How to fix haze in with my lens?

[Kallax]

I have started using a vintage Vivitar Y/C 70-210 4.5-5.6 lens on my XT3 with a 4cm lens hood and a and it works like a charm but sometimes I have a problem, when use it at 210mm i sometimes get this weird haze effect and i find it kinda annoying since I really love using this focal length (it's actually around 310 since the sensor is APS-C). Also when I try to photograph mountains it's even worse and it looks almost too white, today i cleaned all the lenses and i hope that it gets better but I can't test until tomorrow, if anyone got any tip i would be glad to hear them. Thanks

 

[480sparky]

You're shooting into the sun. Try a hood.

Also, shooting with a crop body does not change the focal length.

 

[Kallax]

You're shooting into the sun. Try a hood.

Also, shooting with a crop body does not change the focal length.

I already use a hood but I might try another because this might not be enough, tho the focal length doesn't change but it looks more zoomed than on my original contax

 

[petrochemist]

I have started using a vintage Vivitar Y/C 70-210 4.5-5.6 lens on my XT3 with a 4cm lens hood and a and it works like a charm but sometimes I have a problem, when use it at 210mm i sometimes get this weird haze effect and i find it kinda annoying since I really love using this focal length (it's actually around 310 since the sensor is APS-C). Also when I try to photograph mountains it's even worse and it looks almost too white, today i cleaned all the lenses and i hope that it gets better but I can't test until tomorrow, if anyone got any tip i would be glad to hear them. Thanks

There are many potential causes of haze in lenses ranging from simple condensation (which can clear by it self) fine oil mist (often wiped away after disassembly for access but may need a solvent) to fungal etching & delamination (which are both near impossible to resolve).

I find zooms are typically to complex internally to service at home, so unless it's on one of the outer elements it's unlikely you can fix it. It may be that a longer hood might limit the effect enough to keep the lens usable. Good luck!

 

[Strodav]

An important lens metric is t-stop (t is for transmission). For example, you might have a 50mm lens with an f-stop of 1.8, but a t-stop of 2.2. The f-stop is a physical property of the lens ("ratio of the lens focal length to the diameter of the entrance pupil"). T-stop is a measurement of the amount of light that actually gets to the sensor. The difference between the two numbers is the amount of light lost in the lens, i.e., the amount of light bouncing around in the lens that never gets to the sensor. This shows up as flat, low contrast images, or flare, especially when the lens is pointing towards a brighter light source, like the sun. If not too bad, it can be "fixed" in post with the dehaze slider. You will find that the difference between f-stop and t-stop specs is small in more expensive glass and larger in less expensive glass.

 

[cgw]

Agree with petrochemist. Variable aperture zooms in that range aren't hard to find at bargain prices. 135mm and 200m primes are another alternative among older affordable manual lenses.

 

[RAZKY]

I already use a hood but I might try another because this might not be enough, tho the focal length doesn't change but it looks more zoomed than on my original contax

Your hood is most effective at 70mm and does little or nothing at 210mm. And if it was long enough to provide maximum protection at 210mm it would vignette at 70mm. You may find a rubber hood that can be positioned at 2 or 3 different lengths, or you may be able to. shade the lens with your hand. Ideally, a zoom lens would have a hood that zoomed along to match every focal length, but they are rare.

 

[480sparky]

Are you using the hood designed for this lens, or just 'any old' hood?

 

[RAZKY]

Are you using the hood designed for this lens, or just 'any old' hood?

I'm glad you asked that. My reply above was based on the assumption that the OP was using the lens' dedicated hood. Makes a big difference!

 

[smoke665]

really love using this focal length (it's actually around 310 since the sensor is APS-C).

As Sparky mentioned above sensor size doesn't change the focal length but rather the field of view. Digital Camera Sensor Sizes: How it Influences Your Photography . Another TPF member did an interesting comparison on two shots earlier this month. When the lights go out....

Something else not asked, does this lens by chance have an old UV filter on it?

 

[ac12]

Things to check

1 - the lens
1a - Look through the lens with a flashlight. Is it CLEAR, or is there a "haze" on any of the elements.
1a1 - Since you said you cleaned the lens, any haze is likely internal, where you can't do anything about it.
1a2 - If it is on the front or rear element, you need to review your lens cleaning method, as you are NOT clearing the element. You need to use a different method, that will clean the element.

b - Filter. IS there a filter on the front of the lens?
1b1 - Sometimes the rear of the filter is dirty, or the front element of the lens. Remove the filter and clean the back of the filter or front element.
1b2 - Some older filters are flare prone, and will cause flare. Remove the filter and test. You may need a newer/better filter.

2 - the shooting conditions
2a - "Stuff" in the air (haze, moisture, smog, dust, etc.) in the air will degrade the image. There is little/nothing you can do about it.
2a1 - If it is moisture in the air, a polarizing filter "might" help.
2a2 - The longer the distance to the subject, the more "stuff" you are shooting through.
2a2a - When the air condition is bad, I can see "haze" when shooting the length of the school football field.
2a2b - When the smog is BAD, I cannot see across the bay, about 10 miles. I just see a brown band, the smog.
2a2c - If you are shooting mountains, you are shooting through a LOT of air. So you are also shooting through a LOT of "stuff" in the air.

2b - Shooting towards the sun. As was mentioned shooting TOWARDS the sun can/will create flare inside the lens.
2b1 - The flare situation is worse with the older zooms.
2b2 - Keep the sun OUT of the image.
2b3 - Shield the front of the lens from the sun. This can be a piece of dark cardboard taped to the lens hood (effect is like a baseball cap with a LONG visor), or even your hand.
2b4 - See below about lens hood length.

I already use a hood but I might try another because this might not be enough, tho the focal length doesn't change but it looks more zoomed than on my original contax

First problem is what @RAZKY said. A lens hood for a zoom can only be correct for ONE focal length, normally the widest.
As such, the lens hood is too short for the max focal length of the zoom.

Second problem is your quote. This is the crop factor effect.
I used an angle of view calculator to determine the approximate horizontal angle of view of a 200mm lens
- Full Frame = approx 10.2 degrees
- APS-C = approx 6.7 degrees.
So you ARE seeing a tighter view with the APS-C camera than a FF camera.

This is also how you get the APS-C crop factor. 10.2 / 6.7 = 1.5x

So, 1st, the hood is too short for max focal length.
2nd, the hood that worked for the original 35mm/FF format with a 10.2 degree angle of view, is not long enough for the narrower 6.7 degree angle of view of the APS-C sensor.
The hood needs to be longer to deal with the narrower field of view.

There used to be a site where you can calculate the dimensions of a lens hood, but I can't find it.