Which is Best?

Can anyone advise me please...I want to photograph insects/dragonflies etc by the water ie. wildlife photography and want to filter out the reflection of the sun/water etc...which poloriser would be best suited for this...Linear or Circular or maybe something completely different...want to buy one but not sure what I'm buying to acheive the best results...all help appreciated. Thanks

A circular polarizer will be fine for this. Linear polarizers can cause problems with auto focus cameras, I believe.

Also with a circular polarizer, you can rotate the filter to get the best effect.

So circular polorisers are ok for my K100D?

Yes, they'll be fine.

You can and do with any polariser, circular or linear.

The circular or linear refers to the direction of polarisation utilised.

Think of polarising filters as Venetian blinds, the filter light waves coming in a particular direction, so if the blades on your blind are horizontal then only light coming in that direction gets through, rotate the blind and light coming at a different direction gets through.

Both linear and circular filters have to be rotated.

OK, a circular polariser is easier to rotate?

A fuller explanation of the options can be found here http://www.ephotozine.com/article/Buying-a-polarising-filter

Tim, Tim, Tim - what are we going to do with you?

Dan

Living in a shell can be a bit dis-orientating!