Using linear polarizers with Nikon D40
June 1st, 2008 by Tvrtko Ursulin
Linear polarisers are said to be problematic with modern SLR cameras due to possible interference with auto-focus and light metering systems. Unfortunately I only found that out after buying a set of three dirt cheap filters from eBay (UV, PL and a diffusion, all three for £10).
But as it turns out my Nikon D40 seems to work fine with it which was a relief. I know it is not a quality filter, even the manufacturer left it unmarked, but for me experimenting it is sufficient. It is labelled as “Made in Japan” although I got them from China so your guess is as good as mine from where they actually come from.
I did get a couple of suspicious exposures with it, but it does not seem it was the filters fault since it sometimes happens without it as well. Depending on the scene and lightning it is sometimes necessary to use exposure compensation with D40 in general. But that is also completely normal since cameras can just measure light and do not actually understand the scene.
To summarise, from my experience both focusing and light metering on D40 seem to be unaffected when using this linear polarizer.
For the end here is one nice example of the effect polarizing filters makes when shooting landscapes.
