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What's caused this wierd effect on my lens?
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I have a Canon EOS 300D slr with a 18-55mm lens. I've taken a few shots recently and I'm getting this weird tree like effect in the bottom corners of the shot. Can I get it cleaned or is it time for a new lens?
Haha, the tree looks like a cool watermark. You shouldn't get anything that clear from the lens. My vote is something on the sensor. Is the tree slowly growing or did it just appear one day at that size?
I have a Canon EOS 300D slr with a 18-55mm lens. I've taken a few shots recently and I'm getting this weird tree like effect in the bottom corners of the shot. Can I get it cleaned or is it time for a new lens?
Probably fungus in the lens- no idea what it'd cost, but I'd be surprised if it weren't around the value of the lens.
Paul
At first I thought it might be moiré from the cloth pattern, but on second thought it really does look like your lens has a fungal infection. Here and here are links that explain it further. The second link has a technique for removing it if it's on the outside of the lens. If it's on the inside of the lens, you may as well get a new one. The good news is that the 18-55mm kit lenses are cheap to replace via eBay and nowadays they come with image stabilization.
"Things" that are in the lense (scratches, fungus) don't create hard edged artifacts in your images... things on your lense will affect overall sharpness. Generally speaking, since I'm sure someone will bring up the one exception to this.
It's easy to check, swap lenses. Borrow one from friend or rent one from a store. Or, perhaps a store will be lend you one to help pinpoint the issue if you were going to use a store's repair services.
Are you getting the exact pattern on several images? Have you confirmed that it is not part of the background that the objects are sitting on?
If you are sure it's not part of the background then it's probably on the sensor. Have you ever cleaned your sensor? Could be the marks that a q-tip swab left...?
Update: Looked again... I'd bet money (a small amount) that it is the shadows left by tiny fine hairs (like lint) on the sensor. Look at the top of your sensor for little clumps of lint.
It's easy to check, swap lenses. Borrow one from friend or rent one from a store. Or, perhaps a store will be lend you one to help pinpoint the issue if you were going to use a store's repair services.
Are you getting the exact pattern on several images? Have you confirmed that it is not part of the background that the objects are sitting on?
If you are sure it's not part of the background then it's probably on the sensor. Have you ever cleaned your sensor? Could be the marks that a q-tip swab left...?
Update: Looked again... I'd bet money (a small amount) that it is the shadows left by tiny fine hairs (like lint) on the sensor. Look at the top of your sensor for little clumps of lint.
There is not way this is caused by something on the lens. Anying on the lens would not focus on the sensor. The simplest way to prove this is to swap lenses. Looks to me like something is on the sensor.
Ty an experiment: place a small object on a lens filter, say a very small sliver of post-it note. It will NOT form a sharp image in itself and may not even be noticeable at all even if place dead center on the lens
Ty an experiment: place a small object on a lens filter, say a very small sliver of post-it note. It will NOT form a sharp image in itself and may not even be noticeable at all even if place dead center on the lens
Mine was doing something like that before too, I have not noticed it recently, but my friends lap top was doing it, and still is. It is all around the corners of the screen. I think it is dust and dirt mixed with the heat of the screen and static.
I also think something this sharp can not possibly be on the lens. Try using the smallest aperture possible and see if it becomes even more pronounced. I think it's something on the sensor.
This is fungus for sure. Inspect the lens with a bright flashlight, you should be able to see the fungus trails.
Being so clear, I would imagine it is on one of the rear elements.
Now the good news/bad news. Good: If it is a non-acid fungus you might be able to just have it cleaned. If it is on the most outside of the rear most element you can clean it off yourself. Bad: If it is an acidic fungus it has mostly likely eaten away the coatings and probably etched the glass element itself. In which case I would just sell it on eBay as fungi glass and make what I could from it.
Being so clear, I would imagine it is on one of the rear elements.
Now the good news/bad news. Good: If it is a non-acid fungus you might be able to just have it cleaned. If it is on the most outside of the rear most element you can clean it off yourself. Bad: If it is an acidic fungus it has mostly likely eaten away the coatings and probably etched the glass element itself. In which case I would just sell it on eBay as fungi glass and make what I could from it.
Looks like something on the sensor, or at least the sensor filter (the protective film over the sensor).