Which lens

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Not sure what you're experience is but all you would get from pointing lens at the sun (any lens) is a very bright image with no detail at all in the shadows.

 

It is not true that all pictures containing bright light sources will look like that. Anyway, pictures taken with the light on your back are not always the most exciting ones, but that is largely a matter of taste.

 

Besides, I have ruined a great many pictures using the Summicron where the sun was somewhere within my own field of view but nowhere near the field of view of my lens.

 

However, I have even managed to do that with my lovely 75mm Summarit-M. So I agree that you can get any lens to flare, even if not all have flair.

[Antonio Russell]

I was talking about shooting into the sun, I have no problem with backlit images.

 

Summicron handles bright backgrounds admirably. See this image from Sergio Larrain taken with an old 1950s summicron:

 

[Antonio Russell]

I'll have to tell that to my 28 Summicron ASPH. It must have forgotten...

 

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You have illustrated my point exactly. You will get flare with any lens in this situation.

[Antonio Russell]

You'll note from Mark's gorgeous picture that some lenses suppress flare even when pointed directly into sunlight, the 28/2 Summicron asph being one and the 50/1.0 Noctilux being another.

Pete.

 

Well, Mark's image is full of veiling glare AKA lens flare... perhaps you need your eyes tested

 

p.s. If you really want to surpress it I have seen some great results using medium format cameras.

[MarkP]

Oh lighten up.

 

But I was responding to your specific statement with which I completely disagree:

Any lens pointing towards bright light is always going to produce awful looking pictures. Learning how to light your scene is pretty basic stuff.

 

Well mine was pointing toward bright light and don't think I produced an awful looking picture. Anyhow, as you can see the distant ground was wet and there was a lot of moisture and haze in the atmosphere. I was there and it was a lot of glare so I think the lens and sensor did a fantastic job.

 

I don't see any reference to flare in your comment and flare/glare/haze whatever does not necessarily detract from a photograph.

You don't have to like it and if not I am not offended - each to their own.

 

It was you who wrote in absolutes and I think there are shades of grey:

Personally I enjoy the challenge of shooting into the light. Makes for interesting photos.

One can avoid pointing one's lens wherever one chooses but it may extensively limit one's photographic repertoire!

[Antonio Russell]

Oh lighten up.

 

But I was responding to your specific statement with which I completely disagree:

Any lens pointing towards bright light is always going to produce awful looking pictures. Learning how to light your scene is pretty basic stuff.

 

Well mine was pointing toward bright light and don't think I produced an awful looking picture. Anyhow, as you can see the distant ground was wet and there was a lot of moisture and haze in the atmosphere. I was there and it was a lot of glare so I think the lens and sensor did a fantastic job.

 

I don't see any reference to flare in your comment and flare/glare/haze whatever does not necessarily detract from a photograph.

You don't have to like it and if not I am not offended - each to their own.

 

It was you who wrote in absolutes and I think there are shades of grey:

Personally I enjoy the challenge of shooting into the light. Makes for interesting photos.

One can avoid pointing one's lens wherever one chooses but it may extensively limit one's photographic repertoire!

 

Lighten up yourself mate

 

If you go back and read my point in context you will see that the discussion moved onto flare when Farnz made the point that Unless shooting towards bright light when flare can be a problem as a criticism of the 50 summicron recommendation

 

To which I responded: Any lens pointing towards bright light is always going to produce awful looking pictures. Learning how to light your scene is pretty basic stuff i.e. if you must point your lens at the sun then flare is what you will get (as well as exposure issues as I mentioned to pop), which your image illustrates very clearly. If you want to avoid flare then learn how to compose using the light to avoid it.

 

Edit: having said that, I think its not so much shooting into bright light that is the problem. Its more a case of the suns rays hitting the front lens element that causes most of the problems.