[Leica] Re: 50/2 R and Flare

[drodgers@nextlink.net]

Jim
You wrote:
>>If you allow the sun to shine directly on the front surface of any lens,
you will get some level of detectable flare.<<

True enough. I guess what surprised me was that I didn't get just a little
flare. The slides were completely washed out. In one case -- a photograph of
cross country runners backlit by the sun -- the sun was filtering through some
trees, and was just outside (above) the viewfinder image. That slide appeared to
be severely overexposured, but the frames taken seconds before and after (same
exposure) were right on.

Sometimes you can preview ghosting or contrast loss in the viewfinder. I didn't
in this case. Thus, it could be caused by a reflection inside the camera body,
behind the mirror. It may not be the lens at all. I just bought a second R lens;
a 28/2.8 Elmarit R. I'm going to see if I can duplicate the situation in the SL.
Unfortunately, the sun hasn't come out for days.

Dave