Nikon Circular Polarizer, 62mm and 77mm
Nikon's circular polarizers (CP) restore the name of "polarizer" for me
after I borrowed one for use from a friend. Before that, I used a Hoya's, and to my dismay.
Nikon's CPs are designed with wideangle lenses in mind: thay all
have a step-up ring built in. But annoyingly the front thread sizes are
singular. They are 73mm and 85mm, respectively, for the two I have.
(Nikon's 52mm CP has a front thread about 60mm.) Glasses, which are
uncoated, have a diameter about 68mm and 81mm, respectively. Has anyone
seen such a lens cap yet? Over heard from Nikon mailing list, I found the
plastic cap for tennis ball cans fits perfectly the front of the 62mm CP,
but am still searching for one for the 77mm CP.
According to the literature, the 62mm CP will vignette the 20/2.8
lens. But my finding with AF 20mm f/2.8D is: vignetting is gong when the
lens is stopped down to f/8. Since it is expensive, I've decided to skip
the 52mm CP, and use a 52mm to 62mm step-up ring instead. Skip the 72mm,
and use 72mm to 77mm stepup ring, too (but I don't have a 72mm lens yet).
When used on the AF 24mm f/2.8D with a 52-62 step-up ring, this filter also
vignettes at large apertures, and gone by f/8. So, I think that is fine
since CPs are mostly used in landscape photos where small apertures are
normal.
I bought my 62mm CP over the net from a private seller first. At
the beginning, I had an uneasy feeling: when watch really carefully through
the glass of the filter, there seemed to be slight deformation of the
image, suggesting that either the glasses that hold the polarizing film or
the polarizing film itself is not perfectly flat. (The basic structure of a
CP filter is two flat glasses hold a polarizing film in the middle.) One
conspicuous thing about the filter is that there are fresh black paints
over the lens-spanner holes on the glass-retaining ring of the filter.
Could it be possible that the polarizing film had been switched with other
junky brand's? Later I bought the 77mm CP new from B&H, now, this one looks
exactly like the 62mm CP I bought before, except, of course, larger.
I am still in the process of using and abusing it in order to get a
better sense of it. If you are into color saturations, using such a filter
is very addictive. But, often, photos are turned out to my dismay: sky
could become very uneven when used with wide-angles, and some corners could
be too dark. I have many good photos being ruined this way. I am trying to
refrain from using it with wide angles, but, you know, when you become
addicted, it is hard to quit. :-)
One thing I am still puzzling about CP is that the filter itself
appear not in neutral grey, but a slight green tint. When put it on, I can
see the color get a little cooler, and when I rotate it, at some degree,
the color become noticeably warmer.
Back to my Photo Gear page
Last updated: September 4, 1998.