What happened in this photo?
#1
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What happened in this photo?
I took this photo last night with a Canon Rebel T3i:
For the life of me, I can't figure why the Citgo sign is reflecting like it is. It was outdoors on a clear night. Both my lenses (18-55mm and 55-250mm) gave me that reflection; I didn't see it through my camera's viewfinder but I did see it when I was using the LCD screen to see what the lens was seeing. A reflection off the river? A problem with both my lenses? Any other ideas?
For the life of me, I can't figure why the Citgo sign is reflecting like it is. It was outdoors on a clear night. Both my lenses (18-55mm and 55-250mm) gave me that reflection; I didn't see it through my camera's viewfinder but I did see it when I was using the LCD screen to see what the lens was seeing. A reflection off the river? A problem with both my lenses? Any other ideas?
#2
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Lens Flare. Pricier L lenses have sophisticated coatings to minimize this, but it'll still be there. Especially with a bright item in a dark environment. Unfortunately, there's not really a solution.
#4
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It looks too much like a reflection for me to think flare, though.
#6
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I don't think it's flare either, it's too much of a reflection and I agree with Loren. I had something similar happen a while back, and traced it to a reflection in a UV filter mounted to the front of the lens. Did you shoot this through a UV or similar protective filter that was threaded onto the front of the lens?
#7
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I don't think it's flare either, it's too much of a reflection and I agree with Loren. I had something similar happen a while back, and traced it to a reflection in a UV filter mounted to the front of the lens. Did you shoot this through a UV or similar protective filter that was threaded onto the front of the lens?
To me ist also Looks like a reflection from a Filter on the Front of the lens.
#8
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Lens flare is the light scattered in lens systems through generally unwanted image formation mechanisms, such as internal reflection and scattering from material inhomogeneities in the lens.
What others are referring to as "reflection" is still lens flare, at least as I know it. It's a reflection between internal elements of the lens. From my experience, a reflection caused by a lens filter is in the same form as the light that caused it, as a filter is a flat plane. The compound curves inside the lens are what cause flare artifacts to be inverted, as is seen here.
A lens hood only helps peripheral/diffractive lens flare, as when a bright light is at or just outside the edge of the frame and diffracts into the image, generally causing a haziness and loss of sharpness.
I don't see what shutter speed or ISO would do in this case, and I've never seen a "s" mode on a Canon mode dial
In any case, there's not a whole lot you can do in this situation, other than a more expensive lens with better coatings, or changing the angle/framing of the shot to change the light angles.
What others are referring to as "reflection" is still lens flare, at least as I know it. It's a reflection between internal elements of the lens. From my experience, a reflection caused by a lens filter is in the same form as the light that caused it, as a filter is a flat plane. The compound curves inside the lens are what cause flare artifacts to be inverted, as is seen here.
A lens hood only helps peripheral/diffractive lens flare, as when a bright light is at or just outside the edge of the frame and diffracts into the image, generally causing a haziness and loss of sharpness.
I don't see what shutter speed or ISO would do in this case, and I've never seen a "s" mode on a Canon mode dial
In any case, there's not a whole lot you can do in this situation, other than a more expensive lens with better coatings, or changing the angle/framing of the shot to change the light angles.
#9
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Thanks for the feedback! Yes, I do have a UV filter on the lens--I did not think to take it off. The shutter speed was intentionally set long (5 seconds) as I was trying to get a night shot; I don't think that's what it was anyway as like I said, I saw it on the LCD screen while setting up my shot.
#10
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If you see it with both lenses, and you are sure you don't see it through the viewfinder but only in the LCD or resulting photos, then it's not the lens or the filter you put over your lens.
Instead, it can be reflection from the anti-aliasing filter on the sensor, or - much less likely - something off the internal of the camera while the mirror is flipped up. Normally, this won't be seen, but you have such a high contrast scene that can become visible. Nothing you can do about it as it's due to the design if this camera/sensor combo.
Instead, it can be reflection from the anti-aliasing filter on the sensor, or - much less likely - something off the internal of the camera while the mirror is flipped up. Normally, this won't be seen, but you have such a high contrast scene that can become visible. Nothing you can do about it as it's due to the design if this camera/sensor combo.
#13
Join Date: Jul 2011
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It's an internal reflection in your camera. Here's the clues: The principle image of the sign is way overexposed, so you can't even see the Citgo on it. And, the reflection is inverted.
These observations tell us it is an internal reflection. Your idea of a reflection off the river is a good one, except for the fact that the water looks way too choppy.
In spite of what others say, I can guarantee you it is not a flare issue. Flare tends to make halos around bright objects or blur non-point bright objects. It does not mirror.
So what do you do? Enjoy. It's a nice pic.
These observations tell us it is an internal reflection. Your idea of a reflection off the river is a good one, except for the fact that the water looks way too choppy.
In spite of what others say, I can guarantee you it is not a flare issue. Flare tends to make halos around bright objects or blur non-point bright objects. It does not mirror.
So what do you do? Enjoy. It's a nice pic.