Do My B+W High End Polarizing Filters Change Image Color Balance Like my B+W ND Filters Do?

Polarized test image, heavily edited.  Unedited test images below (click to enlarge)
X-T2, 16-55mm f/2.8 lens @ 17mm; 1/180th sec. @ f/11; ISO 200; B+W 77mm Polarizing Filter

A few posts ago, I wrote and illustrated how my older B+W 6-stop and 10-stop neutral density filters made significant changes toward the yellow/magenta in my image files.  I then compared them to what I bought as replacements, 6-stop and  10-stop Breakthrough Photography X4 ND filters.  You can read more about that here.

One of my readers posted a question in the comments section about B+W polarizing filters.  Here is the comment and my reply:

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   reidwolfJuly 23, 2018 at 9:38 AM

   How about polarizers? Would same results hold true? Asking for a friend with a drawer full of B+W filters.

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   Dennis MookJuly 24, 2018 at 8:27 AM
   reidwolf, thank you for the question.
   
   At this point I can’t say as I haven’t tested my B+W polarizers for color shift. Also, it is important for everyone to test his or her own filters as I can only speak for mine, a sample of one. I can’t extrapolate from a sample of one that any other B+W filter is not as it should be. It may just be mine that are color shifting badly.
   
   I may run a quick test on my B+W polarizers for color shift in the next week or two. In my area, the weather forecasters are telling us we will have a high probability of rain every day for the next 7 days which is not good for using a polarizer.
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Turns out I had an afternoon when the sun actually came out from behind the clouds.  However, it as about 90 F and the humidity felt as though I was in the Amazon Rain Forest!  I grabbed my gear and headed out to quickly test both my B+W 77mm E SLIM MRC Circular Polarizer as well as my B+W 72mm XS-PRO KSM* HTC MRC Circular Polarizer.  

Because it was so hot and humid outside as compared to my air conditioned home and vehicle, I allowed the camera, lenses and filters to slowly warm up for about 20 minutes before I made my exposures.  If I hadn't, then when I would first take them outdoors, instantly the front elements of the lenses would fog up from the humid hot air condensing on the cool glass surfaces.  

NOTE: I would admonish you to take seriously the differences in heat and humidity from inside to outside and take precautions, such as placing your gear in airtight plastic bags (such as a Ziplock® brand) and allowing it/them to warm (or cool) slowly.  The moisture will condense on the bag itself and not the gear.  What you don't want is moisture condensing on the glass elements or inside a camera body.  It is easy enough to clean a front or rear element, but moisture will also condense on the interior elements of your lenses and possibly leave a residue which will require a professional service to clean as your lens will need to be disassembled.  Moisture condensing on a camera's interior electronic components may disable your camera.  I buy airtight plastic bags into which I can fit my entire camera bag.  They aren't expensive, fold easily to keep handy and get the job done.

Back to the polarizer filter test....

I used my Fujifilm X-T2 with both the 16-55mm f/2.8 lens (77mm filter) and the 50-140mm f/2.8 lens (72mm filter).  The camera was set on Daylight white balance, aperture priority, f/11 and on a tripod.  I let the exposure meter compensate for any differences in the images with and without a filter.  That turns out to be a consistent 1.3 stops. 

To give you the bottom line now, I found no appreciable difference in the images I made with no filter and with the two filters I mentioned in the preceding paragraph.  I found no practical differences in color balance or image sharpness.  Otherwise the test images I made were pretty much identical, of course, with the exception of no reflections on leaves, darker blue sky and a bit more saturation and contrast, which is what we would want when applying polarization.  Here are the images for you to see.

72mm no filter on lens

72mm B+W polarizing filter on lens

Another 72mm no filter on lens

72mm B+W polarizing filter on lens

77mm no filter

77mm B+W polarizing filter on lens

There you have it.  My copies of the B+W polarizing filters do exactly what they should be doing without altering the color balance nor sharpness of my images.

*KSM is short for Käsemann.  Käsemann was an independent German company renowned for manufacturing some of the highest quality polarizer material in the world. Schneider Krueznach purchased the company in 1989. 

The quality and consistency of Käsemann material is uniform and neutral in color.  Moisture from humidity will destroy polarizing material if delamination occurs. The latest cementing technique used on these filters prevents delamination. Käsemann Circular Polarizers come with MRC, or multi-resistant coating.

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Thanks for looking. Enjoy! 

Dennis A. Mook 

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