Although the 72XL is one of my favorite 4x5 lenses, there is one thing about it that drives me crazy: flare from the center filter, especially on overcast days. On clear days with the sun over my shoulder, I’ve never noticed any trouble, but overcast days are a big problem. Especially when using a lot of front rise (I generally shoot architecture), a soft but quite noticeable half-moon haze of pinkish flare appears in the lower half of the image.
I’m quite sure that this is caused by the filter – it never happens when I use the lens alone. I’m also quite sure that it’s caused by light being dispersed through the clouds above – I have tried suspending the ground glass cover over the lens, but then the light leaks in around the edges of the cover, leaving the same pattern with a flareless spot in the middle. Very irritating. It appears that I need some kind of lens hood that will completely shade at least the upper 180 degrees around the lens – without causing vignetting, of course!
I’ve seen discussion on the net about color shifts when using this filter, but none about flare. If anybody has had the same experience, or has any possible solutions to the problem, please let me know. I have read other threads about how difficult (or impossible) it is to shade this lens-filter setup, but I thought I’d ask anyway. As I prefer shooting in overcast light, this is a real concern. I’m even considering buying a 75mm lens instead so I can use a different center filter. The Heliopan and Hoya center filters that I use on other lenses do not have this problem. Any input would be much appreciated.
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