DA 15mm polarizing filter

rptdc · 01-20-2018, 07:19 AM

I purchased a polarizing filter for my DA 15mm lens. Unfortunately the lens filter that I purchased does not allow me to extend the built-in hood on the lens. Question: Is there a reasonably priced polarizing filter that would work with this lens and yet be narrow enough to allow use of the hood?

**clickclick** · 01-20-2018, 08:29 AM

Check out the B+W filters. I know it may be a bit more than you want to spend, but they are excellent quality, and the 49mm size is very common for Pentax lenses, so there's a good chance it will fit other lenses you have or will acquire at some point. The DA 15 is a nice lens, and I always feel if you're going to use a filter, you need to use a top quality one to not have a negative impact on picture quality. I'm using the B+W 49mm XS-Pro Kaesemann High Transmission Circular Polarizer MRC-Nano Filter on my DA 15 with no issues. Of note, there are several flavors of CPLs from B+W. I picked the Kaesemann one to minimize the light loss inherent with CPLs. You can check it out here: B+W 49mm XS-Pro Kaesemann High Transmission Circular 66-1081470

Also, be aware that with wide angle shots, you can get an uneven effect on the sky - it can end up being very dark on one side of the frame and much lighter on the other side, depending on the angle of how you're shooting relative to the light. Sometimes it's just a question of not dialing it in as much to still get some benefit from the polarizer without skewing the sky too much.

pentaxfall · 01-20-2018, 05:08 PM

Go through this article about CPL filters
https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2a017/09/my-not-nearly-complete-but-rather-...ilter-article/

nosliwmit · 01-20-2018, 08:13 PM

My two-cents' worth: That lens takes amazing photos in all kinds of sunlight without seeming to suffer much from the effects of polarized light; it's one of the wonderful things about that lens. So in addition to the significant limitations of using a CPL on a lens that wide, it's really superfluous in this case.

SSGGeezer · 01-20-2018, 09:38 PM

I was out playing with a B+W circular polarizer on my SMC DA 15 this afternoon. Since it makes the sky different shades of blue on a UWA, I will use it on my other lenses with a 49mm thread. It is very nice on my FA 77 Limited though.
And I second clickclick's recommendation of B+W filters. Go for thin but with all of the coatings.

rptdc · 01-21-2018, 09:48 AM

Originally posted by nosliwmit

My two-cents' worth: That lens takes amazing photos in all kinds of sunlight without seeming to suffer much from the effects of polarized light; it's one of the wonderful things about that lens. So in addition to the significant limitations of using a CPL on a lens that wide, it's really superfluous in this case.

I'd say inflate it to three cents worth, as I was also thinking that perhaps I should simply get more mileage on this new lens without a filter to see how it does before I invest in a new better fitting polarizer.

But I do have a 40mm DA and plan to invest also in the Pentax 100 macro. All of which take the same filter size.

01-20-2018, 07:19 AM	#1
rptdc Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2017 Posts: 49	DA 15mm polarizing filter I purchased a polarizing filter for my DA 15mm lens. Unfortunately the lens filter that I purchased does not allow me to extend the built-in hood on the lens. Question: Is there a reasonably priced polarizing filter that would work with this lens and yet be narrow enough to allow use of the hood?

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01-20-2018, 08:29 AM	#2
clickclick Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: May 2016 Location: East Coast Posts: 2,903	Check out the B+W filters. I know it may be a bit more than you want to spend, but they are excellent quality, and the 49mm size is very common for Pentax lenses, so there's a good chance it will fit other lenses you have or will acquire at some point. The DA 15 is a nice lens, and I always feel if you're going to use a filter, you need to use a top quality one to not have a negative impact on picture quality. I'm using the B+W 49mm XS-Pro Kaesemann High Transmission Circular Polarizer MRC-Nano Filter on my DA 15 with no issues. Of note, there are several flavors of CPLs from B+W. I picked the Kaesemann one to minimize the light loss inherent with CPLs. You can check it out here: B+W 49mm XS-Pro Kaesemann High Transmission Circular 66-1081470 Also, be aware that with wide angle shots, you can get an uneven effect on the sky - it can end up being very dark on one side of the frame and much lighter on the other side, depending on the angle of how you're shooting relative to the light. Sometimes it's just a question of not dialing it in as much to still get some benefit from the polarizer without skewing the sky too much.

01-20-2018, 05:08 PM	#3
pentaxfall Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Bangalore, India Posts: 581	Go through this article about CPL filters https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2a017/09/my-not-nearly-complete-but-rather-...ilter-article/

01-20-2018, 08:13 PM	#4
nosliwmit Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Pacific Northwest Photos: Gallery Posts: 913	My two-cents' worth: That lens takes amazing photos in all kinds of sunlight without seeming to suffer much from the effects of polarized light; it's one of the wonderful things about that lens. So in addition to the significant limitations of using a CPL on a lens that wide, it's really superfluous in this case.

01-20-2018, 09:38 PM	#5
SSGGeezer Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Indiana, U.S. Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,845	I was out playing with a B+W circular polarizer on my SMC DA 15 this afternoon. Since it makes the sky different shades of blue on a UWA, I will use it on my other lenses with a 49mm thread. It is very nice on my FA 77 Limited though. And I second clickclick's recommendation of B+W filters. Go for thin but with all of the coatings.

01-21-2018, 09:48 AM	#6
rptdc Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2017 Posts: 49 Original Poster	Originally posted by nosliwmit My two-cents' worth: That lens takes amazing photos in all kinds of sunlight without seeming to suffer much from the effects of polarized light; it's one of the wonderful things about that lens. So in addition to the significant limitations of using a CPL on a lens that wide, it's really superfluous in this case. I'd say inflate it to three cents worth, as I was also thinking that perhaps I should simply get more mileage on this new lens without a filter to see how it does before I invest in a new better fitting polarizer. But I do have a 40mm DA and plan to invest also in the Pentax 100 macro. All of which take the same filter size.