HELP! Annoying light flare in all my photos

Horoscope Fish

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
I'm not sure what it is but on every DSLR that I've put my hands on of late I can see a faint circle dead center in the viewfinder. This circle is NOT an AF-point or have anything to do with focus points. It's very difficult to see except under the right lighting conditions. Here's a photo from a Canon user that shows what I'm talking about. I'm not referring to the reference circle (the lines at two o'clock, five o'clock, seven o'clock and eleven o'clock) I'm talking about the faint, clear, circle that just barely surrounds the singe, center-most, AF-point:
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TS560x560~196920.jpg

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It appears to me the OP's problem relates to this strange circle. I have a suspicion this circle has to do with metering, but I'm not sure about that. At any rate, this is clearly not a hunk of crud on the sensor that needs to be removed. I agree with @Marcel that this is a Nikon Service Center issue.
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mikew_RIP

Senior Member
Way out of my depth here but you didnt at some point take a picture of the sun did you,i know a silly question but i thought i would ask.
 
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wornish

Senior Member
Horoscope Fish said:
I'm not sure what it is but on every DSLR that I've put my hands on of late I can see a faint circle dead center in the viewfinder. This circle is NOT an AF-point or have anything to do with focus points. It's very difficult to see except under the right lighting conditions. Here's a photo from a Canon user that shows what I'm talking about. I'm not referring to the reference circle (the lines at two o'clock, five o'clock, seven o'clock and eleven o'clock) I'm talking about the faint, clear, circle that just barely surrounds the singe, center-most, AF-point:
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View attachment 164497
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It appears to me the OP's problem relates to this strange circle. I have a suspicion this circle has to do with metering, but I'm not sure about that. At any rate, this is clearly not a hunk of crud on the sensor that needs to be removed. I agree with @Marcel that this is a Nikon Service Center issue.
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Click to expand...

Just had a look at my D810 and you are correct there is a very faint circle in the middle. You can see it when looking at a light grey background. best to move the selected focus point out of the way as it almost covers up the circle.
Never noticed it before.
 
Horoscope Fish

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
wornish said:
Just had a look at my D810 and you are correct there is a very faint circle in the middle. You can see it when looking at a light grey background. best to move the selected focus point out of the way as it almost covers up the circle.
Never noticed it before.
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Yeah, the neutral background does help, I just tried with my D750. I've never been able to figure out what it is, or why it's there, but both Canon and Nikon cameras have The Spot.

If anyone knows for sure what it is please pass the information along... I'd really like to know!
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Felisek

Senior Member
Horoscope Fish said:
Yeah, the neutral background does help, I just tried with my D750. I've never been able to figure out what it is, or why it's there, but both Canon and Nikon cameras have The Spot.

If anyone knows for sure what it is please pass the information along... I'd really like to know!
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Click to expand...

I'm guessing (I'm out of my depth too) that this is a semi-transparent part of the main mirror (marked in grey here) that lets some light through to the AF system.
 
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bluecoco48

New member
Don Kuykendall said:
I think you may have something on your sensor. Have you blown it off or cleaned it recently?

Be careful cleaning it and be sure to google how to do it first or have it down by a professional.
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Im not sure but im going to try that because these light spots are really ruining my pictures.
I tried the viewfinder cover and it didnt make a difference
 
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bluecoco48

New member
hiya, sorry for late response i didnt know i was getting replys. i cant see it through the lcd or the view finder just when i look back at the images
 
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bluecoco48

New member
Thank you guys for all your replies. I didnt now i was getting more responses else i would have replied back earlier.

Well im going to try and get the sensor cleaned, if thqat is not the problem im going to call the nikon service team. This has been a problem that i have noticed since a couple months after purchasing. it will be about a yr now. I really hope this wont be an expensive job if i have to take it in.
 
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J-see

Senior Member
If it was a problem with the sensor it should show when you use live-view since it's just the lens and the sensor when using that.
 
Horoscope Fish

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
bluecoco48 said:
... Well im going to try and get the sensor cleaned, if thqat is not the problem im going to call the nikon service team.
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Well I'll admit anything is possible but if a sensor cleaning actually resolves this issue I'll eat my Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 with fava beans and a nice Chianti (preferably served in a fiasco).
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bluecoco48

New member
ok so i have been taking some photos, and what i have realised is that where ever there is a light source i get the spot. i hav tried different settings for same focus spot and came up with this conclusion. Why is this does anyone know?
 
J

J-see

Senior Member
bluecoco48 said:
it does not show at all when recording videos.
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It's a strange problem for sure. If it doesn't show on video or in live-view, your sensor should be fine. If it was dust, such a size should be clearly visible in video and on live-view so you can rule that out.
 
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J-see

Senior Member
bluecoco48 said:
ok so i have been taking some photos, and what i have realised is that where ever there is a light source i get the spot. i hav tried different settings for same focus spot and came up with this conclusion. Why is this does anyone know?
Click to expand...

If it only happens when there is a light source, it can still be dust. If the dust is reflective, it can cast a flare. It won't likely be normal dust then.

Try to replicate it. Use the lightsource that makes it appear in your shots and then check the LCD and/or video.
 
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