Polarizing filter on sony vx-2100 at DVinfo.net

Advil Dremali · May 29th, 2005, 02:48 PM

Hello all. I have a Sony VX-2100 and I have no experiance with filters. I'm interested in a Polarizer. From what I hear, a polarizing filter reduces reflections in glass/water etc.. and also helps bring out the color in the sky and such. Do you think this is a wise buy or not? From what I've seen so far, I think it's pretty useful. But I haven't seen footage of anything with or without the filter.

Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks.

Tom Hardwick · May 30th, 2005, 08:58 AM

A polarisor is a great filter to have in the bag. Go for the linear over the circular - it's cheaper and actually works better too. Get a multi-coated one as it'll end up being your zoom's front element on sunny days, and however well you hood, you'd never buy a camcorder with an uncoated front element, would you? No, you wouldn't.

The polarisor will absorb a stop and a half - no bad thing in my view, as in the sunshine the VX2100's two in-built NDs are not strong enough. Remember that the 'blue skies, white clouds' effect will be most pronounced at 90 degrees to the sun's axis, and this can give big editing continuity problems if you're critical. It'll also remove the natural sheen from the talent's skin and hair, so use with caution.

tom.

Mike Rehmus · May 30th, 2005, 10:30 AM

Polarizers, nice as their effects can be, have a downside if you pan the camera during a shot. Your nice clouds and super blue sky can disappear during a pan. Looks really ugly.

So a ND filter is nice to have as well if you need to attenuate the light a bit. So far, I've never run out of range with my PD150's in bright sunlight if I use the built-in ND filter. Of course one doesn't have much choice over the aperature in those conditions.

May 29th, 2005, 02:48 PM	#1
Advil Dremali New Boot Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 70	Polarizing filter on sony vx-2100 Hello all. I have a Sony VX-2100 and I have no experiance with filters. I'm interested in a Polarizer. From what I hear, a polarizing filter reduces reflections in glass/water etc.. and also helps bring out the color in the sky and such. Do you think this is a wise buy or not? From what I've seen so far, I think it's pretty useful. But I haven't seen footage of anything with or without the filter. Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks.

May 30th, 2005, 10:30 AM	#3
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	Polarizers, nice as their effects can be, have a downside if you pan the camera during a shot. Your nice clouds and super blue sky can disappear during a pan. Looks really ugly. So a ND filter is nice to have as well if you need to attenuate the light a bit. So far, I've never run out of range with my PD150's in bright sunlight if I use the built-in ND filter. Of course one doesn't have much choice over the aperature in those conditions. __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!

May 30th, 2005, 08:58 AM	#2
Tom Hardwick Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Billericay, England UK Posts: 4,711	A polarisor is a great filter to have in the bag. Go for the linear over the circular - it's cheaper and actually works better too. Get a multi-coated one as it'll end up being your zoom's front element on sunny days, and however well you hood, you'd never buy a camcorder with an uncoated front element, would you? No, you wouldn't. The polarisor will absorb a stop and a half - no bad thing in my view, as in the sunshine the VX2100's two in-built NDs are not strong enough. Remember that the 'blue skies, white clouds' effect will be most pronounced at 90 degrees to the sun's axis, and this can give big editing continuity problems if you're critical. It'll also remove the natural sheen from the talent's skin and hair, so use with caution. tom.