Is a polarising filter a total con ?

[blomdido]

Are polarising filters a con ? As they obviously can't be turned on camera to tune when in the air.

 

[FunN4lo]

Interesting Q. I have not bought any for the Phantom. On my home built GoPro rigs the polarized filters were circularly polarized as opposed to linear. They were real. You got the multicorlors looking at a polarized car window, or when you looked at an LCD display you got the black splotches. I have not seen any of that mentioned on the Phantom filters

 

[blomdido]

Did You have to turn them like dial, or did they just work ? I am so confused. I thought I had one on My old SLR camera. But speaking to people it may have been a UV filter. The effect I am looking for is to put detail in bright cloud and punch up the colours a little. With a difficult exposure such as a shot of Dark Woodland with snow around, it helps to ensure detail in the foliage and contrast in the snow

 

[Walt Rush]

For a polarizing filter to really have any impact on a photographic scene it should be adjusted (rotated) to get the desired effect such as removing the glare from a body of water, darkening a blue sky, etc.

 

[blomdido]

This is what I thought. So how comes they sell them ? It must be a con. I have found a company specialising in filters for drones. I will E Mail them on Monday to enquire. Maybe they have invented something that does something similar. When I get to the bottom of this, I will let You Guys know the result. Thanks for Your interest. [emoji106]

 

[anotherlab]

You can set a polarizing filter for the conditions that you know that you will be flying over. Like reducing the glare over water or snow. It can also make the blue in the sky more vivid. You can adjust the position of the filter to make the sky darker or reduce glare off vertical surfaces, like a building.

 

[Richard R]

With a little experience, you can make a reasonable prediction about the best position of the filter for the shot that you want. Knowing the sun angle and location from where you plan to shoot, point the bird in the same direction on the ground and adjust the filter for maximum effect such as glare reduction or sky enhancement. They can and do help in those situations. Minimum value for general flying and shooting.

 

[strike force]

I have been using polarizing, UV and a variety of other filters for many years and they are valuable tools to have in ones camera bag. They are very useful for for your Phantom's Camera

 

[W. Matt Burchfield]

Are polarising filters a con ? As they obviously can't be turned on camera to tune when in the air.

Found this on the web:
USING POLARIZERS: SUN ANGLE & FILTER ROTATION

A polarizing filter will be capable of its maximum effect when one's line of sight (in red below) is perpendicular to the direction of the sun:

polarizing filter during mid-day light
Overhead Sunshine (Mid-Day)
polarizing filter during morning or evening light
Sun Near Horizon (Morning/Evening)
The red disks represent the directions of maximum polarizing capability.
The green lines represent the ground/horizon.