camera filter?

[Adk_dib]

what type of filter do I need to filter out this adirondack "haze" during this humid summer months

 

[DougPaul]

Wait for winter?

Actually, one can sometimes reduce the haze with a polarizing filter. Only works for certain sun angles.

Doug

 

[ExploreTheEast]

Circular polarizers are the most flexible for varying lighting conditions, and help reduce haze, as well as unwanted glare from lakes/rivers and other reflective surfaces.

 

[^MtnMike^]

UV filters help cut down haze, so do polarizers (from what I've seen in my pics).

I also really like how a polarizer affects the blues and greens in a photo.
^MtnMike^

 

[Mark Schaefer]

A polarizer filter is probably the most useful filter for nature photography. It can reduce haze, darken the sky, saturate colors on most surfaces (including foliage, grasses, flowers), reduce glare on wet rocks (very useful at waterfalls), and reduce reflections on the surface of a body of water. The maximum effect will be realized when you aim the camera at a 90 degree angle to the direction of the sunlight. There will be essentially no affect if the sun is directly at your back or if you aim the camera toward the sun. The polarizer can be rotated, and you can dial in the amount of polarization you want. You can see the affect in the viewfinder of a SLR camera before taking a photo. A polarizer will still have a significant affect on a bright overcast day, but will have much less affect on a heavy overcast day.

If you have an autofocus camera you will need a "circular polarizer" to ensure proper exposure. If you have a manual focus camera you may use a less expensive non-circular polarizer (generally just called a "polarizer filter"). The more expensive circular polarizer filters will also work with manual focus cameras.

A few pitfalls. In each case you can lessen these problems by not dialing the polarizer to its maximum setting.

• On bright sunny days it is very easy to turn a blue sky nearly black, and that may not be apparent until you view the final photo.
• A wide angle lens may produce an unnatural looking sky, dark blue at a 90 degree angle to the sun and a much lighter blue in other portions of the photo.
• A polarizer at its maximum setting man turn off a rainbow. You should readily see this in the viewfinder of a SLR.

Many point and shoot cameras have no capability to use filters, but some may have an add-on adapter that will accept filters, close-up lenses, and wide angle lenses.

A couple of web pages with polarizer tips and examples:
http://www.cs.mtu.edu/~shene/DigiCam/User-Guide/filter/polarizer.html
http://www.vividlight.com/articles/3703.htm

 

[Tom Rankin]

UV filters help cut down haze, so do polarizers (from what I've seen in my pics).

I also really like how a polarizer affects the blues and greens in a photo.
^MtnMike^

I keep a UV filter on my camera lens when I go hiking. It doubles as a lens guard, since I'm not always real careful with my camera. It fell out of my pack a few weeks ago on the trail, but thank God, it survived!!!

 

[ALGonquin Bob]

"If you have an autofocus camera you will need a "circular polarizer" to ensure proper exposure. If you have a manual focus camera you may use a less expensive non-circular polarizer (generally just called a "polarizer filter"). The more expensive circular polarizer filters will also work with manual focus cameras."

Good info, Mark. The "non-circular" polarizer filters used on manual-focus cameras are labeled simply "polarizer", and are also referred to as "linear polarizers".

All this is assuming that you're using a camera that accepts screw-on accessories (filters, etc.). A UV, Haze, or Skylight filter is used mostly for protection of the lens (right Tom?), and has a minimal effect on cutting haze. If you only buy one filter for your SLR camera, make it a polarizer. Also, remove your UV filter, etc. before attaching the polarizer. Picture quality is better with one filter in front of the lens than with two.