Hoya HD Circular Polarizer Filter 55mm

Polarizing Filter Functionality

Light rays reflected from surfaces become polarized. Polarizing filters control which light rays enter the camera lens, effectively removing unwanted reflections from non-metallic surfaces such as water or glass. They also enhance color saturation and improve contrast. The effect is visible through the viewfinder and can be adjusted by rotating the filter. The filter factor varies depending on the rotation and its orientation relative to the sun.

Applications

This filter is ideal for outdoor photography, such as capturing cloud-filled skies or enhancing the saturation of water bodies like oceans or lakes. It can increase or decrease reflections on water and glass surfaces, allowing creative control over reflections and saturation. When shooting black and white, pairing with a red filter can simulate dramatic stormy skies.

Alongside UV or Skylight filters, a polarizing filter is essential gear for photographers, transforming ordinary images into vibrant, creative photos by boosting color saturation.

Construction and Optical Quality

The Hoya HD Circular Polarizer features hardened glass with four times the tensile strength of traditional filters of similar design. It is optimized for modern digital cameras, where sensors are sensitive to reflected light. Special multi-layer coatings reduce internal reflections, resulting in clearer, brighter, and sharper images.

• 25% higher light transmission compared to standard polarizing films used in photographic filters
• Eliminates ultraviolet rays to reduce haze in outdoor shots while polarizing light to remove reflections and increase color saturation without altering overall color balance
• Dramatically enhances blue skies and makes clouds more prominent
• Most effective when used at a right angle to the sun
• 8-layer multi-coating minimizes reflections on filter surfaces, reducing flare and ghosting
• Water and oil repellent, scratch and stain resistant
• Four times the breaking strength in ANSI standardized testing, tested against steel balls dropped from 1.27 meters onto the glass
• Compatible with cameras using beam splitters in the TTL light meter path and with autofocus cameras

Physical Characteristics

• Slim matte black aluminum frame
• Fits lenses with 55 mm filter thread diameter