Photography News Issue 52

Photography News | Issue 52 | photographynews.co.uk

First tests

Hoya Ultra-Pro circular polariser From£76.99

Specs

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: the polariser is the single most useful filter money can buy and everyone should have one. The thing is, it’s true and while the polariser is not a miracle filter and doesn’t work for every situation, it is an incredibly useful accessory. With it you can control or kill reflections, enhance weak blue skies and defeat glare to enrich colours, all things that can’t be truly replicated in software. Hoya has recently added two new filter families to its collection, theUltra- Pro andNX-10 ranges, andboth feature circular polarisers. The Ultra-Pro range is aimed at more experienced photographers and has a specification to deliver super-high performance in all sorts of situations, and here I tried out the circular polariser. The filter features top-quality optical glass fitted in a slimline metal rotatingmount to avoidvignettingwith wide-angle lenses, and an advanced multi-coating. There are no fewer than 16 different coatings to help deliver optimum performance and picture quality. As you might expect, there are coatings to combat flare when shooting against the light but the coatings also help deliver optimum light transmission. Polarisers have filter factors that vary depending on the situation and when the filter is rotated for maximum effect this can be around 2EV, which is obviously a potential issue for handheld shooting in less bright light. The Ultra-Pro polariser with its coatings gives around 90% light transmission so even when it is working hard to remove polarised light, its filter factor is around 1EV. One common problem with polarisers is physical damage. Not just with scratching arising from everyday handling but also water damage. Should a polariser get splashed or rained on it is important to thoroughly dry the affected surfaces before packing it away. If you don’t, residual drying rings can be permanent, and that obviously can affect the quality of your pictures. Hoya’s multi-coatings aim to foil such problems. In this review I tested the Hoya Ultra-Pro for resistance to suchhazards

Price 37mm £76.99 82mm £284.99 Light transmission 90% Rotating frame Metal Coatings 16 layers of anti-reflection, water and oil repellent coatings Contact Intro2020.co.uk

Before cleaning

After cleaning

The cameras were set to aperture- priority AE, auto white-balance and shooting Raw files. Performance was impressive, with the filter’s natural warmth adding a nice touch to my shots. It also did a good job of cutting through haze and gave scenes an extra crispness. Saturation, depending on the subject, was also nicely enhanced. The filter factor was 2x and on some scenes 3x, so in practical terms an extra 1-1.5EVwas needed. With the polariser in place this meant no lens hood could be used, but I didn’t experience any flare even when shooting in strong sun. With the polariser having an effect when shooting 90° to the sun, light was striking the filter front obliquely so there was the risk of contrast loss and flare spots, but no such issues arose. In sum, a fine performance with handling and actual use fromthis high- spec polariser, so it emerged with a clean bill of health. WC Images Allowwater drops on polarising filters to dry, and you might end up with permanant tide marks. Such issues are averted on Hoya’s Ultra-Pro polariser thanks to its 16 coatings, as you can see in the shots above.

Verdict

Circular polarisers are available in a wide range of prices and it’s fair to say that you get what you pay for. Lesser polarisers are more likely to add a vivid colour cast, impact on lens quality, flare when shooting in strong light, pick up marks and scratches and generally not deliver the performance expected from a decent product. Invest in a Hoya Ultra-Pro polariser and you’re buying a high-quality filter that will deliver sterling service over a long period. Yes, it is not a cheap polariser – the 77mm version has a guide price of £230.99 – but it performs very well in all respects. It is physically well protected, is colour neutral, has a modest filter factor and works impressively, so can be highly recommended.

as water as well as its filter factor, colourbalanceandoverallperformance as a polariser. I had a 77mm fit filter sample and used it on various fast-aperture Nikon lenses, but also on FujifilmX lenses via step-down rings. For the neutrality test I used a colour testchartandstudioflash.Istartedwith a custom white-balance test without the filter so I had a control, then fitted the filter and reshot several times with the aperture adjusted up to 2EV in 0.3EVsteps. This gave me an indication of the filter’s light transmission qualities. I found the filter needed an extra 1EV in this part of the test. The control and filter shots were then compared. Using Lightroom I looked at the same neutral colour areas of the test chart using the dropper tool to check any variances. Adding the filter does make a change that’s visible to the naked eye. The filter adds a small degree of warmth, but personally I

think a slight warm cast is preferable to a minor cool cast. In real situations, when you are most likely to be using AWB, that warmth might be corrected by the camera. My next test was a drop of some tap water on the front surface, and letting it evaporate before then cleaning the filter. Checking the filter surface before cleaning, a drying ring was clearly evident (see above) and on some polarisers that could be there for good. On this Hoya filter, however, all it took was a breath on the filter and a fewrubs with a microfibre lens cloth and the drying ring was gone. For my practical tests I took the polariser with me on a holiday to Australia and used it on my Fujifilm X-E3 and X-T2. It was summer, so blue skieswereveryblueandapolariserwas not always needed because the effect can be toomuch – but when aweak sky needed enhancement or reflections cut down, it was called into action.

Pros Coatings, thin mount to suit wide-angle use, high quality performance Cons Price

Images Comparison shots taken using a Fujifilm X-T2 with 18- 55mm lens and the camera set to AWB. In these straight-out- of-the-camera shots. Exposure for the unfiltered shot was 1/800sec at f/8 and ISO 200, and the filtered shot 1/300sec at f/8, so just over one stop more.

No filter

With filter