Sigma 82mm EX DG Circular Polarising Filter

Comments about Sigma 82mm EX DG Circular Polarising Filter:

When I bought my fast, pro-spec Sigma 24-70mm f2.8 HSM, one of its few drawbacks was the giant 82mm filter size.

This was for fine detailed landscape work and I've polarisers for as long as I could remember. To the landscaper, a polariser is a must and can transform photographs into dramatic and highly saleable images. Most polarisers had let me down, sooner or later, the only ones standing up to hard use were Hoya pro ones.

Knowing how I used to get and having had to clone out vignetted corners of pics from my polarised 17-35mm Nikkor (on full-frame Nikon D700) fitted with an expensive Hoya pro, I was attracted to this Sigma, as it was advertised as being 'slimline'. The thinner the filter, the less it would intrude into the picture area at the zoom's widest setting.

Polarisers, unlike ordinary Skylight or UV filters have to have a mechanism where the glass can be rotated within it. This is often a weak area and is what often gets jammed or broken in a budget model.

I've now used this filter for 18 months and it still rotates beautifully and I haven't had to Photoshop out a corner of a picture, yet. It is so well engineered, in fact, I wanted to replace my still functioning 77mm Hoya pro with a Sigma. Which, I cannot find.

It does seem and indeed is, costly. But, just handling it inspires confidence and even admiration. Resulting images are everything I ever expect from a polariser and possibly more.

Comments about Sigma 82mm EX DG Circular Polarising Filter:

I use this filter on my 10-20mm Sigma and because the lens is constructed for use with the smaller APS-C sensor there is no vignetting even at 10mm. I use the filter for enhanced saturation with landscape photography and removing reflections from water. The filter is also invaluable for architectural photography; not just to enhance colour but with so much glass used on modern buildings reflections can be enhanced or reduced as required.

Comments about Sigma 82mm EX DG Circular Polarising Filter:

There are very few filters of this thread size on the market so I was pleased to find that Sigma's offering is cheaper than the Hoya equivalent. It is always worth paying the extra for a pro coated filter if you're using digital, so I can't recommend this filter highly enough. The polarising effect is consistent across all but the widest focal lengths, and I would advise caution when including a lot of blue sky with a 20mm or shorter lens.