, foliage, and water and glass reflections down more so they are what appears darker. If your polarizer has a strong effect, rotate it to lessen or strengthen your results to suit your shot since sometimes it can actually be too much. Blue sky can sometimes look a bit dark and foreboding if the polarizer is dialed in too much. Also, try to retain a small amount of the highlight on foliage since all the leaves will blend together into one green mass if they don't have any highlight at all.