By DB from Ames, IA on 8/23/2007

A friend recommended this type of filter to supposedly make blue skies really "pop".

It turns out that it wasn't quite what I expected. When I turn the filter to optimize the blue in the sky, and then compare results with and without the polarizing filter, it seems the optimal color with the filter is almost exactly the same as not using the filter at all. (And, of course, not adjusting the polarizer optimally results in less pretty skies.)

HOWEVER, I also knew these filters could be used for reducing or increasing reflections, and it does do a very nice job of that. I used it for a mountain lake where I wanted pics both with reflection (mountains, sky, and trees reflected) and, for the fun of it, without reflection (looking at rocks under the water). I even got some pretty shots of a waterfall reflected in the lake.

Along the same lines, this filter was WONDERFUL for reducing glare and bringing out nice, solid colors when taking pics of the side of an old train. Any reflective surface like that will look better when using a properly adjusted polarizer.

Note that the "Con" I listed is NOT a fault of the filter. I'm saying that when you use an adjustable filter like this, you have to remember -- on every single shot -- that you have the filter on and must take time to adjust it to get the right filter position, or your colors will be less than optimal and you might have more or less glare than you wanted. (The equipment is consistent; the user is not. Yes, I'm talking about myself.) Not the filter to be using for shots requiring fast response from the photographer.