[bsamcash]

My guess is you have something on one of the elements. Maybe the last owner was a smoker. My 40 is nearly invincible with respect to flare

My god! What was the aperture of that first one! That is unbelievable!

---------- Post added Apr 19th, 2014 at 10:14 AM ----------

Just to echo what others say, the DA 40 limited will flare some with direct light, but it should be pretty resistant to flare. Nothing like the DA 15 limited, but pretty good none the less.

I'm getting something similar to that sun flare you're getting in the center, only it ghosts across the whole frame. And mine is flaring very cool instead of warm like your copy.

[monochrome]

I'm getting something similar to that sun flare you're getting in the center, only it ghosts across the whole frame. And mine is flaring very cool instead of warm like your copy.

If you view some of Rondec's posts with the DA15 Ltd, or browse that thread, you'll see that a lot of users think that kind of starburst flare is a feature, not a bug. They manage the flare to create it or diminish it, as needed.

I really haven't had any what I consider problems with my copy of the DA40 Ltd or even the XS but I also don't push direct light shots often.

Can you post some examples of your flare?

[Na Horuk]

I'm getting something similar to that sun flare you're getting in the center, only it ghosts across the whole frame. And mine is flaring very cool instead of warm like your copy.

Keep in mind that most of the photos you will find one the net are post processed. Some photos might have had all sorts of changes and corrections.
Maybe you can try taking a jpeg photo with the lens corrections enabled, see what that does

[bsamcash]

If you view some of Rondec's posts with the DA15 Ltd, or browse that thread, you'll see that a lot of users think that kind of starburst flare is a feature, not a bug. They manage the flare to create it or diminish it, as needed.

I really haven't had any what I consider problems with my copy of the DA40 Ltd or even the XS but I also don't push direct light shots often.

Can you post some examples of your flare?

Keep in mind that most of the photos you will find one the net are post processed. Some photos might have had all sorts of changes and corrections.
Maybe you can try taking a jpeg photo with the lens corrections enabled, see what that does

I will post some examples tomorrow night. I'm out on vacation with my girlfriend's family for the weekend. I'm using this as an opportunity to test the lens some more too. Also, I normally shoot RAW, but I'm finding that if I shoot a well exposed and white balanced JPEG, it seems to lesson the problem. I'm guess that it's boosting the contrast or something.

Thanks again for all the help,

[Kozlok]

My god! What was the aperture of that first one! That is unbelievable!

Click on the photo, exif is on Flickr...That one was at f7.1, which is around where I often shoot landscapes. It is a very sharp lens. I didn't add any sharpening in post over whatever LR adds by default.

[bsamcash]

Here's my Flickr upload: DA 40mm F2.8 Limited Flare Test

These are from the DNGs processed in ACR with the default settings.

I admit I may have exaggerated a little. It doesn't look as bad on my monitor as it did on the back of my K-5IIs. But I am getting some crazy flares with the sun just out of the frame and low contrast with the sun to my direct left and direct right. The exception is the shot directly at the sun through the palm leaves which looks pretty good.

So, is this normal? Am I just expecting too much from this lens?

[Na Horuk]

Even those photos are nice and sharp. You just shot them in the worst possible conditions. Background in shadow, foreground overexposed due to sunlight, reflective water.. I think those photos are perfectly fine, you just need to learn to take manual control in such situations to get the photos you want.

The lemon tree is unsharp for two reasons: slow shutter handshake, and thin DoF. Plus, its overexposed.

When the sun is in or near the frame like that, you can't absolutely rely on the meter

[bsamcash]

Even those photos are nice and sharp. You just shot them in the worst possible conditions. Background in shadow, foreground overexposed due to sunlight, reflective water.. I think those photos are perfectly fine, you just need to learn to take manual control in such situations to get the photos you want.

The lemon tree is unsharp for two reasons: slow shutter handshake, and thin DoF. Plus, its overexposed.

When the sun is in or near the frame like that, you can't absolutely rely on the meter

Thanks for your help. Is it possible that this lens just doesn't meter how I'm used to? Might I have to just dial in a permanent -2/3?

[Na Horuk]

No, its just that the frame had both a) very bright direct sunlight and b) very dark, shady areas and possibly c) atmospheric interference (warm water vapor in the air, reflecting more light). Its impossible to get "everything" to be right, because the dynamic range is always limited. Some photos are just not possible to look good, and if you absolutely insist on taking that frame, you need to make sacrifices and adjustments.

[narual]

No, its just that the frame had both a) very bright direct sunlight and b) very dark, shady areas and possibly c) atmospheric interference (warm water vapor in the air, reflecting more light). Its impossible to get "everything" to be right, because the dynamic range is always limited. Some photos are just not possible to look good, and if you absolutely insist on taking that frame, you need to make sacrifices and adjustments.

And/or bracket exposures. Reasonable use of HDR would make it work.