In article <3318f673.36167354@news.earthlink.net>, mporter776@earthlink.net says...

>I purchased polarizing filters for my Minolta AF lenses but never seem
>to use them. I shoot photographs of train engines in daylight. Please
>remind me why I would care about using the polarizing filters. Bare in
>mind I'm a point and shoot type even though I own a pair of SLRs and
>assorted lenses.

Durn'd if I know why polarizers are so popular - I think most photos
shot with them are instantly identifiable by their peculiar colors
and saturations - quite unnatural-looking to me... They have a use,
if there is a particular reflection that needs taming, but indescriminate
use looks gimmicky to me - like using diffusion filters, rainbow filters,
or any other of the myriad hokey filters out there. If you can easily spot
the filter used, it use probably wasn't a good idea, IMHO...
The quality of the light that is there is presumably part of the reason
for taking a photo in the first place - but shooting through a polarizing
filter alters the naturally occuring reflections (maybe useful for shooting
through glass, or into water, but otherwise generally unnecessary for
most photography, unless the photographer just likes the odd colors that
result...). So, to conclude, I can't remind you why you should care about
using polarizing filters, since I leave mine at home, too.
Hope This Helps