Problems with lens flare...

[theheater]

I assume I have a problem with lens flare, and I Have 2 questions.... will a polarized filter prevent this? And now that the photo is taken, is there a way to remove the flare in photoshop CS2?

 

[DeepSpring]

I'm not sure about the filter but you should be able to clone it out in PS or even in some parts just paint over it with a color matched brush, really light opacity.


Normally to prevent lens flare you try not to point the lens into the sun (or lights) which in this case proves a bit difficult if you are trying to shoot the sun...... Someone else prolly has the answer.

 

[auer1816]

I want to say that a filter wouldn't reduce the flare, but I could be wrong. In fact, a cheap filter will actually cause more flare if it's not coated properly. The flare comes from pointing the camera directly at the sun (or allowing the direct light to hit the front element) and the light bouncing off the elements or sensor. The flare is a function of this and the coatings used on the lens elements. It's worse with cheaper lenses and lenses made for 35mm cameras -- they don't have the same coatings as those specifically for digital cameras.

As for taking care of it in cs2 -- it's probably going to be a lot of work.

 

[Weaving Wax]

I know that you want the flare gone, but I think it looks cool. Gives the photo more character. Just my $0.02...

 

[fmw]

That is more than flare. It is called ghosting and it results from the direct light of the sun reflecting (rather than refracting) from the areas where the lens elements meet inside the lens. You are seeing ghost images of the sun itself. Nothing will prevent this aside from not shooting directly at the sun. Adding a filter might add one more ghost image. It certainly wouldn't prevent it. It is part of the physics of optics.

Zoom lenses are very complex with many elements and prone to ghosting. Simpler, single focal length lenses will do it less or sometimes not at all in the same situation. The reason is that there are fewer element to element interactions within the lens.

Flare, by the way is pretty hard to detect. It is caused by the same thing as ghosting but without the ghost images. You can think of it as a less extreme version of ghosting. It shows up as a loss of contrast. You can detect it by comparing different exposures of the same subject taken under different lighting conditions or time of day. Again, simpler lenses produce less flare. People often marvel at how contrasty single focal length lenses are. The major reason is that they are less prone to flare.

 

[The_Traveler]

BTW, it is a 'polarizing' filter rather than a polarized filter.