Filter for 20mm f/1.7 Pancake Lens cause flares

R

rubberbandito

Active member
Hi
I bought that nice Panasonic LUMIX G 20mm f/1.7 Aspherical Pancake Lens a few months ago and am amazed by it. However, I stopped using my filters on it because I could not get lens flare to go away every time I used either the UV filter or the polarizer. I cleaned them perfectly and still got it. I think because the lens is rounded and the filter is straight and so close.

I must be doing something wrong since I googled this and found no one else complaining. Any help out there?

I am afraid I will eventually scratch the lens without a filter.
 
Try using a step up ring and a larger filter (though this could make it worse)? Also maybe see if there is some kind of lens hood solution?
 
Just use the filters as and when you need them and/or look for a lens hood solution. If you need to protect the lens from dust/sand etc. then put on the UV and use the Polarizer when you need to cut down on reflections. There really isn't any need to have filters always on the lens if you are careful.
 
Any light directly in frame like that will flare, they are quite obviously a mirrored artifact of the image - see the attached image. How much it flares and how it looks is dependant on lens construction. A lens hood will obviously not help for this and I don't think the UV filter is involved either but do tests without it to make sure.
 

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If you search, read a littler bit harder, there was was one fellow complaining about filters: Kubrik, who said: Why should I put a $5 piece of glass in front of a $xxxx lens?

Folk say, he never used one. Imagine those cinematographers coming on set with truck loads of boxes filled with filters, looking 'professional' to the nines... They would not get within a country mile close to that nutter.

Haven't read on this forum yet, any post trashing the look of A Space Odyssey, Barry Lyndon, The Shining...

Maybe, a chance to start a new legendary thread. :Drogar-Thinking(DBG ....Maybe not
 
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I myself think that putting more glass infront will degrade IQ, by how much i don't scientifically know. I do however take that loss and put filters on my lenses as some sort of insurance.

If I had the financial backing of what Kubrik had I wouldn't bother with filters either..ha.
 
MR Fanny said:
I do however take that loss and put filters on my lenses as some sort of insurance.

If I had the financial backing of what Kubrik had I wouldn't bother with filters either..ha.
Click to expand...

It is YOUR loss.

If the bean counters financing his movies would ever had a chat with one of the hundreds of thousands of teckkies littering the industry, the poor chap would have never made film.

With almost every film, he was beyond any frontier known to his mortal peers.
 
Martti Ekstrand said:
Any light directly in frame like that will flare, they are quite obviously a mirrored artifact of the image - see the attached image. How much it flares and how it looks is dependant on lens construction. A lens hood will obviously not help for this and I don't think the UV filter is involved either but do tests without it to make sure.
Click to expand...

Thanks Marti

That is pretty cool. Learned something!
 
Being a wedding videographer, I don't shoot without a protective UV filter...I get way to much crap on the lens. But I DO get lens flares (not necessarily a result of using filters), despite the fact I use expensive B+W MRC 010 MRC UV filters on all my gear...except for the 7-14mm...which you just have to be VERY careful with! ;)

Here's a snapshot I took with the 20mm f1.7 while bored at a wedding...the infamous silver vat of wedding pasta in the background. lol Spot the flare?

816005394_oLNt4-XL.jpg
 
swyzlstyx said:
Being a wedding videographer, I don't shoot without a protective UV filter...I get way to much crap on the lens. But I DO get lens flares (not necessarily a result of using filters), despite the fact I use expensive B+W MRC 010 MRC UV filters on all my gear...except for the 7-14mm...which you just have to be VERY careful with! ;)

Here's a snapshot I took with the 20mm f1.7 while bored at a wedding...the infamous silver vat of wedding pasta in the background. lol Spot the flare?
Click to expand...

so you have the same problem, not able to use filters with this lens? people saying its lighting and that is true but it happens 10 xs more with a filter then without one. maybe the step ring will work
 
rubberbandito said:
so you have the same problem, not able to use filters with this lens? people saying its lighting and that is true but it happens 10 xs more with a filter then without one. maybe the step ring will work
Click to expand...

Yup, I've run across this exact same problem myself. Sometimes there's none. Sometimes there is. Forces me to chimp to make sure I got a clean shot. Sighhhh... :undecided
 
rubberbandito said:
Hi
I bought that nice Panasonic LUMIX G 20mm f/1.7 Aspherical Pancake Lens a few months ago and am amazed by it. However, I stopped using my filters on it because I could not get lens flare to go away every time I used either the UV filter or the polarizer. I cleaned them perfectly and still got it. I think because the lens is rounded and the filter is straight and so close..
Click to expand...

Is your filter multi-coated? When I put a filter with just a regular glass, it does seem to flair more. I am planning to buy a Nikon version which is multi-coated but have not decided whether that will solve the problem. I am surprised that this issue was not discussed in dpreview's review.
 
I've found that even with very good filters you still get flares - matteboxes do help considerably - the only filter I use right now are the Tiffen IR cutting T1 filter and NDs, and only because they serve a real purpose - but if I *can* shoot without a filter, I always, always do, I'm with Kubrick, you can tell a difference. The Tiffen T1 is really worth it with the GH1, it helps the red channel considerably, and sometimes you just need NDs, better to use NDs than to shoot at f/16-22.
 
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