topic Re: Moon Ghost image in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

Moon Ghost image

randyferron — Wed, 08 Aug 2018 20:13:42 GMT

HI ,

when I take a picture of the moon or bright object at night get a ghost or reflection of subject, Have cleaned lenses ,occurs with any lense. Have cleaned inside camera also . Is something out of alingment?

Thanks

Re: Moon Ghost image

SamanthaW — Wed, 08 Aug 2018 20:21:19 GMT

Hello!

To have a better understanding of your issue, please let everyone know your camera model, and any lenses you are using.

If this is a time-sensitive matter, our US-based technical support team is standing by, ready to help via Email at http://Canon.us/SupportCF

Thanks!

Re: Moon Ghost image

TCampbell — Wed, 08 Aug 2018 20:39:35 GMT

Are you using a filter (such as a clear glass or a UV filter for protection) on your lens? If so, please remove the filter and try the lens again.

Filters are the most common explanation for "ghosting" and reflections when photographing brightly lit objects (relative to anything else in the frame.)

Re: Moon Ghost image

randyferron — Wed, 08 Aug 2018 21:00:22 GMT

I am using a UV filter will try that ..thanks

EOS REBEL XT

Re: Moon Ghost image

randyferron — Wed, 08 Aug 2018 21:03:11 GMT

EOS REBEL XT all lenses are Canon

Re: Moon Ghost image

Waddizzle — Wed, 08 Aug 2018 23:29:49 GMT

@randyferron wrote:
EOS REBEL XT all lenses are Canon

Are you using “digital” lenses, or older lenses released for film cameras?

Re: Moon Ghost image

randyferron — Wed, 08 Aug 2018 23:33:32 GMT

The one I use is Canon EFS 55-250mm image stabilizer.

regards

Re: Moon Ghost image

Waddizzle — Wed, 08 Aug 2018 23:48:53 GMT

@randyferron wrote:
The one I use is Canon EFS 55-250mm image stabilizer.

regards

That lens should be okay, like any EFS lens. Do a reset to factory defaults on the camera. Not sure if that model can take a double exposure, or not. That could explain a “ghost” image.

Re: Moon Ghost image

kvbarkley — Thu, 09 Aug 2018 12:39:57 GMT

You might try it with the IS off, especially if you are on a tripod.

Re: Moon Ghost image

ebiggs1 — Thu, 09 Aug 2018 15:47:18 GMT

"... bright object at night get a ghost or reflection of subject,..."

Not just remove but discard that filter. If it is screwing up your Moon shots, it is doing the same to all your shots. If you feel the need for a filter get a top quality one such as the B+W brand. IMHO, the EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lens may not be a good candidate for a HQ filter. That's up to you, though. Also when you shoot the Moon turn off AF and do the focusing yourself.

Second, depending on what you want or are expecting, 250mm doesn't have enough FL for a Moon shot. It will be prety small in the frame.

Re: Moon Ghost image

TCampbell — Thu, 09 Aug 2018 16:24:02 GMT

I generally avoid using filters unless there's a compelling reason for it.

If you do use a filter, get a high quality filter with good anti-reflective coatings.

If you look at the filter and you see a reflection, then that means two bad things are happening...

#1 the filter isn't transmitting all of the light. You're losing a percentage of it (possibly a pretty good percentage of it). It isn't possible to see a reflection unless light is being reflected... which means that light is not going through the filter.

#2 such a filter will cause "ghosting". It's a nice flat surface. So what light does pass through can reflect off the front objective element of your lens, back onto the filter... and that nice "flat" surface of the filter will reflect the light back again into the camera and you get ghosting.

All glass is reflective. All filters have lens flare. It's not a question of "if"... just a question of "how much" and is it enough to notice. When you have a bright point in an image that also has lots of dark or shadow areas, it's possible for the ghost reflections of those bright spots (e.g. street lights, the moon, etc.) to show up as ghosts in the dark shadow areas.

Here's an example:

On the left is the inexpensive Tiffen UV filter. On the right is a B+W brand filter that has high quality anti-reflective coatings.

I've placed a piece of black card stock on the table. Out of the frame is a desk lamp.

Look at the at the B+W filter on the right, it almost looks as though it's just the black filter ring with no glass in it. There is glass there... but that filter has high quality anti-reflective coatings... so the light passes through almost as if the glass isn't there. If you look at the color of the black card stock behind the glass ... and compare it to the black card stock where there are no filters at all... the "black" is nearly the same.

Look at the lower quality UV filter on the left ... which does NOT have quality anti-reflective coatings. Notice how you can easily tell there is glass in the filter and that the black card stock looks a bit washed out ... it has lost contrast.

What you can't tell in this photo is that when I'm holding these filters and tilting them, I can easily see reflections in the Tiffen filter. I can technically also see reflections in the B+W filter... but they are very dark/weak reflections that aren't easy to see.

This is one of those "you get what you pay for" things.

Even though I own filters with quality anti-reflective coatings... I would still get reflections/ghosting (albiet very faint) using the filter.

For this reason... if I don't have a compelling reason to use the filter, I leave it off the camera lens.