CPL question

lkjr · 08-01-2011, 03:49 PM

Sorry but I have a really dumb question. I just got a CPL for my DAL 55-300. I got it as I am on vacation in Hawaii and shooting a lot into the sun and on the ocean.
Is there still a need to use my pentax hood with the CPL?

If yes, my pentax hood does have a removable window on it. However, tt appears that I cannot put the CPL on the lens and then screw the hood on. I was able to screw the hood on, then remove the window, drop the CPL into the hood and gently screw the CPL onto the lens. However, I had one heck of a time getting the CPL off trying to unscrew it via the small window opening to be able to remove the hood. I am now afraid to do that again.

Thanks in advance.

**kiwi_jono** · 08-01-2011, 05:02 PM

I don't currently have the official Pentax hood for my 55-300 so can't comment about the interaction, but I can answer that there is still an advantage of having a hood on with a CPL.

The hood is bayonet fitting though? or is yours a screw mount?

Docrwm · 08-01-2011, 05:19 PM

I have the DAL 55-300 and use both a CPL and the 58mm bayonet hood with cutout window without any problem. What brand/model CPL filter are you trying to use?

bdery · 08-01-2011, 05:28 PM

A circular polarizer and a hood serve very different purposes. So yeah, use both together.

**Ash** · 08-01-2011, 05:43 PM

Yes, you'll still need to use your hood to minimise flare, which your CPL is not designed to cut out (in fact depending on the brand/quality it may make flaring worse).

twitch · 08-01-2011, 06:01 PM

If you do have a screw in hood for your lens, you may want to source a cheap bayonet hood off ebay.

lkjr · 08-01-2011, 07:14 PM

Docwrm- Do you screw in the CPL and then mount the Pentax hood?
The hood I have is the plastic Pentax PH-RBG model. The CPL I just bought is BW slim 58 mm. Once I screw on the CPL it looks like I can't screw on the hood anymore. That is kinda of a bummer. Is this combination incompatible? If so I wish I had known so in advance...

As I had mentioned in my original post, the only way I can mount both is to screw on the hood, then carefully plop the CPL in, take the door off the hood and then screw the CPL in. The problem is getting the CPL back out. It is easy to screw in through the window but if you screwed it in tight it is really hard to unscrew it via the door because you can't grab the ring from opposite sides.... and I can just see it getting stuck and not being able to comfortably back it out.

SpecialK · 08-01-2011, 07:39 PM

That little window is expressly designed to allow you to rotate a CPL. I once used a CPL on a lens with a regular hood and it was very difficult. I no longer have either, coincidentally.

reeftool · 08-02-2011, 09:56 AM

Always use the hood outside. It might be a pain using the CPL but will help keep unwanted side light from messing things up. Just to add, the polarizer will work best shooting at 90 degree angles to the sun not straight into the sun.

**nater** · 08-02-2011, 03:55 PM

Originally posted by lkjr

Docwrm- Do you screw in the CPL and then mount the Pentax hood?
The hood I have is the plastic Pentax PH-RBG model. The CPL I just bought is BW slim 58 mm. Once I screw on the CPL it looks like I can't screw on the hood anymore. That is kinda of a bummer. Is this combination incompatible? If so I wish I had known so in advance...

As I had mentioned in my original post, the only way I can mount both is to screw on the hood, then carefully plop the CPL in, take the door off the hood and then screw the CPL in. The problem is getting the CPL back out. It is easy to screw in through the window but if you screwed it in tight it is really hard to unscrew it via the door because you can't grab the ring from opposite sides.... and I can just see it getting stuck and not being able to comfortably back it out.

The Pentax PH-RBG hood is a bayonet hood that you put on then twist-lock into position (i.e. bayonet, not screw). A screw-in hood would have threads like a filter and would screw in on top of a filter, or perhaps would have a second set of threads to take a filter (not as common).

While I don't have a PH-RBG or B&W CPL, I have bayonet hoods and Hoya polarizers and haven't had any trouble slipping a bayonet hood over my polarizers while they're mounted on a lens. Sometimes polarizers have a bit of extra diameter to them because the part they design into the polarizer to be rotated has some extra grip to it, but it doesn't typically add much to the diameter. When your polarizer is mounted on the lens, does it protrude significantly, i.e. does it make the front of the lens much wider than normal?

lkjr · 08-02-2011, 11:52 PM

Funny because no it does not look like it protrudes but the Pentax hood just doesn't want to sit down past the CPL...when I did have the hood on and screwed the CPL on via the door, I tried to remove the hood first and it got partially stuck (that was scary) and I had to wiggle it back down, then it took me 2 minutes to unscrew the CPL because I had such trouble trying to do this via the door only...scary too! I am totally at a loss but thanks to everyone who has tried to help.

scopulorum · 10-09-2013, 10:41 AM

I also have the SMCP-DA 55-300mm f/4-5.8 ED and had the same issue with the B+W 58mm circular polarizer. All of my other Pentax lenses have bayonet hoods and B+W slim CPL filters that work fine. I just ordered a Hoya. Hopefully it works.

Did you end up finding a slim CPL that is compatible with the hood?

mrwood1602 · 02-12-2014, 09:48 AM

Does anyone know if this is only a problem for the 58mm B+W slim filters or if it's a problem for all 58mm B+W filters.

I stupidly didn't think about the size of the hood when I bought a 62mm CPL for another lens and a step up adapter to try and use it with my new 55-300.

Thanks for the help.

scopulorum · 02-12-2014, 10:10 AM

The 58mm Hoya ( https://secure.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=HOCPP1MC58 ) fits fine.

mrwood1602 · 02-12-2014, 01:00 PM

Thanks! I'll have to pick one of these up.

08-01-2011, 03:49 PM	#1
lkjr Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: United States Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 60	CPL question Sorry but I have a really dumb question. I just got a CPL for my DAL 55-300. I got it as I am on vacation in Hawaii and shooting a lot into the sun and on the ocean. Is there still a need to use my pentax hood with the CPL? If yes, my pentax hood does have a removable window on it. However, tt appears that I cannot put the CPL on the lens and then screw the hood on. I was able to screw the hood on, then remove the window, drop the CPL into the hood and gently screw the CPL onto the lens. However, I had one heck of a time getting the CPL off trying to unscrew it via the small window opening to be able to remove the hood. I am now afraid to do that again. Thanks in advance.

02-12-2014, 10:10 AM	#14
scopulorum New Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Posts: 2	Hoya works The 58mm Hoya ( https://secure.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=HOCPP1MC58 ) fits fine.

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08-01-2011, 05:02 PM	#2
kiwi_jono Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Christchurch, New Zealand Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,437	I don't currently have the official Pentax hood for my 55-300 so can't comment about the interaction, but I can answer that there is still an advantage of having a hood on with a CPL. The hood is bayonet fitting though? or is yours a screw mount?

08-01-2011, 05:19 PM	#3
Docrwm Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Somewhere in the Southern US Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,285	I have the DAL 55-300 and use both a CPL and the 58mm bayonet hood with cutout window without any problem. What brand/model CPL filter are you trying to use?

08-01-2011, 05:28 PM	#4
bdery Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Quebec city, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,357	A circular polarizer and a hood serve very different purposes. So yeah, use both together.

08-01-2011, 05:43 PM	#5
Ash Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Toowoomba, Queensland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,920	Yes, you'll still need to use your hood to minimise flare, which your CPL is not designed to cut out (in fact depending on the brand/quality it may make flaring worse).

08-01-2011, 06:01 PM	#6
twitch Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 4,571	If you do have a screw in hood for your lens, you may want to source a cheap bayonet hood off ebay.

08-01-2011, 07:14 PM	#7
lkjr Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: United States Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 60 Original Poster	Docwrm- Do you screw in the CPL and then mount the Pentax hood? The hood I have is the plastic Pentax PH-RBG model. The CPL I just bought is BW slim 58 mm. Once I screw on the CPL it looks like I can't screw on the hood anymore. That is kinda of a bummer. Is this combination incompatible? If so I wish I had known so in advance... As I had mentioned in my original post, the only way I can mount both is to screw on the hood, then carefully plop the CPL in, take the door off the hood and then screw the CPL in. The problem is getting the CPL back out. It is easy to screw in through the window but if you screwed it in tight it is really hard to unscrew it via the door because you can't grab the ring from opposite sides.... and I can just see it getting stuck and not being able to comfortably back it out.

08-01-2011, 07:39 PM	#8
SpecialK Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: So California Photos: Gallery Posts: 16,480	That little window is expressly designed to allow you to rotate a CPL. I once used a CPL on a lens with a regular hood and it was very difficult. I no longer have either, coincidentally.

08-02-2011, 09:56 AM	#9
reeftool Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Upstate New York Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 9,553	Always use the hood outside. It might be a pain using the CPL but will help keep unwanted side light from messing things up. Just to add, the polarizer will work best shooting at 90 degree angles to the sun not straight into the sun.

08-02-2011, 03:55 PM	#10
nater Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: New England Photos: Albums Posts: 706	Originally posted by lkjr Docwrm- Do you screw in the CPL and then mount the Pentax hood? The hood I have is the plastic Pentax PH-RBG model. The CPL I just bought is BW slim 58 mm. Once I screw on the CPL it looks like I can't screw on the hood anymore. That is kinda of a bummer. Is this combination incompatible? If so I wish I had known so in advance... As I had mentioned in my original post, the only way I can mount both is to screw on the hood, then carefully plop the CPL in, take the door off the hood and then screw the CPL in. The problem is getting the CPL back out. It is easy to screw in through the window but if you screwed it in tight it is really hard to unscrew it via the door because you can't grab the ring from opposite sides.... and I can just see it getting stuck and not being able to comfortably back it out. The Pentax PH-RBG hood is a bayonet hood that you put on then twist-lock into position (i.e. bayonet, not screw). A screw-in hood would have threads like a filter and would screw in on top of a filter, or perhaps would have a second set of threads to take a filter (not as common). While I don't have a PH-RBG or B&W CPL, I have bayonet hoods and Hoya polarizers and haven't had any trouble slipping a bayonet hood over my polarizers while they're mounted on a lens. Sometimes polarizers have a bit of extra diameter to them because the part they design into the polarizer to be rotated has some extra grip to it, but it doesn't typically add much to the diameter. When your polarizer is mounted on the lens, does it protrude significantly, i.e. does it make the front of the lens much wider than normal?

08-02-2011, 11:52 PM	#11
lkjr Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: United States Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 60 Original Poster	Funny because no it does not look like it protrudes but the Pentax hood just doesn't want to sit down past the CPL...when I did have the hood on and screwed the CPL on via the door, I tried to remove the hood first and it got partially stuck (that was scary) and I had to wiggle it back down, then it took me 2 minutes to unscrew the CPL because I had such trouble trying to do this via the door only...scary too! I am totally at a loss but thanks to everyone who has tried to help.

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10-09-2013, 10:41 AM	#12
scopulorum New Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Posts: 2	I also have the SMCP-DA 55-300mm f/4-5.8 ED and had the same issue with the B+W 58mm circular polarizer. All of my other Pentax lenses have bayonet hoods and B+W slim CPL filters that work fine. I just ordered a Hoya. Hopefully it works. Did you end up finding a slim CPL that is compatible with the hood?

02-12-2014, 09:48 AM	#13
mrwood1602 New Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Texas Posts: 9	Does anyone know if this is only a problem for the 58mm B+W slim filters or if it's a problem for all 58mm B+W filters. I stupidly didn't think about the size of the hood when I bought a 62mm CPL for another lens and a step up adapter to try and use it with my new 55-300. Thanks for the help.

02-12-2014, 01:00 PM	#15
mrwood1602 New Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Texas Posts: 9	Thanks! I'll have to pick one of these up.