Sensor Photosites Showing Up--Can It Be Avoided or Overcome? (Page 2): P.S. I added another cropped version of this sunburst in my response to 'wdross' which shows the pattern more...

dmeyer Loc: Marion, NC

[quote=MT Shooter]

P.S. I added another cropped version of this sunburst in my response to 'wdross' which shows the pattern more noticeably.

dmeyer Loc: Marion, NC

jerryc41 wrote:

I don't think it's a sensor problem. Shooting directly at the sun can produce strange results - not too good for the eyes, either. Experiment and see if you can find a way to avoid those barely noticeable spots.

The spots were actually fairly noticeable until I worked with several adjustments to minimize the effect (see the second cropped version that I just added). I was hoping some of the folks here might know a specific 'fix' to avoid this happening, but it's looking like more of a lens issue based on previous shots I did at Monument Valley and Bryce using another lens where only the typical solar flare spots from dust particles showed up. But I do still plan to do some experimenting as you mention.

dmeyer Loc: Marion, NC

bcrawf wrote:

Considering the image's prominent splitting of the sunlight into a pattern of beams (which we should probably regard as a photographic artifact), the peppering of red spots within the flare pattern might as well be regarded as normal (which does not imply the same would be seen in a slightly different take). The little special group of spots at the 8-o'clock position could be removed to advantage.

I tried to remove the solar spots with Lightroom but didn't like the results so much. I find it hard to doctor spots in gradient situations like sky, water, sun rays. Have you had success removing spots in sun rays using Lightroom?

dmeyer Loc: Marion, NC

DanCulleton wrote:

I am not a fan of noise reduction, but a gentle application of chromatic noise reduction might soften those red spots.

I have Lightroom set to remove chromatic aberration on import. Is there an additional step to control CA? The only other step I knew to take was to reduce the red saturation and raise the red luminance.

dmeyer Loc: Marion, NC

Gene51 wrote:

Stunning shot!

Lens flare is a pain to deal with, and this is what it looks like to me.

There are many ways to fix this in post. This is a write up I did a few years ago that might help:

http://pixeldiarist.blogspot.com/2012/03/dreaded-lens-flare-no-biggie.html

Gene, you always come through! Thanks a bunch for the link. Let's see if I can up my game with this.

wattsimages

dmeyer wrote:

I was so disappointed when I got to the images of ... (show quote)

I am not sure that F22 is recommended. next time try different stops. Every lens acts differently to tight f-stops. One thing is clear, f22 will have a ton of diffraction, it will show the dust on the sensor, and make strange reflections appear in the lens.

DanCulleton

Looking at the crop, I don't see a problem, looks like the color of the foliage showing through.

bcrawf

dmeyer wrote:

I went back and cropped the sunburst to enlarge so that the red dots would be more apparent. You'll be better able to see the pattern (sensor) as opposed to randomness (dust). Hope it helps to clarify what I'm seeing. It may be that I'll have to use a different lens for sun shots to reduce the effects of this phenomenon.

I did some quick partial work on the red spots (and the 8 o'clock flare), just to show possibilities. Here it is.

whitewolfowner

dmeyer wrote:

I was so disappointed when I got to the images of ... (show quote)

There s nothing wrong here at all. What you have captured is an alien beam, beaming down illegal aliens. LOL

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

dmeyer wrote:

I was so disappointed when I got to the images of ... (show quote)

The "spots" are chromatic aberration.

Did you have a filter on the lens? If so, try again without a filter. (Filters should generally be avoided, when shooting directly into the sun or any other, similarly bright light source.)

If there was no filter.... well then it's intrinsic to the lens and there's probably nothing that can be done about it, other than be sure it (and the camera's sensor) are as clean as possible.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

dmeyer wrote:

I tried to remove the solar spots with Lightroom but didn't like the results so much. I find it hard to doctor spots in gradient situations like sky, water, sun rays. Have you had success removing spots in sun rays using Lightroom?

Lightroom is way too crude for most image editing and retouching. Photoshop or Elements are a lot better.

f22 is probably necessary to get such a well-defined sun star (varies by lens, number of aperture blades, etc.)

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

amfoto1 wrote:

The "spots" are chromatic aberration.

Did you have a filter on the lens? If so, try again without a filter. (Filters should generally be avoided, when shooting directly into the sun or any other, similarly bright light source.)

If there was no filter.... well then it's intrinsic to the lens and there's probably nothing that can be done about it, other than be sure it (and the camera's sensor) are as clean as possible.

No it isn't CA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromatic_aberration
http://digital-photography-school.com/chromatic-aberration-what-is-it-and-how-to-avoid-it/
http://hugin.sourceforge.net/docs/manual/Chromatic_aberration.html

It's simple flare. CA shows up as fringing on high contrast edges.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

dmeyer wrote:

Gene, you always come through! Thanks a bunch for the link. Let's see if I can up my game with this.

You are most welcome.

dmeyer Loc: Marion, NC

wattsimages wrote:

I am not sure that F22 is recommended. next time try different stops. Every lens acts differently to tight f-stops. One thing is clear, f22 will have a ton of diffraction, it will show the dust on the sensor, and make strange reflections appear in the lens.

Uh-oh, that sounds like a Catch-22 (excuse the pun). F/22 does best for sharp rays but weakens the overall sharpness. Looks like I have another test to do to see how much I can open the apeture and still get sharp rays.

dmeyer Loc: Marion, NC

DanCulleton wrote:

Looking at the crop, I don't see a problem, looks like the color of the foliage showing through.

Pretty sure it isn't foliage. Did you view the download? Too much pattern to be part of nature.