I just read a rather interesting article on flare (it is very short), available here:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/flare.htm

The pic was taken with a 35 summilux ASPH... and that flare looks amazing. This will be my next Leica purchase and i was just wondering if anybody else has any examples of "good flare" with this lens. I was under the impression that it was one of the most flare resistant lenses around, but if it does something like that example i won't mind much.

-- Matthew Geddert (geddert@yahoo.com), December 01, 2001

Answers

Sorry, i wanted to make that into a link. Here is is:

http://www.luminous- landscape.com/flare.htm

-- Matthew Geddert (geddert@yahoo.com), December 01, 2001.

I have examples of flare in my 35/1.4 NON-ASPH, very similar to this, but general contrast is lower, but halos are very alike, I personaly canīt find use if this unless I use a SLR, other wise I prefer no sorprices even they be the "good flare".

I have my reseves to belive this is an example of a 1.4 asph.

-- r watson (al1231234@hotmail.com), December 01, 2001.

Without being able to see the flare TTL, its just plain luck if you ever get any kind of an affect to your liking. Even TTL on a SLR, I find often the focusing screens flare under a strong light source, making it hard to tell the lens flare from screen flare.

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), December 01, 2001.

A protective filter on the front of a lens will at times create this type of flare. However I have never seen such a perfect example of it... Looks like an angel entered the photograph! Nice shot Michael!

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), December 01, 2001.

Matthew

This type of flare must have occurred because the very very powerful flash used by the pro photographer went off exactly during your exposure, and your lens was pointed in a particular direction to catch the reflected flash light.

You should realize that there is no such thing as a flare-free lens. You can always conjure up some scenario in which flare will be visible. In fact, the wider the angle of view and the larger the aperature, the greater tendency to flare. The 35/1.4-ASPH has much better flare control than the pre-asph version of this lens, which was very flare prone at wide apertures.

It is just not possible to make a nine-element lens with a 64 degree angle of view and f/1.4 maximum aperture that is flare free. My guess is that other manufacturers 35/1.4 lenses would have shown even more flare. My experience with Leica lenses of the current and previous generation is that their tendency to flare is significantly lower than comparable lenses from other manufacturers.

-- Eliot (erosen@lij.edu), December 02, 2001.