Lens problem, internal reflections or condensation?

[StuartR]

My brother has recently moved up from a compact to a DSLR. This image was taken, using his new Canon 400D and 18-55mm kit lens, in one of his fruit orchards (he's a farm manager) at sunrise.

He's quite understandably disappointed about the orange "blob" and thinks he wouldn't have got it if he'd used his compact! I think it may be down to condensation but I don't think he's convinced. Anyone else have a view? I have to say that I've never had such a severe problem from internal reflections in any of my lenses but then I rarely shoot into the sun! (nor do I use this particular lens).

The lens had a UV filter fitted (it may have been a Skylight 1A, I know he has both). The lens did not have a lens hood (I've advised him to get one).

It was a very cold morning, probably at or near freezing, when the picture was taken and the camera had only been out of a warm house for about half an hour. The camera was also in a bag which may have delayed the clearing of any condensation that formed?

[RCE]

Re: Lens problem, internal reflections or condensation?

Wouldn't be condensation as that forms on a colder surface not a warmer surface.

Eg taking the camera indoors from the cold can cause condensation. Or taking a camera out from an air conditioned room into the warm.

[StuartR]

Re: Lens problem, internal reflections or condensation?

Good point!

[yoshi]

Re: Lens problem, internal reflections or condensation?

Hi Stuart, it looks to me a lens flare. The colour and the shape of the flare depends on lens used and so on. The pic was taken in the sunrise when the colour temperature was lower so it was reddish. It could be blue when taken in the middle of the day.
As I understand it, the lens flare of this type is often called gohst.

A lens hood would not help in this particular pic, as the sun is just in the middle of the lens field of view. Generally speaking, a lens hood is as you recommended to be used for avoiding halation - those unnecessary lights reflected from, say, frozen ground or whatever. - the lights that make the pic whiter. (Here let me use the words "lens flare" and "halation" with slightly different meaning - looks like sometimes used in a same meaning)

I think your brother is correct. A brighter lens of a DSLR can have more lens flare than compact digicams with a lens of smaller open F value. A lens of F2.8 has a wider/bigger front lens than the one with F5.6 and therefore more receptive to get influences of direct sun shine.

Incidentally, this is partially why Oly says a specially designed lens for digicam is ideal for reducing lens flare caused inside of the lens body. (I'm not a Oly user, though.)

There seems to be a plug-in to intentionally "create" such flares as somebody loves the flare.

I think I have many pics with gohst although I'm not a lover of a gohst, as I like to take pics of sunrise/sunset.
yoshi

p.s. I think it better to remove a lens filter to reduce the flare influences but in this particular occasion it would not have helped either.

[Ian]

Re: Lens problem, internal reflections or condensation?

I agree with Yoshi - that's good ol' lens flare. It was probably visible in the viewfinder and would move if the camera was moved off-target.

Ian

[StuartR]

Re: Lens problem, internal reflections or condensation?

Thanks Ian & Yoshi.

My brother tried again this morning and he can indeed see the flare in his viewfinder and saw it moving as he moved the camera and / zoomed in & out. (Wish he'd told me this in the first place although he is totally new to SLRs so wouldn't necessarily have made the connection).

So he's happy now, knows what to watch for and how to correct it and his faith in his new camera is restored!