Tom V
September 30th, 2002, 07:20 PM
I was lucky enough to be given a VIP ticket to the Formula One race at Indianapolis on Sept. 29. The VIP ticket got me into a VIP suite, with a bar, catering, shower, drinks, shaded seating, etc. Being right down next to the track has its advantages, but photographically, it sucked. It is impossible to autofocus through 2 fences and impossible to frame anything without a fencepole in it.
I went down to the infield and found a vantage point without fences, on a hillside that gave me and the other 50 photographers (that found the spot) room to move around.
My Tokina 400mm ƒ5.6 APO was the lens of choice. My Sigma 80-210 ƒ2.8 just did not fill the frame enough, even on the S2.
Between laps I would sometimes look at the LCD, which was hard with the sun shining. The images seemed sharp enough, but zooming in on the LCD image did not impress me with the sharpness. I thought the lens might be dusty, and I kept checking my lenshood.
The Ferraris naturally won. The race was almost boring sorry to say.
Back home, on my 22" monitor, ALL the shots from my 400mm had diffused highlights. UGH! I got the lens out and held examined its glass. Looking through the lens at a desk light, I could see a thin filmy dusty spotted coating that scattered light on inside lens surface(s). It looks pretty uniform, like fine dust - or could it be fungus or is it dust?
The lens would be good for shooting portraits of ugly people for 2 reasons. It naturally diffuses. You can put some serious distance between you and the subject.:p
Should I soak my lens in Windex? (Windex is a popular brand name of an ammonia-based window and glass cleaner in the US):p
I don't know how dust could have gotten in, the lens is usually in a case or in the camera cabinet. I don't know how a fungus could have gotten in or grown, my lenses are fairly dry.
Anyone ever get problem dust or fungus in a lens? Is there an easy way to fix it? I imagine that for the cost to have it serviced, I could buy a new lens.
The piece of art attached shows the fine spots (dust) and arrows point to larger spots that have a clear area surrounding them (fungus?)
I went down to the infield and found a vantage point without fences, on a hillside that gave me and the other 50 photographers (that found the spot) room to move around.
My Tokina 400mm ƒ5.6 APO was the lens of choice. My Sigma 80-210 ƒ2.8 just did not fill the frame enough, even on the S2.
Between laps I would sometimes look at the LCD, which was hard with the sun shining. The images seemed sharp enough, but zooming in on the LCD image did not impress me with the sharpness. I thought the lens might be dusty, and I kept checking my lenshood.
The Ferraris naturally won. The race was almost boring sorry to say.
Back home, on my 22" monitor, ALL the shots from my 400mm had diffused highlights. UGH! I got the lens out and held examined its glass. Looking through the lens at a desk light, I could see a thin filmy dusty spotted coating that scattered light on inside lens surface(s). It looks pretty uniform, like fine dust - or could it be fungus or is it dust?
The lens would be good for shooting portraits of ugly people for 2 reasons. It naturally diffuses. You can put some serious distance between you and the subject.:p
Should I soak my lens in Windex? (Windex is a popular brand name of an ammonia-based window and glass cleaner in the US):p
I don't know how dust could have gotten in, the lens is usually in a case or in the camera cabinet. I don't know how a fungus could have gotten in or grown, my lenses are fairly dry.
Anyone ever get problem dust or fungus in a lens? Is there an easy way to fix it? I imagine that for the cost to have it serviced, I could buy a new lens.
The piece of art attached shows the fine spots (dust) and arrows point to larger spots that have a clear area surrounding them (fungus?)