Circular Polarizer

[brooklynkid]

For a Canon F1n, should I be using a linear polarizer or a circular polarizer?

[BradS]

Some (all?) auto focus cameras need a circular polarizer but for manual focus, it doesn't matter. Either one will work fine for you Canon F1.

[lensman_nh]

Some (all?) auto focus cameras need a circular polarizer but for manual focus, it doesn't matter. Either one will work fine for you Canon F1.

Not necessarily true. My T-90 requires a circular polarizer. It has to do with how the metering light is picked off. It is true to say that all AF cameras and some MF cameras require a circular polarizer if you want metering and AF to work correctly.

A circular polarizer will work with anything. Unless you know you will never get a body that needs it I would get a circular polarizer.

Otherwise the F-1 is simple enough that a linear will work fine.

[BrianShaw]

The F-3 metering seems to work best with circular polarizer too. I think that is stated in the manual... but I've used a linear polarizer and have been lucky.

[Nelson]

I used a linear polarizer on my AE-1 for years before I knew the difference. Never had a problem with metering.

[artonpaper]

I've used linear polarizers on my Nikons FE and FM2, no problems. I think the polarizing effect is greater with linear polarizers. I recently helped a friend shoot pictures of her artwork with a borrowed Canon 5D. Her artwork was under glass and I didn't have polarizing filters fore the lights. There were both circular and linear polarizers in the camera bag. I saw the reflection reduced more with the linear polarizer.

[BradS]

Not necessarily true. My T-90 requires a circular polarizer. It has to do with how the metering light is picked off. ....

Interesting. I hadn't thought of that but it makes perfect sense. Thanks.

I've used linear polarizers on my Nikons FE and FM2, no problems. I think the polarizing effect is greater with linear polarizers. I recently helped a friend shoot pictures of her artwork with a borrowed Canon 5D. Her artwork was under glass and I didn't have polarizing filters fore the lights. There were both circular and linear polarizers in the camera bag. I saw the reflection reduced more with the linear polarizer.

I've also noticed that the linear polarizers are "better" in this regard.

[randyB]

You must use a circular polarizer with the F-1, F-1n, New F-1, FT, FTb, and any Canon that has the partial area metering block in the viewfinder screen. That block has a beam splitter mirror that diverts x-amount of light to the meter cell which is in the body. The beam splitter mirror will go black when a linear polarizer is used because the mirror acts as a phase polarizer. This was a very common problem with the early autofocus systems that used 1/2 mirrors (beam-splitters). This problem is avoided with a circular polarizer.

[benjiboy]

I have reserched this matter, all models of the Canon F1 require a circular polarizer.

[Jeff Kubach]

Hmmm I've been using a linear polarizer and had good results.

Jeff