Photoclubalpha

How valuable do people consider polarising filters in these days when digital processing can perform wonders? Clearly, they can help in reducing reflections but in days of film they were more commonly used for increasing saturation. With the advent of software such as PS, LR and others saturation and punch can be changed with the flick of a slider. I am a convert to Nik software, and in particular Viveza 2, which enables, using their u-point technology, saturation, brightness and contrast to be changed in varying degrees at a local rather than global level. So one can deepen the sky and brighten the foreground simultaneously. In PS one can do this rather more laboriously with layer masking. Such control is remarkable and as far as i can see makes polarisers redundant. Or am I missing something?

Hi Artington - for me the polariser allows reflections to be cut down (e.g. wet leaves, or rocks in a stream) and also to allow a better view into water (e.g. streams and pools). I always like to have one in the bag. My PP skills aren't up to replacing the polariser filter, although LR has drastically reduced my use of ND grads.

I still use one fairly regularly for separating cloud and sky where one is forced to have a bright sky. But yes, the need for them is tending to go away, except for controlling non-metallic reflections.

I rarely use my ND grads these days.

regards - Peter