angle for polarizer to work ?

[Xiphoid]

Is there any general rule when using a polarizer to get the maximum effect ?? E.g the sun must be at the back, sun must be at the front, etc....

Got this from http://www.geocities.com/cokinfiltersystem/polarizer.htm, tried it but it doesn't seem to work, kept turning the lens but still no difference.... :dunno:

Make an "L" with your thumb and forefinger. Point your forefinger at the sun and your thumb will point in the direction that the polarizer will have its greatest effect. You can rotate your thumb around the axis of your forefinger, pointing the lens in any of these directions will let you take full advantage of the polarizers capabilities.

 

[yyD70S]

The 'L' rule does work... but there must be some degree of polarised light to begin with. If it's a dull day, you might as well do w/out one.

Eerrr, I suppose you meant turning the ring of the polariser and not the lens.

 

[Xiphoid]

The 'L' rule does work... but there must be some degree of polarised light to begin with. If it's a dull day, you might as well do w/out one.

Eerrr, I suppose you meant turning the ring of the polariser and not the lens.

Yeah the ring of the polarizer ahaha...;p

 

[bluemoon]

Generally, the polariser works at it's maximum if you're shooting in a direction that is 90 degrees away or perpendicular from the direction of the sun. It gives you some effect in all directions, except when you're pointing directly at the sun in which it becomes just a neutral density filter.

If you're using it to eliminate reflections from reflective surfaces e.g. water, glass, then it works best when the sun's rays are striking the surface at 30 degrees and the reflected light is striking your camera at an angle of also 30 degrees

Play around with the ring, you should be able to see the difference in the viewfinder as you turn.

If you're still not sure, just google polarizer... lots of sites to show you how to use

Pros out there, please correct me if I"m wrong

 

[MDZ2]

Actually, I never bothered much about the technicalities of how the polarizer works. Whenever I feel the need to saturate the sky or remove reflections from windows or lakes, I just fit it on the lens and start rotating. If it works great, if it doesn't I just remove it and take pic as is. Knowing how it works isn't going to change the position of the sun anyway unless you value a polarized picture more than one taken from a good angle.