lens flare problem for A40

[tapiocaflash]

hi,

Just check with you guys especially A40 users, how can I avoid having such white spots in my indoor shots with flash? I've check with Canon they say these white spots are dust particles reflected off by flash. sigh, really a heartache to see them.

I would like to know if any others have a similar problem? And how could I solve this?

http://www.pbase.com/image/7533282/original

 

[roygoh]

Some of the bright circles may be caused by shooting directly at bight light sources. Lens coating can reduce internal reflections between lens elements, but it not possible to eliminate entirely.

In your photo there are actually quite a number of lights from the stage. These will definitely cause flare.

 

[Midnight]

IMHO, the best way to suppress lens flare is the most tried and tested one: a lens hood. It's not foolproof, but it'll go a long way. The next time you encounter flare when taking photos in the field, you might want to try re-taking the photo using a rolled up piece of paper (or something else along those lines) to act as a very rudimentary lens hood, and see if that helps. If it does, then you should seriously consider a proper lens hood for use in such lighting conditions, though this may admittedly be a bit cumbersome if you prefer to keep your equipment compact.

 

[shutterbug]

Hi tapiocaflash

I see big and small and tiny white spots randomly all over your pic. Natural lens flare will not cause random spots effect. It could be your lens is dirty. Did Canon tell you to clean your lens?

"white spots are dust particles reflected off by flash?"
I am not sure if you mean Canon says your camera flash captured those dust particles in the air?

I think Canon could probably be saying, your lens is dirty, clean it, those white spots are casued by the strong spot light hitting tiny dirts on your lens and reflected off, causing the problem.

I think experts here can tesitify to that. Anyone? IMHO

 

[tapiocaflash]

hi thanks for the replies.

the followings are the exact reply that I got from Canon personnel:

"The culprit of the white spots is NOTHING to do with the camera, lens or CCD. It has to do with something more common and trivial......... DUST. Rain, pollen, raindrops, smoke, or any small particles might cause this. The dust reflects the flash light back to the camera and appears as dots or
rings...."

Some of my personal observations:
1. the white spots are more likely to surface when I used flash or there's strong background lightings. But sometimes they also come out when there's no background lighting (but flash will have to fire in such condition).

2. The white spots are random and do not just restricted to a particular spot.

3. The white spots do not come out all the time; so I guess I can rule out the dirty lens as the cause?


I've talked to people at Alan Photo. He said this got to do with the internal lens. He suspect it's caused by water condensation in the internal lens or even 'fungus' inside. (I have doubt for that). and he recommend me to send the camera to Canon for servicing.

One last question (pardon me I am really a newbie)...how do I clean my lens? any specific solutions/wipers or To-do and Not-to-do? kindly advice.