Help... Why do I have this haze in my shots?

[Deano]

Recently I took about 230 shots over a long weekend at a wedding in NZ. I have noticed that some but not all of them have a haze near the centre of the images.

Two examples are attached. These where both taken with the 24-120 VR lens.



1/250s f/11.0 at 24.0mm iso200



1/80s f/20.0 at 24.0mm iso200

The haze seems to be near Trish (the lady in black) - perhaps it's her aura

You can see from the shadows that the sun is behind me and so I don't think it is lens flare.

My initial thought when looking at the second image was the small apature but the first image at f/11 also has the haze. I do have a (cheap) UV filter on the lens - could this be the problem? If so would an expensive UV filter solve the problem?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I have noticed the big dust spot so I am keen for a CCD cleaning party here in Melbourne.

Cheers
Dean

[birddog114]

Deano
If I were you I take off the UV filter, I normally don't shoot with UV filter on, I have all Hoya Super Pro 1 HMC thin 3mm, it costs $70.00-$80.00 for an UV 72mm, but I still not trust it all the time as I mentioned on early threads of this forum. I only use the UV filter as a protector of the lens in handling & transit mainly.
I blame the filter for this case.

[Deano]

 PS. These are not examples of the better shots from the weekend. I realise that I need some fill-flash in these to remove the shadows. I'm working on the good shots and will post some soon for critique.

Cheers
Dean

[lukeo]

Hello mate,

I think you need some eclipse cleaning fluid and swabs. Your camera's sensor looks like it needs a clean. In the sky in both those pics I can see several "dust bunnies" which are clinging to the sensor, and my guess is either the haze is along similair lines ie some sort of tiny drop of goo is on your sensor, it is still see thru but creates the haze as it is not completely transparent.


I could also be completely off track, still i'd get the proper cleaning fluid or take it in for a service.

[JordanP]

Quick questions....

Were the shots without the haze taken:

with the same lens?
with the sun in the same postion?
before or after a change of lenses?
with a lower aperture setting?

Have you checked for any marks on the front or back element of the 24-120VR?

Have you checked the filter for any marks?

Have you tested since the wedding to see if you still have the problem?

Well maybe a couple more than a few questions?

Cheers,

[Onyx]

* Check for fingerprint/mark on the front lens element or filter.
* The filter itself (not likely, judging by angle of light and selective nature of the optical imperfection).

[Greg B]

Dean, a suggestion on posing.....

Everybody, but women in dresses/skirts in particular, looks more natural and comfortable with one foot forward of the other foot.

[Deano]

Well... don't I feel like a fool. I checked the rear element and guess what? I had shmutz on the glass. You may now refer to me as The Putz with the Shmutz.

I'm really annoyed with myself for being so careless.

Anyhow... on the brighter side I have posted the (not so bad) pics from a fantastic weekend on Great Barrier Island.

http://www.pbase.com/deanroberts/gbi_2005

My wife and I were there for a wedding and the weather was very kind to us allowing me to get a number of acceptable shots of the beautiful scenery.

The shots with us all rugged up are taken in a bar in Auckland called -5 Degrees and known as the Ice Bar. It's in a freezer (at minus 5) and the bar, seats and even the glasses are made of ice. A couple of vodkas will keep you all warm on the inside though.

I got caught by the narrow depth of field of the 50 1.8 at f/1.8 as you can see. I do love the sharpness of this lens though.

Cheers
Dean

[sirhc55]

A nice collection of pics Deano - keepers as memories of a great time.

Question tho’ - do they supply the jackets at the Ice Bar?

Chris

[Deano]

Thanks Chris,

The jackets, ug boots, gloves and mittens are all supplied within the cover charge of $25 NZ, as is the first drink. You only get 25 minutes inside and have to pay cash for your subsequent drinks as the electronics required for EFT/CC don't work in the sub-zero temps.

Cheers
Dean