Originally posted by Des This is for a selection of examples that show particular qualities of the lens (which can be good or bad).
There are primes (and probably some zooms with "star" quality) that handle flare better than this lens, but there are ways to avoid it.
First, an example where there is some flare, but manageable:
Second, underexposing and then boosting the shadows in post-processing (along with using the atmosphere to moderate the sunlight):
Third, keeping the sun just outside the frame (what you do see is a result of mist and fluff from flowering trees reflecting sunlight):