essphoto Posted June 3, 2013 Share #1 Â Posted June 3, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) When using my copy of the latest 50 Summicron (with built in hood) and no UV filter, above f/4, I get a "foggy" look in the center of the pictures. It's not foggy in that the focus is blurry, but the colors are diluted and the contrast is low. Does anyone know what might be causing this? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted June 3, 2013 Posted June 3, 2013 Hi essphoto, Take a look here 50 Summicron - foggy center?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Ecar Posted June 3, 2013 Share #2 Â Posted June 3, 2013 Flare? But that would be only on some pictures. Condensation? Displaced element? Can you post a picture of the lens itself? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
01af Posted June 3, 2013 Share #3 Â Posted June 3, 2013 ... above f/4, I get a "foggy" look in the center of the pictures. It's not foggy in that the focus is blurry, but the colors are diluted and the contrast is low. Uh oh. Does it look like this? Or this? At close range only or at longer focus distances as well? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinnfell Posted June 3, 2013 Share #4 Â Posted June 3, 2013 It sounds like flare, but without seeing a good sample it might as well be a sasquatch. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted June 3, 2013 Share #5 Â Posted June 3, 2013 Flare? But that would be only on some pictures.Condensation? Displaced element? Can you post a picture of the lens itself? Maybe just a nice meaty thumbprint Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecar Posted June 3, 2013 Share #6  Posted June 3, 2013 Maybe just a nice meaty thumbprint  You mean, like when you grab your lens from the front element after you've finished a savoury double cheeseburger with fries? Yup, I do this all the time, but even then it does not affect pictures - of course, doing the same to the back element is a different story altogether... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
essphoto Posted June 3, 2013 Author Share #7 Â Posted June 3, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) Uh oh. Does it look like this? Or this? At close range only or at longer focus distances as well? Â Yes! This is it. I can't read German so I don't know what people are saying about it. Can anyone who does help me out? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeswe Posted June 4, 2013 Share #8 Â Posted June 4, 2013 Unfortunately, the Summicron 50 is known to have problems with flare induced by bright light sources just outside the picture frame. This can even happen on overcast days. The built-in hood of the latest version Cron seems to be rather a part of the problem than a part of the solution. If you encounter flare related problems frequently with your shooting style, than the only remedy (short of selling the lens and buying one that is more flare resistant like Lux, Summarit or Planar) will be to work out a way of giving the lens some additional "shade". One DIY solution is shown in this post in a thread in the German language section of the forum. The first pic shows the typical flare when shooting a relatively dark object with the bright, overcast sky above, just outside the frame. The second pic shows the result with an improved DIY hood made out of a standard collapsible round rubber hood and a tulip shaped Canon hood that was simply stuck inside the rubber hood (last pictures). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
01af Posted June 4, 2013 Share #9  Posted June 4, 2013 I can't read German so I don't know what people are saying about it. Can anyone who does help me out? They are discussing the possible causes for this foggy spot at the frame's center but basically have no idea. Seems to be inherent to the lens' design, as other lenses don't show this particular flaw. A longer custom-made hood sometimes helps but not always.  My recommendation is—stay away from Summicron-M lenses in the 35 mm, 50 mm, and 75 mm focal lengths. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecar Posted June 4, 2013 Share #10  Posted June 4, 2013 My recommendation is—stay away from Summicron-M lenses in the 35 mm, 50 mm, and 75 mm focal lengths.  A bit drastic perhaps? There are lots of happy Summicron users out there... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
essphoto Posted June 4, 2013 Author Share #11 Â Posted June 4, 2013 A bit drastic perhaps? There are lots of happy Summicron users out there... Â I agree. I love the cron at 2.8 and below. I guess I just need to watch out for flare... I wonder if there's anything that can be done in post to fix it automatically? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
essphoto Posted June 4, 2013 Author Share #12 Â Posted June 4, 2013 Unfortunately, the Summicron 50 is known to have problems with flare induced by bright light sources just outside the picture frame. This can even happen on overcast days. The built-in hood of the latest version Cron seems to be rather a part of the problem than a part of the solution. If you encounter flare related problems frequently with your shooting style, than the only remedy (short of selling the lens and buying one that is more flare resistant like Lux, Summarit or Planar) will be to work out a way of giving the lens some additional "shade". One DIY solution is shown in this post in a thread in the German language section of the forum. The first pic shows the typical flare when shooting a relatively dark object with the bright, overcast sky above, just outside the frame. The second pic shows the result with an improved DIY hood made out of a standard collapsible round rubber hood and a tulip shaped Canon hood that was simply stuck inside the rubber hood (last pictures). Â Does it say how the hood was constructed, exactly? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeswe Posted June 4, 2013 Share #13 Â Posted June 4, 2013 Does it say how the hood was constructed, exactly? Â Just follow the link I provided, the pictures will tell the whole story. There is really not much to it in terms of "construction". Obviously, you will have to turn one of the "petals" of the tulip in the direction of the light you want to cut off. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick_S Posted June 7, 2013 Share #14  Posted June 7, 2013 My recommendation is—stay away from Summicron-M lenses in the 35 mm, 50 mm, and 75 mm focal lengths.  Why? While I have had annoying flare issues on occasion with the 50mm Summicron, I never encountered any problems with the current 35mm Summicron -- I have found it to be a wonderful lens and very compact, though I understand that some users prefer the classical rendering of the previous non-ASPH version.  Nick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecar Posted June 7, 2013 Share #15 Â Posted June 7, 2013 I agree. I love the cron at 2.8 and below. I guess I just need to watch out for flare... I wonder if there's anything that can be done in post to fix it automatically? Nope, nothing magic or automatic when it comes to flare, I'm afraid. If it's not too bad and very localized, you may get some improvement through local adjustments (if you use LR, try using the brush to reduce exposure, increase clarity, add contrast, etc... and tweak as needed). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dorman Posted June 15, 2013 Share #16 Â Posted June 15, 2013 I had exactly the same problem. In my case I believe it was caused by the metalwork at the exit end of the lens being anodised with a semi-gloss finish rather than matt black. (Possibly a faulty batch, I'm not sure). I returned the lens to Leica UK (alas no longer in existence) and they painted the offending surface matt black which fixed it. You can see the problem with the lens off the camera by holding it towards a light bulb and slowly turning away. At some point you will see a significant reflection from the metalwork. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
algrove Posted June 17, 2013 Share #17  Posted June 17, 2013 My recommendation is—stay away from Summicron-M lenses in the 35 mm, 50 mm, and 75 mm focal lengths.  Sounds rather drastic to me. I own all three and have not experienced flare in any of them to date. But then again I seldom place the sun next to or in my images except for the occasional sunrise/sunset. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
essphoto Posted June 23, 2013 Author Share #18 Â Posted June 23, 2013 I had exactly the same problem. In my case I believe it was caused by the metalwork at the exit end of the lens being anodised with a semi-gloss finish rather than matt black. (Possibly a faulty batch, I'm not sure). I returned the lens to Leica UK (alas no longer in existence) and they painted the offending surface matt black which fixed it.You can see the problem with the lens off the camera by holding it towards a light bulb and slowly turning away. At some point you will see a significant reflection from the metalwork. Â Â Interesting cause of the probleme, dorman. Can you describe in more detail what you mean by "the exit end of the lens being anodised with a semi-gloss finish"? Do you mean the mount-end or the front end? And where was the offending finish? Â Can others who may have experienced this problem also weigh in? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dorman Posted June 24, 2013 Share #19 Â Posted June 24, 2013 Essphoto, Just seen your post. Short of time now but I'll reply in detail tomorrow. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dorman Posted June 24, 2013 Share #20  Posted June 24, 2013 I no longer have the 50mm Summicron, but I have a picture of a Konica Hexanon M 90mm which illustrates the ridged area in question.  It was in comparing this 90mm to the 50mm which first alerted me to the possible cause of the "foggy centre" effect.  The 90mm is finished with very matt surface, whereas the equivalent area on the 50mm had the same black finish as the outside of the body, not really matt black at all.  I looked through the lens off camera from the mount end at a light bulb. As I turned the lens away from the light there was a certain angle which caused quite a reflection from the ridged area. It only occurred over a small angle, which explained why sometimes the effect was there and sometimes not. Hope that helps. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/206010-50-summicron-foggy-center/?do=findComment&comment=2357523'>More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.