Polarizing with RF

[ben1]

Hey all,

Just curious if anyone has any tip/tricks for using a polarizer with a rangefinder. I realize i aint lookin through the lens, so there must be some way/s of effectively polarizing.

I use an X-PAN mainly with velvia and i want to experiment with a polarizer.
Someone once mentioned to me he used to point the engraved arrow on the side of the filter toward the sun and get good results.

Any advice is much appreciated
Thanks

[David H. Bebbington]

There is a swivel arm for the Mamiya 7 which allows you to raise the filter to look through and adjust and then lower it onto the lens in the same rotational position. This might well fit via an adapter, depending on your filter size.
http://www.robertwhite.co.uk/mamiya.htm#LabelMamiya7
Otherwise, having two identical polarizing filters with clear witness marks on the rim, rotating one in front of your eye and transferring the setting to the other one on the camera would work reasonably well.

Regards,

David

[Wally H]

I use one a lot. I just look thru the filter when it is off the camera until I see what I want, note some mark or letter's position on the filter so that I can insure is in the same position when I put the filter on the lense. There are adapter that affectively do this same thing for some rangefinder camera, (some swing the filter over the viewfinder) and then swing it back over the lense when shooting without rotating it. Like I described though, I subscribe to the more manual process.

[markinlondon]

Or, try one of these
http://www.robertwhite.co.uk/accessories.htm#LabelKRP

Mark

[gnashings]

Many polarizers have a mark (usually a white dot, or a screw) that lets you remember the position using the "x o'clock" method. Failing that, you can use the writing or like has been said, scribe a mark.
I have used a polarizer successfully with an RF (and a TLR for that matter) in the past, its just a little more of pain than on a SLR. That Mamiya adapter sounds wonderful!

Peter.

[J-C Barnoud]

You may find some ideas here (http://www.1839.org/hors/trucs/polarsm/index.html?lang=en). Testing has been done with Leicas but many of these systems should work with other rangefinders.

[David Henderson]

I do the same as Gnashings. It works. You can be sufficiently accurate to get half polarised rather than just "on" or "off". The more marks you have round the edge the better and if there aren't enough then add some more with differently coloured nail varnishes or whatever on the mount. Heliopan ( I think) make polarisers with lots of numbers round the edge for this very purpose.

Word of warning with the Xpan though- especially with the wider lenses differential polarisation can spoil your photographs.