LensTip.com

Articles

Polarizing filters test 2015

1 November 2015
Szymon Starczewski

12. Carl Zeiss T* POL Filter (circular)

Polarizing filters test 2015 - Carl Zeiss T* POL Filter (circular)

It would be difficult to say anything new about a company known to all photography enthusiasts for ages. It is, after all, one of the most recognizable and the oldest optical brand names in the world. Its renown is such that you simply have to expect a lot, especially when it comes to the quality. It is really astounding we haven’t tested a Zeiss filter yet. That shocking gap is being closed right now.



Please Support Us

If you enjoy our reviews and articles, and you want us to continue our work please, support our website by donating through PayPal. The funds are going to be used for paying our editorial team, renting servers, and equipping our testing studio; only that way we will be able to continue providing you interesting content for free.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - advertisement - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Results of the test

Transmission and extinction coefficient

Polarizing filters test 2015 - Carl Zeiss T* POL Filter (circular)

  • Red color extinction coefficient: 2.31e-4; Score: 3.5/4
  • Green color extinction coefficient: 2.77e-4; Score: 3.5/4
  • Blue color extinction coefficient: 1.02e-2; Score: 0.5/4
  • Mean transmission of the whole spectrum: 35.05% Score: 2.01/3
    Score: 9.51 / 11 pts
Flares

Polarizing filters test 2015 - Carl Zeiss T* POL Filter (circular)
Without filter

Polarizing filters test 2015 - Carl Zeiss T* POL Filter (circular)
With filter

Score: 7.5 / 7.5 pts

Scattering

Polarizing filters test 2015 - Carl Zeiss T* POL Filter (circular)

  • Luminance: 3.18
    Score: 5 / 5 pts
Vignetting
  • Vignetting difference: 6.90%
    Score: 1.72 / 5 pts
Homogeneity

Polarizing filters test 2015 - Carl Zeiss T* POL Filter (circular)

  • Without reservation
    Score: 5 / 5 pts

Final score: 28.7 / 37.5 pts (76.6%)

  • Overall ranking: 5th place
  • Econo-ranking: 15th place

Design, usage and summary

As it befits a renowned German producer on the ring you can find a proud inscription “Made in Japan”. The ring itself is solid, the filter is glued in or pressed (hard to say because there are no indications of either of those methods). All the parts fit together very well, the ring is well-damped and it turns smoothly, you can hear just the slight whirr when it moves. The surfaces are covered by broadband multi- coatings which are easy to clean. There is a book (or in fact an instruction manual) added to the filter.

The spectrum characteristics seem to be slightly changeable but still they keep the same level throughout most of the visible spectrum. Very good extinction coefficients for red and green on a level of 2.5/10000. The blue color is dampened down slower but it shouldn’t hurt images significantly. The average transmission is hardly the highest one but it most probably stems from the bigger density of the polarizer. The filter Works properly to near-infrared.