Suppressing flare on taking lens

[ergopossum]

When I shoot with my anamorphic adapter lens, I like the flares from the anamorphic, but I'm getting a dual flare that looks a little strange as a result of the prime lens also flaring. I am looking to put a filter between the lenses (in front of the prime, taking lens) in order to suppress the flare of the taking lens as much as possible, but I'm not sure what to get in order to accomplish that.

 

Would something like this do the trick? Or is there a different kind of filter that would be more suited to suppressing lens flare as much as possible?

 

[attachment=565:double_flare.jpg]

[Gábor Ember]

In my experience putting filters between the lenses does the opposite. You add more glass, so you possibly even add flares instead of removing them. The best case would be that the filter does not add flares, but I don't see how it could eleminate it.

 

Usually stopping down the taking lens works.

[ergopossum]

Interesting. I don't really have a very thorough understanding of the principles behind lens optics, filters, etc. I just thought that since multicoating blocks flares on a lens normally, there might be a filter that would produce the same effect. But perhaps when the filter is sandwiched between two lenses, these abilities are diminished.

[Gábor Ember]

I have tried different filters on my lenses without the anamorphic attached and the filters usually add flares or ghosting or haze if the filter is cheap. If the filter is good, then it did not add any light errors, but the original flares remained.

 

On all of my lenses if I stop down just a bit, the flares are reduced dramatically. On the anamorphic setup when I stop down the taking lens the falres became smaller but they have harder edges.

[Tito Ferradans]

My personal opinion is that this green flare is not created by the nikkor. It's a stretched flare, and sphericals mostly produce round ones, like these.

 

http://i2.wp.com/ferradans.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/mg_1331.jpg

 

Of course, I might be wrong too. hahahaha :)

Have you tested a similar camera setup with a different taking lens?

[ergopossum]

Thanks for the info, guys. tferradans, the Nikkor lens flares on their own are naturally green, and appear to simply be stretched by the anamorphic so they resemble an anamorphic flare. It's not as obvious in this still, but when I move the camera around it becomes quite clear that the green portion is coming from the nikkor as it looks just like its normal lens flares stretched anamorphically.

 

I have tried other lenses a little and the green was gone, in that case the results looked pretty nice but it was with a very cheap fotasy lens that is basically a toy, haha. I haven't experimented thoroughly, however. I would have access to some older Zeiss prime lenses instead of the Nikkors on this project if I want them, so perhaps I should see how the flares compare. The green really bothers me, but it's also the fact that I'm getting two major streaks on the image instead of just one.

[Tito Ferradans]

Hmm, interesting. Sad to know it wasn't a solution. What anamorphic are you using?

 

Anyway, you can always turn green into a different color using Hue/Saturation controls, if that's the only green thing in the shot! :P

[ergopossum]

Bolex Moller 16/32/1.5x.

 

If I'm getting anything too ugly, I'll definitely experiment with stopping down. Should be okay, I imagine most big flares would be in wide shots where a fuller focus is fine.

[QuickHitRecord]

...the Nikkor lens flares on their own are naturally green, and appear to simply be stretched by the anamorphic so they resemble an anamorphic flare. It's not as obvious in this still, but when I move the camera around it becomes quite clear that the green portion is coming from the nikkor as it looks just like its normal lens flares stretched anamorphically.

 

This is an interesting idea and I have a feeling that you may be right on the money. Unless there is a strong blue coating on my anamorphic lenses, I have found that they tend to flare green when used with my old Nikkors as well. I don't dislike the look, but your theory would explain where it is coming from.

[ergopossum]

*Bump* / slightly embarrassing update that may be of interest to some: the lenses on the first few shoots I used the anamorphic for were with some rented lenses, and I realized that the UV filters on these lenses were causing the bulk of the reflection. I thought I had taken the UV filters off, but I shot a subsequent project with the same prime lens set, removing the UV filter when I had flares, and 80-90% of this double-flaring issue was gone. (There is still a very slight double flare resulting from the taking lens, but it's nothing like my sample image above.)

 

[richg101]

both flares are created by the anamorphot.  the green flare is a secondary flare from further inside the anamorphot.  nothing to do with the taking lens. 

[ergopossum]

As far as I understand, that cannot be true...removing the UV filter that had been accidentally sandwiched between the lenses did almost completely eliminate the green portion of the flare, and I don't get a similar double flare on other lenses.