this post was submitted on 16 Oct 2025
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Can anyone tell me whether modifiers/diffusers 're-polarise' light? For example, if i put a polarising filter on a speedlite but then fire it through a softbox, will the light still be polarised outside of the softbox?

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[โ€“] Etnaphele@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I think it will mostly be depolarized, from Wikipedia:

Relatively high degree of depolarization is also achieved by light passing through usual semitransparent materials like matte plastic or greased paper.

[โ€“] oeuf@slrpnk.net 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[โ€“] Etnaphele@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Out of curiosity: why would you want to polarize a speedlite?

[โ€“] dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Asking the real questions, here. If the intent is to polarize and then immediately depolarize the light output, that's just using a thicker diffuser with extra steps. Every filter stuck in front of the light source is just serving to block increasingly greater fractions of the original light output at that rate.

I'm positive there are simpler/faster/cheaper ways to do that.

[โ€“] oeuf@slrpnk.net 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Part of a cross-polarisation setup for reducing specular highlights. I think the same would apply to most other light sources but in this instance a speedlite is what I will have to work with!

[โ€“] Etnaphele@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Interesting!

A diffuser will definitely depolarize the light