Weird glowing effect... is this normal?

[manaheim]

So I've been really agonizing over whether or not my camera is losing its mind, or if I'm just doing something really stupid with it. (or if I broke it)

I have been taking various test pictures and many of them just don't "feel" quite right. I took this one, and I noticed something... there is an odd glowing effect coming off the reflective surface of the word Nikon on the lens cap. (blown up to full size on the top of the image below)

Is this normal???

I did notice if I knocked the exposure down a bit the effect goes away... example below...

I think there's a bit of camera shake there as it was a 1/50th exposure handheld... but then, maybe that's just still the glowing effect lessened?

I dunno. I'm really going mildly bonkers with this. Help?

 

[Village Idiot]

It's light!.

White is the brightest color. It's the color that reflects all light back at your camera. It looks like over exposure with a little bit of flare. What lens were you using and what focal length were you shooting at?

All your other colors were darker and you and your camera metered off of something besides the white. If your camera has a spot meter and you would have metered the white, it probably would have been maybe 2/3 - 1 stop over exposed. Maybe even a little more. There's also some chromatic aberations going on there.

No offense, but I'm betting you weren't shooting with a $1000 lens.

 

[tirediron]

Yep, what VI said. For interest's sake, what kind of lens & body were used?

 

[manaheim]

It's a Nikon D300 with a Nikor 28-100 3.5/5.6. It's defitely a bit of a cheap-o lens. Kinda ridiculous to have a $100 lens on an $1800 body but that's just how it worked out.

You think it's as little as 2/3 to 1 stop? Wow. Crazy. This is the first I've heard of "flare"... is that a lens irregularity? Wouldn't surprise me I suppose since it's such a whatever lens.

 

[tirediron]

Flare is simply an optical effect which occurs when light reflects in a particular way. It can be exacerbated by the design of the lens, the quality (or lack thereof) of coatings, filters, et cetera.

 

[Overkill-F1]

tirediron suggested filters, so I'll ask:
Manaheim, was there a UV filter on the lens?
...Terry

 

[Garbz]

And before you ask the blue outline is called Chromatic Aberration, and should decrease at higher f-stops and more expensive lenses.

 

[manaheim]

tirediron suggested filters, so I'll ask:
Manaheim, was there a UV filter on the lens?
...Terry

Yeah, there was. Would that contribute to or reduce the effect?

And before you ask the blue outline is called Chromatic Aberration, and should decrease at higher f-stops and more expensive lenses.

I had heard that this lens has a problem with that, but I thought that just looked like more of a focus problem and not so much a glowing weirdness. Interesting.

Tirediron also mentioned coatings... are coatings on lenses the kind of thing you could rub off when cleaning it? I have a second lens that I noticed has an almost reddish hue to the glass (Sigma 10-20)... would that rub off?

I know these are totally noobish questions, but I really appreciate you guys taking the time to explain... maybe I should have posted this in the beginners forum.

 

[JerryPH]

No, it really is chromatic abberation. Thats a function of lens quality, not the camera.

You could lower the exposure levels in camera, at the expense of proper exposure, but raise it back up in post processing.

The realy solution is indeed... to get a better lens.

 

[manaheim]

No, it really is chromatic abberation. Thats a function of lens quality, not the camera.

You could lower the exposure levels in camera, at the expense of proper exposure, but raise it back up in post processing.

The realy solution is indeed... to get a better lens.

You know, for years and years I've been like "I don't understand why everyone says this lens isn't that great... it seems just fine." I knew that one day I would start to have problems with it, but was amazed that it hadn't happened yet.

Ignorance, my dear friend... is bliss. :lmao:

Well, I had been eyeballing some better lenses and had them on my list to pickup this year anyway. Of course, now I have to go take the same picture with my Sigma 10-20 and really hope it's better. (I actually suspect it may be better, but not perfect... these ultra wide lenses tend to have a hard time)

Thanks, everyone.

 

[Mike_E]

Looks like you need to clean your lens. Have you had it out while anything was being fried? In a restaurant or your kitchen or even at a BBQ.

A very light hazing will do this.

 

[manaheim]

Looks like you need to clean your lens. Have you had it out while anything was being fried? In a restaurant or your kitchen or even at a BBQ.

A very light hazing will do this.

No, I don't think so. I have one of those Nikon lens cleaning pens that I used on it recently...?

 

[Garbz]

are coatings on lenses the kind of thing you could rub off when cleaning it? I have a second lens that I noticed has an almost reddish hue to the glass (Sigma 10-20)... would that rub off?

Definitely not. Coatings are thin films which help many lens problems flare being the foremost. They are baked onto the lens at high temperatures and an almost vacuum which explains the price of the various multicoated filters, and proper coated lenses.
They won't rub off and for the most part its near impossible to get them off. The lens manual should have in it a short list of chemicals that should not be used on the lens element for cleaning. Alcohol or any type of water is just fine.

The only other thing that eats coatings is fungus. You can easily spot an old lens that has had fungus damage on it and was properly cleaned afterwards by breathing on it which exposes the etchings in the lens coating.

 

[manaheim]

Definitely not. Coatings are thin films which help many lens problems flare being the foremost. They are baked onto the lens at high temperatures and an almost vacuum which explains the price of the various multicoated filters, and proper coated lenses.
They won't rub off and for the most part its near impossible to get them off. The lens manual should have in it a short list of chemicals that should not be used on the lens element for cleaning. Alcohol or any type of water is just fine.

The only other thing that eats coatings is fungus. You can easily spot an old lens that has had fungus damage on it and was properly cleaned afterwards by breathing on it which exposes the etchings in the lens coating.

Ah, ok. Thanks. hew: I really need to research these things more BEFORE I try them... eventually I'll make a very bad mistake that will be very expensive.

Thanks as always!

 

[Mike_E]

Try another lens and see if it does the same thing.

It still looks as though something has a film on it. Maybe from condensation at one time or another.