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Re: [OM] wide lens

Subject: Re: [OM] wide lens
From: Moose <olymoose@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 30 Jan 2003 17:21:48 -0800
Wayne Culberson wrote:

Conditions in the mountains there are very different from what I face here in 
eastern Canada. Here I live maybe about 100 to 200 feet above sea level,
and the sun is seldom directly overhead, except maybe in the middle of the day 
in the summer. There it seems like the sun is always directly overhead.
UV and flare have been a real problem for me in Bolivia in the past. The worst 
part is, I didn't know what was causing the problem, and so was
blaming things like airport x-rays and the heat. But I think now one of the 
serious problems was UV, even though I have always used a UV or skylight
filter.

There is a difference for your purposes between a UV and the Skylight/1A filter, which is called a 'skylight' filter for the very reason that it goes slightly into the visible blue region and tones down some of the bright blue/almost UV from the sky. Because it goes a little ways into the highest blue visible light, it can be more effective in the UV as well. I've used skylight filters at 10,000+ feet in the Sierra Nevadas in high summer with good results. Depending on the particular problem, polarizers can work wonders.

<snip>
Also in the past, I've never used a hood, and always used a zoom on the OM's, which resulted in a lot of flare. Ignorance again.
There are 2 reasons why zooms can be a problem. They do have more internal surfaces to create flare, but that's not a big problem for any shots except those with the sun directly in them or just barely outside the frame. The bigger problem is that the shades on all but a couple of models are only even partially effective at the widest setting. An 80-200 zoom with a hood at 135mm is just like a 135mm prime without a hood, unprotected. The Zuiko 35-70/3.6 and one Tamron (70-210/??) have hood and front element movement coordinated so the hood works at all focal lengths. The 35-70/3.6 hood also reverses to fit in the case and for less bulky carrying. I've used this lens quite a bit in Mexico and Costa Rica.

That is one reason I want to take all primes this time.

No matter what lenses you use, the biggest flare buster is in your head. Paying attention is crucial. Being aware of the relation of the sun to your lens and angle of view, whether sun or strong reflections are falling on the front element, whether a lot of white-bright sky and/or reflective water is in the frame, etc. put you in the position to take corrective action. Round hoods like Oly uses aren't necessarily complete protection either. Light coming in from outside the frame, but inside the hood, can still bounce around and lower contrast. Think about other shade. Someone mentioned a hat. Sure, but how about the shade of a tree trunk. How about asking a person to pause 'just there' for a moment. I have a little gadget that fits in the flash shoe and has a light gooseneck with a clip on the end that can be used to hold matte black plastic shapes (or anything else at hand) wherever one wants. Once shade is seen as a part of one's photographic tools, something to be used, the battle is more than half over.

Moose



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