Question on Circular Polarizer

[Kusum Kangguru]

I am thinking whether to get circular polarizer/s for my Tamron 17-50 and/or Pentax 50-200 for an upcoming Nepal trip.

Here's 2 sets of pics (Set Pic1 and Set Pic2) I took a few years back.

Pic1_A

Pic1_B

Pic2_A

Pic2_B

I am going to ask a subjective question ;p
Which in each set do you prefer? A or B?

Why is the sky blackish, rather than a darker shade of blue, from the effect of the polarizer?
Frankly I find it a bit unnatural, though I kinda like the greater contrast.

Cheers.

 

[zapit]

I prefer Picture A. The sky is more interesting.

 

[esoeij]

Prefer Set A, but the foreground is quite underexposed in the first photo. But then again I am viewing on my iPhone, so maybe it's just me. For this kind of shot, wondering if a GND filter might work better.

 

[rhino123]

I like set B. No real reasons.... except that I like 'brighter' pic... and set A seemed abit dark and gloomy...

 

[shierwin]

I like set B. Get to see more details especially of the foreground

 

[joechrisafio]

Pic 2_A is my preference - if the sky is a little more blue will be perfect.

A cpl will work if you are facing diagonally to the sun; so long as not 90 degrees to you. You may also need a GND filter to underexpose the alps. Alternatively, go hdr.