Polarizing Filter for Ektar H35N

Joseph Bell · Sep 16, 2024

Warm greetings!
I've come to understand that the Ektar H35N has a 30.5mm filter thread. I would love to use a polarizing filter occasionally. I've been waffling back and forth between a $10 "Crystal Optics" linear polarizer from the auction site VS a $60 Heliopan from B&H. Given that this is a toy camera with lo-fi optics, I wonder if one would see a difference between the two filters. I would be most grateful for your opinions and recommendations. Sincere thanks!

brbo · Sep 16, 2024

If you have to, buy 2 (two) of the cheapest you can find.

Yes, two. Just think about how annoying the use of a polariser will be on a camera without TTL viewfinder. The second polariser would at least make it somewhat bearable.

xkaes · Sep 16, 2024

How are you going to adjust the exposure to compensate for the PL filter? The f-stop is fixed at f8, and the shutter has two choices -- 1/100 and B. Are you just going to use faster film?

Just curious.

brbo · Sep 16, 2024

xkaes said:
How are you going to adjust the exposure to compensate for the PL filter? The f-stop is fixed at f8, and the shutter has two choices -- 1/100 and B. Are you just going to use faster film?

The polariser will actually help. You use polariser outdoor on sunny days when f8 1/100s will overexpose even ISO 100 film. Polariser will take off about 2/3 of a stop. Still not perfect exposure, but better.

The problem is that you need to establish the polariser orientation/rotation. Which means that you have to take off the filter, establish its desired rotation, screw on the filter and rotate it to the desired position. Not really my definition of fun. Second polariser can spare you some time and fiddling...

Joseph Bell · Sep 16, 2024

brbo said:
The polariser will actually help. You use polariser outdoor on sunny days when f8 1/100s will overexpose even ISO 100 film. Polariser will take off about 2/3 of a stop. Still not perfect exposure, but better.

The problem is that you need to establish the polariser orientation/rotation. Which means that you have to take off the filter, establish its desired rotation, screw on the filter and rotate it to the desired position. Not really my definition of fun. Second polariser can spare you some time and fiddling...

Please pardon my ignorance! I can't understand how & why a second polarizer will spare me some time and fiddling. Could I ask you to explain it to me? I hope this isn't too much of a nuisance. Sincere thanks!

xkaes · Sep 16, 2024

brbo said:
Polariser will take off about 2/3 of a stop.

I've never met a PL that shaves a mere 2/3 of an f-stop. Can you clue us in as to the manufacturer? Curious minds want to know.

4season · Sep 16, 2024

You could buy a pair of inexpensive filters, one to be mounted on the camera, and the other for previewing the effects. If your filters have markings on the ring indicating orientation, great, just rotate the ring on your camera to match orientation of your viewing filter. If not, you can create said markings yourself very easily.

OTOH, if you think you will only rarely use a polarizer, you could just buy an oversized filter and hold it in front of the lens as needed.

xkaes · Sep 16, 2024

On a side note, if the H35N has a 30.5mm filter thread, AND you can actually find a way to use a PL filter on the camera, you'll probably find it cheaper to get a step-up ring from 30.5mm to something larger. You'll find the PL options much less expensive -- but you'll need a LINEAR PL with an index mark (most have that) for proper placement. You look through the filter and rotate it to get the effect you want. Then note where the index mark is. Then place it on the camera with the mark at the same angle -- pretty easy. That's what the index mark is there for. TWO PL filters? SILLY!!!

A step up ring will cost $2, and a perfectly good, used PL in a 43mm (or so) thread will run about $5 TOPS. Plus, a slightly larger filter will be much easier to work with -- 30.5mm is pretty small.

brbo · Sep 16, 2024

Yes, using a polariser on a toy camera is a bit silly. But, unscrewing, determining polarisation, then screwing it on again for every shot is plain torture.

Two filters were used often when you didn't want to pay serious money for a more elegant solution (like Leica Universal Polarizing Filter for example), but sure, if you don't have $5 then, yes, additional filter is silly.

xya · Sep 16, 2024

I have had this camera and seen the specs it delivers quite nice photos as is, without any filters https://www.135compact.com/135_half_kodak_ektar_h35n.htm. I would recommend exploring the the second aperture for flash by taking the battery out and the B setting. Modern colour film will give good results even under bad circumstances.

xkaes · Sep 16, 2024

brbo said:
unscrewing, determining polarisation, then screwing it on again for every shot is plain torture.

I guess we have different thresholds for pain. I use a polarizer on the REAR of my fisheye lens -- after I determine where the PL angle needs to be -- and then get it back on the lens with hardly a whimper.

xkaes · Sep 16, 2024

xya said:
I would recommend exploring the the second aperture for flash by taking the battery out and the B setting.

I'm not very familiar with this camera. I though it was a fixed f8 lens, no???? And how will a B setting help for normal pictures?

Joseph Bell · Sep 16, 2024

Hello! All of you are terrific. Sincere thanks for helping me fulfill this very silly but fun idea! I am very grateful!

loccdor · Sep 16, 2024

I'd use a cheap oversized filter that I didn't care if it got scratched up. For every shot, I'd rotate it at my eye until the polarizing effect was at the desired level. Then I'd press it, in the same angular orientation, to the lens to take the shot. Wouldn't worry about using one that fit the filter threads on a non-TTL, non-light-metered camera.

xkaes · Sep 16, 2024

Even though it's an expensive, inexpensive camera (do I have that backwards?), I'd opt for a step-up ring. It's only a couple of bucks and it will keep the filter flat in relation to the lens. You don't need a misaligned filter adding to the challenges that the camera already faces -- and it will make it easier to align the index mark on the filter, too.

xya · Sep 17, 2024

xkaes said:
I'm not very familiar with this camera. I though it was a fixed f8 lens, no???? And how will a B setting help for normal pictures?

No, it's F11 and F8 for flash. The B setting might help if you use a lower ISO. If you attach a step-up ring, you might be unable to set the camera to flash use. You have to move the ring around the lens and this needs quite some force...

xkaes · Sep 17, 2024

Thanks for that info. So the original H35 has an f9.5 lens. Does that one also change in FLASH mode?

So with the H35N, you could effectively use a PL filter by switching to flash mode and putting a piece of black tape over the flash.

Joseph Bell · Sep 17, 2024

Thanks again, all of you! I already have a decent 52mm linear polarizer, so I might experiment with that one by holding it in front of the lens and seeing how that goes. I'd only planned on using a polarizer for a small percentage of my pictures, ergo I can tolerate the fiddly and fussy nature of this method/process...

Polarizing Filter for Ektar H35N

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