Forgot Password
Pentax Camera Forums Home
 

Reply
Show Printable Version Search this Thread
04-27-2016, 10:17 AM   #1
Loyal Site Supporter
Loyal Site Supporter




Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 1,107
DA 16-85 case and CPL

I recently purchased a DA 16-85 zoom and was disappointed it didn't come with a case. The "official" Pentax pouch is expensive and hard to find so I'm looking for other options.

I'm also looking for a reasonably priced circular polarizing filter and would appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks!

04-27-2016, 10:37 AM - 1 Like   #2
Site Supporter
Site Supporter
jatrax's Avatar

Join Date: May 2010
Location: Washington Cascades
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 12,991
QuoteOriginally posted by JimS_256 Quote
I'm also looking for a reasonably priced circular polarizing filter and would appreciate any suggestions.
I've had good results with Marumi and B+W. But keep in mind all brands have various grades. The really expensive ones, just like anything else, are only slightly better than the less expensive ones but that last few percentage points of improvement gets expensive. On the other hand the really inexpensive ones are not a good buy either.

Try to get one that has good threads on the front so you can fit a lens cap on. Some of the 'slim' ones don't have threads on the front. Also, multi-coated is a must as far as I'm concerned but YMMV.

I just ordered a CPL from these guys: Breakthrough Photography, they are new and getting good reviews but we will see if they live up to their press.
04-27-2016, 10:59 AM - 1 Like   #3
Veteran Member
FantasticMrFox's Avatar

Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Munich
Posts: 2,339
QuoteOriginally posted by JimS_256 Quote
I'm also looking for a reasonably priced circular polarizing filter and would appreciate any suggestions.
So far I've had B+W Käsemann, Marumi DHG and Hoya HD. The B+W was flawless but pricey, the Marumi optically sound by difficult to clean (you could wipe around on it as long as you wanted to with a clean microfibre cloth and there would still be colourful smears), now I have the Hoya which is great. Very good optically, slim, good material quality, easy to clean and a bit more affordable than the B+W one.

Good things are also said about Haida filters. I have their ND1000 which is flawless, their CPL is supposed to be similar.
04-27-2016, 11:31 AM - 1 Like   #4
Veteran Member
pete-tarmigan's Avatar

Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Conception Bay South, New-fun-land
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 1,272
QuoteOriginally posted by JimS_256 Quote
I recently purchased a DA 16-85 zoom and was disappointed it didn't come with a case. The "official" Pentax pouch is expensive and hard to find so I'm looking for other options.

I'm also looking for a reasonably priced circular polarizing filter and would appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks!
Many people suggest buying only a model that is multi-coated. The cheapest filters are uncoated. The second cheapest have only a single coating on each surface. Multi-coated models are moderately to very expensive. The packaging on many filters often makes no mention of whether the filter is uncoated, single-coated, or multi-coated. The manufacturers' websites often provide no or few clues.

I don't know how much difference multi-coating makes if the composition of the photo doesn't include direct sunlight, and there isn't much consensus on these forums.

04-27-2016, 11:42 AM   #5
Veteran Member
FantasticMrFox's Avatar

Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Munich
Posts: 2,339
QuoteOriginally posted by pete-tarmigan Quote
Many people suggest buying only a model that is multi-coated. The cheapest filters are uncoated. The second cheapest have only a single coating on each surface. Multi-coated models are moderately to very expensive. The packaging on many filters often makes no mention of whether the filter is uncoated, single-coated, or multi-coated. The manufacturers' websites often provide no or few clues.

I don't know how much difference multi-coating makes if the composition of the photo doesn't include direct sunlight, and there isn't much consensus on these forums.
It is a bit more complicated than this though. There are a lot of dirt cheap filters out there that are not worth their money but advertise multiple fancy coatings. Conversely I use a Haida ND1000 which has been noted in several reviews to perform as well as B+W or Lee filters. It is entirely uncoated, and the same reviews claim that they could not see a difference between it and the new, more expensive multi-coated version.

So while overall multi-coated filters should perform better than uncoated filters, there are high quality uncoated filters that perform very well and cheap multi-coated rubbish that doesn't perform well at all.
04-27-2016, 12:11 PM   #6
Site Supporter
Site Supporter
jatrax's Avatar

Join Date: May 2010
Location: Washington Cascades
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 12,991
I found this useful: Polarizing filters test 2015 - Introduction - LensTip.com

There are very few real test reviews on CPLs, so this is about the best info available.
04-27-2016, 04:09 PM   #7
Loyal Site Supporter
Loyal Site Supporter




Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 1,107
Original Poster
Thanks everyone for your helpful comments. I am assuming, since this is a very wide angle zoom, that I should be looking at one of the thinner designs...?

My philosophy is "almost as good and a lot cheaper" so I'm hoping to find something affordable that will still provide decent results, especially since this will be a fairly large (72mm) filter.

04-27-2016, 08:43 PM - 1 Like   #8
Loyal Site Supporter
Loyal Site Supporter
pacerr's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Paris, TN
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 3,349
You'll find that using a POL filter at wide FL's can be problematic -- the change in sun angle across the wide view also changes the appearance of the polarizing effect. Sort of like a grad ND filter.
04-29-2016, 10:11 AM - 1 Like   #9
Pentaxian
bdery's Avatar

Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Quebec city, Canada
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 9,352
Nobody answered regarding cases, so I'll bite. The best (and among the cheapest) case I've found is the Op-tech. I believe I have the medium but would have to measure. It even has a place to store that filter you're looking for. Enjoy.
04-29-2016, 11:32 AM   #10
Veteran Member
FantasticMrFox's Avatar

Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Munich
Posts: 2,339
QuoteOriginally posted by JimS_256 Quote
Thanks everyone for your helpful comments. I am assuming, since this is a very wide angle zoom, that I should be looking at one of the thinner designs ..?
On APS-C 16 mm isn't really very wide-angle. I used a rather thickly rimmed CPL on my 18-55 without any problems, so I would assume it would also work on 16 mm. But the Hoya I suggested is rather slim anyway.
04-29-2016, 12:39 PM - 1 Like   #11
Pentaxian




Join Date: May 2015
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 1,930
QuoteOriginally posted by FantasticMrFox Quote
So far I've had B+W Käsemann, Marumi DHG and Hoya HD. The B+W was flawless but pricey, the Marumi optically sound by difficult to clean (you could wipe around on it as long as you wanted to with a clean microfibre cloth and there would still be colourful smears), now I have the Hoya which is great. Very good optically, slim, good material quality, easy to clean and a bit more affordable than the B+W one.

Good things are also said about Haida filters. I have their ND1000 which is flawless, their CPL is supposed to be similar.
+1 on the Hoya HD. I had a cheaper CPL which made it impossible to achieve sharp images with an HD 55-300 WR. The Hoya is sharp and also easy to clean which persuaded me to buy it over the Hoya Pro1. It also has higher light transmission than the Pro1.

04-29-2016, 06:10 PM   #12
Loyal Site Supporter
Loyal Site Supporter




Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 1,107
Original Poster
QuoteOriginally posted by bdery Quote
Nobody answered regarding cases, so I'll bite. The best (and among the cheapest) case I've found is the Op-tech. I believe I have the medium but would have to measure. It even has a place to store that filter you're looking for. Enjoy.
Thanks! I have have an Op-Tech sling strap that works very well. Those look like a good option.

---------- Post added 04-29-16 at 06:28 PM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by pacerr Quote
You'll find that using a POL filter at wide FL's can be problematic -- the change in sun angle across the wide view also changes the appearance of the polarizing effect. Sort of like a grad ND filter.
That's a good point, thanks for bringing it up. I wonder how much of a problem this is at this focal length. Hopefully someone who uses this lens and a CPL can chime in...

QuoteOriginally posted by FantasticMrFox Quote
On APS-C 16 mm isn't really very wide-angle. I used a rather thickly rimmed CPL on my 18-55 without any problems, so I would assume it would also work on 16 mm. But the Hoya I suggested is rather slim anyway.
Hmmm, I wonder? I've been using the 18-135 as my main "walkaround" lens and I was surprised at how much wider this one is. 2mm at the short end makes a bigger difference than I was expecting.

Kind of off topic but I'll add that I bought this lens to complement, not replace the18-135. My wife expressed an interest in photography and is now using my K-50 (I upgraded to a K3 II) so I found myself in need of a second "walkaround" lens. I considered getting another 18-135 because I really like that lens but I was intrigued by the 16-85. If I had to choose only one it would be the 18-135 because I mostly shoot at the longer end but I'm really enjoying the 16-85. Having a wider option is fun.
04-29-2016, 07:52 PM   #13
Loyal Site Supporter
Loyal Site Supporter
pacerr's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Paris, TN
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 3,349
QuoteOriginally posted by JimS_256 Quote
2mm at the short end makes a bigger difference than I was expecting.
It's the percentage of change that counts: e.g., 2mm at 16mm is a 12.5% change while at 100mm it's 5% and at 200mm it's only a barely noticeable 1%.

As for POL angle-off differences - it varies. Take most any POL filter and look at the clear sky or reflections on water. Watch the change as you pivot from on-axis to the sun to 90 off axis and compare the change with the angle-of-view of your lens relative to the intended scene.
04-29-2016, 08:46 PM - 1 Like   #14
Site Supporter
Site Supporter
jatrax's Avatar

Join Date: May 2010
Location: Washington Cascades
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 12,991
QuoteOriginally posted by JimS_256 Quote
That's a good point, thanks for bringing it up. I wonder how much of a problem this is at this focal length. Hopefully someone who uses this lens and a CPL can chime in...
Using a CPL at anything less than 24mm on APS-C will give poor results if the sky is a significant portion of the image. Here is an example that actually isn't too bad. I made this mistake on a trip to Crater Lake and ended up deleting a lot of bad images. This one is one of the less bad ones. But see how the sky gets very uneven:
Attached Images
View Picture EXIF
PENTAX K-3 II  Photo 
04-30-2016, 12:48 PM   #15
Pentaxian




Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Northern Michigan
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 6,155
QuoteOriginally posted by pete-tarmigan Quote
Many people suggest buying only a model that is multi-coated. The cheapest filters are uncoated. The second cheapest have only a single coating on each surface. Multi-coated models are moderately to very expensive. The packaging on many filters often makes no mention of whether the filter is uncoated, single-coated, or multi-coated. The manufacturers' websites often provide no or few clues.
That's right. Manufacturers aren't always clear about multi-coatings, nor are the clear exactly how many coatings a multi-coated filter might have, nor about the quality of those coatings.
While sometimes you won't see any difference between a single or non-coated filter and a filter with quality multi-coatings, sometimes you will. I've had lots of trouble, for example, shooting waterfalls with single coated filters. I had a cheaper Hoya filter that flared quite badly while photographing a waterfall in Crater Lake NP. Replaced it with the Hoya HD and haven't had any problems since.
Reply

Bookmarks
  • Submit Thread to Facebook Facebook
  • Submit Thread to Twitter Twitter
  • Submit Thread to Digg Digg
Tags - Make this thread easier to find by adding keywords to it!
cpl, da, filter, lens, mm, op-tech, option, thanks, tripod, wonder
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
DA 16-85 vs. DA* 16-50; which is a better travel lens? Newtophotos Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 41 01-08-2016 08:32 AM
Keep DA 16-45 or Go for DA 16-85? Biro Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 7 12-31-2015 08:44 PM
Case for 16-85 heatherslightbox Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 8 07-20-2015 05:24 AM
DA 16-85 & DA 17-70: Quick and Dirty Comparison northcoastgreg Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 28 06-25-2015 12:45 AM



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 12:14 AM. | See also: NikonForums.com, CanonForums.com part of our network of photo forums!
  • Red (Default)
  • Green
  • Gray
  • Dark
  • Dark Yellow
  • Dark Blue
  • Old Red
  • Old Green
  • Old Gray
  • Dial-Up Style
Hello! It's great to see you back on the forum! Have you considered joining the community?
register
Creating a FREE ACCOUNT takes under a minute, removes ads, and lets you post! [Dismiss]
Top