Straight polarizing filter

[TedShred]

Is a polarizing filter that is not also an ND filter easier to operate?

 

[zocalo]

There's no real difference. The difficulty is in working out how to setting the angle of the CP before take-off since you can't adjust in flight, and that applies regardless of whether it's also an ND or not.

All the ND aspect does is slow your shutter speed, which might be required for long-exposure stills to deliberately blur motion, or for controlling shutter speed on video to get closer to the sweet spot of 2x frame rate. If you're not doing either of those things then a non-ND version of a CP does mean you have a little less to think about though.