Just bought a circular PL today and went to put it on my Canon which I already had a UV filter on. Is it common practice to put the PL filter on overtop the UV or remove the UV and just use the PL filter?
Thanks!
-Wintery
Wow, didn't realize the polorizer would filter so much light. I'm having to adjust by like 2 stops. I've been shooting exclusively at 100 iso.. going to have to bump up to 200-400 iso for less than bright light.
Many people leave the UV filter on all the time to protect the lens and put a polarized filter on top of it when needed. The UV filter cuts down on haze and makes distant objects sharper.
There is no reason why you can’t use more than one filter at a time. Just remember that every filter cuts down the received light a little though. You would be surprised by how much light even plain glass cuts out.
I never stick my polarizer on top of my uv filter because i get vignetting (blackened corners) Depending on the lens and how thick your filters are it might not be a problem, but mine is really bad when i'm out at 18mm and still noticeable at 70mm. It is much more noticeable if you are taking a picture of something that is a solid colour in the corners (like a nice blue sky). Test it out, see what you get. If you can do it its nicer. Switching is a little annoying.
If you're going to use both at the same time (and keep them both on), then the UV filter would always go on last as in general it's cheaper to replace than a PL filter...if a mishap would occur.
If you're gonna be in & out & out & in then I'd use only one...whichever appropriate for the given application.
Cutting against the grain here, I would definately not stack filters in the case of a UV and Polarizer. The reason is, every air to glass cavity opens up the opportunity for light to get deflected from the path to the sensor (film). The result will be a loss of contrast and hence color which in the case of the polarizer, you are trying to achieve.
This is the reason some lenses have better color and contrast. The higher quality glass and the coatings stop these light defractions within the lens body.
Thanks!
-Wintery