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- shattuckb02
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Lens flare killing night shots
Hello, everyone. I have been fighting what feels like a losing battle recently with my night shots. My foe has been lens flare! Do any of you have tips on how to reduce this issue? The other night I was taking some shots of C-17s parked on the ramp at SAT, but I kept getting small "orbs" of flare in the photo. Most "orbs" appeared in the dark sky, but some actually appeared on the aircraft, ruining the shot. I was using a lens hood, and made sure there was no direct light in the lens' field of view. I was shooting a 70D with a 70-300 L lens, at f/8. I've found conflicting information on the interwebs, so I was wondering if any of you had some words of wisdom... Thank you!
Re: Lens flare killing night shots
Are you using a UV filter?
If so, remove it.
If so, remove it.
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- Miguel1982
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Re: Lens flare killing night shots
Also make sure that the front glass element is clean. Any dust spots there can show up as glare when hit by light.
Re: Lens flare killing night shots
Sorry, posted asking what lens you were using then realised you've supplied that detail......
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- shattuckb02
- Posts: 24
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Re: Lens flare killing night shots
dvincent wrote:Are you using a UV filter?
If so, remove it.
I wasn't using a UV filter.
Miguel1982 wrote:Also make sure that the front glass element is clean. Any dust spots there can show up as glare when hit by light.
Front glass looks clean. Would a smaller aperture, such as f/11 or smaller, make a difference?
Re: Lens flare killing night shots
Maybe a direct source of light in the frame? like a light post or so? or other light source(s)...
Try using the lens hood to prevent glare and lens flare.
Juan
Try using the lens hood to prevent glare and lens flare.
Juan
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- speedbored
- Posts: 2231
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Re: Lens flare killing night shots
Given that you say you are using a lens hood, no filter, and are avoiding direct sources of light in the field of view then the most likely causes are, imo:
a) Direct sources of light that are outside of the field of view but which are still projecting light onto the lens surface. This is more likely if you are using a zoom lens at less than the widest aperture, or if your lens hood is not field-of-view shaped, as most lens hoods only provides full shielding from out-of-frame sources at the widest setting and when they are correctly shaped for the specific lens.
b) Dirt on the lens. Even if the lens looks clean, there might be a thin film of dirt (grease or oil is especially hard to see if it is widespread). Scrupulously clean your lens using a good lens cleaning solution (e.g. with lens cleaning "wet-wipes").
a) Direct sources of light that are outside of the field of view but which are still projecting light onto the lens surface. This is more likely if you are using a zoom lens at less than the widest aperture, or if your lens hood is not field-of-view shaped, as most lens hoods only provides full shielding from out-of-frame sources at the widest setting and when they are correctly shaped for the specific lens.
b) Dirt on the lens. Even if the lens looks clean, there might be a thin film of dirt (grease or oil is especially hard to see if it is widespread). Scrupulously clean your lens using a good lens cleaning solution (e.g. with lens cleaning "wet-wipes").
Re: Lens flare killing night shots
mx330 wrote:Maybe a direct source of light in the frame? like a light post or so? or other light source(s)...Try using the lens hood to prevent glare and lens flare.
It helps if you read his post:
shattuckb02 wrote:I was using a lens hood, and made sure there was no direct light in the lens' field of view.
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- ThePointblank
- Posts: 4426
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Re: Lens flare killing night shots
Check the sensor and give it a good blowing out with a rocket blower if there is dust on it, or if it's really bad, consider taking your camera to a camera shop to get it professionally cleaned.
Also, watch the surrounding lights around you; you might want to change vantage points or hold up something large to block the light source from the front of your lens.
Also, watch the surrounding lights around you; you might want to change vantage points or hold up something large to block the light source from the front of your lens.
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