Looking for a size that isn't here? Check out the new Pro Nano True Color CPL.
For more information on what a circular polariser is and how to use it, read this article by Hougaard Malan.
As of October 2020, NiSi offers three different CPLs, each with a key difference. The primary difference lies in the colour tone and choosing should be fairly easy.
- Natural / True Color CPL – This filter has no colour tone and renders colours true to the original scene. It’s important to keep in mind that polarization changes certain colours slightly, so if you pixel peep you will come across some difference and that is all natural and nothing to worry about.
- Landscape Enhanced CPL – This filter has a subtle cool tone and it is slightly stronger than most CPL’s on the market. It is designed with landscape photographers in mind and helps to cut through more glare, while adding extra contrast to skies and giving water bodies that fresh, cool feeling.
- Standard CPL – This filter has a subtle warm tone, which can be great for anything from landscapes to architecture.
It all comes down to personal taste and deciding whether you want a cool or warm tone or to keep all colour enhancement to the computer. Find more info and side by side comparisons in this article comparing the versions by Matt Bouch.
When it comes to enhancing images, a circular polarizer is probably the oldest trick in the book. It can change a pale sky to a deep blue one, turn foliage into a luminous super-green, light up autumn colours, saturate rainbows and even make water look crystal clear. The added contrast, saturation and clarity that a polarizer can give to images is nothing short of magic and every photographer should have one in their bag.
Contrary to its name, a polarising filter does not polarise light; it filters out polarised light. Light from the sun is polarised when it bounces off any non-metallic reflective surface like water, foliage or various air particulates. Polarised light robs images of colour, clarity and contrast and is in many situations undesirable. A polarizing filter removes this 'damaged' light and ensures that only unpolarised light reaches the camera sensor to produce a sharp, saturated and contrast-rich image.
For this reason, a polarizing filter is a very popular tool for any photographer, but especially for landscape photographers.
What is the difference between a linear and circular polariser? Digital cameras' AF systems are not compatible with linear polarizers. When the world was transitioning from film to digital, linear vs. circular was a big debate, but it no longer is. For photographic purposes, you can assume that any polariser on the market nowadays is circular and not linear.
More about NiSi's Natural CPL
The NiSi Natural CPL is designed to reduce glare and reflections from non-metallic surfaces, increase saturation and vibrancy in the sky and foliage while ensuring true color reproduction is at its best by eliminating the warming effect that many polarisers create. Our Natural CPL removes the warm tone seen with other brands of CPL filters and provides a closer true color representation of the scene. The Natural CPL features a unique two-tone frame with a silver front ring, black back ring and both are made from high-quality aluminum. NiSi’s Natural CPL utilizes Cine seal technology which blackens the edge of the CPL for added durability. This technology reduces the influence of temperature fluctuations and keeps out condensation.
A Circular Polarizer Filter helps to reduce reflections and glare by filtering out light that has become polarized due to reflection from a non-metallic surface. The light from the sun naturally becomes partially polarized due to reflecting off electrons in air molecules, causing the light to scatter into what appears as haze. A polarizing filter arranges, and filters, this directionally polarized light perpendicularly to the reflected light, allowing for the absorption of much of this light. This results in a noticeable reduction of glare and reflections from non-metallic surfaces and an increase in the saturation of skies, foliage, and allows the camera to capture what is under the surface of shallow water.
Our proprietary NiSi Pro Nano Coating helps to reduce unwanted reflections and provides a waterproof and scratch-resistant layer to assist in the cleaning of unwanted fingerprints, dust and water stains. The slimline frame of the NiSi Natural CPL is durable and tough and allows a lens cap to be attached for convenience.
