# annoying noise or lens flare



## Thirdwind (Dec 15, 2015)

Hello I am new to the forum and I am looking for some help -  some of my photos taken very early in the morning in low light conditions are having  a milky cast just below the horizon that I cannot determine if it is noise or lens flare.  The luminance and color noise reduction sliders in Lightroom are not having much of an effect on removing it.
The first photo I  attached Loblolly Cove,  was shot on a sturdy tripod with a Nikon D810 at 16mm (I use the Nikon 16mm- 35mm lens) at ISO 100 -  F11 for 10 seconds - with 1.7 stops of negative exposure comp.  I also used a .9 ND filter on this shot and I am wondering if there could be some reflections with the filter causing this.

The second photo -  The Rocks at Cogswell Farm was shot at 23mm ISO 100 F10 1/4 second - also using the .9ND filter at 1.3 steps of exposure reduction.
thanks you for your thoughts...

dave

www.thirdwindphotography.com


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## clee01l (Dec 15, 2015)

Welcome to the forum. 

I can't see any technical, lens created issues although I do see your issue.  Two thoughts occur:
Could there be early morning ground fog that might not be visible to the eye but caught with a slow shutter? Have you tried using the dehaze filter?

How about the ambient air temperature?  Unless the lens and camera body have equalized, you could be getting condensation on the lens elements or the sensor. This particularly includes the internal lens surfaces, especially the rear element and the front element if it is covered with a threaded ND filter.  Zoom Lenses are not sealed so condensation can occur on the inner lens elements too. 

Ambient air temperature is especially a problem going from a cold vehicle (AC) to a warm morning by the sea or a warm car (heater) into a frosty seaside beach.


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## Thirdwind (Dec 15, 2015)

clee01l said:


> Welcome to the forum.
> 
> I can't see any technical, lens created issues although I do see your issue.  Two thoughts occur:
> Could there be early morning ground fog that might not be visible to the eye but caught with a slow shutter? Have you tried using the dehaze filter?
> ...



Thanks for your thoughts..oddly it was a warm morning in New England for this time of year -  around 45 degrees so I do not think it was temperature..it is possible there was some fog I couldn't see but the dehaze filter did not do anything..but the second picture with the rocks was definitely a clear location and we are seeing that light milky effect again


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## clee01l (Dec 15, 2015)

Thirdwind said:


> Thanks for your thoughts..oddly it was a warm morning in New England for this time of year -  around 45 degrees so I do not think it was temperature...


Was your camera coming from a warmer car or home?  A NE home can be heated with a dry heat.  You can't escape the humidity near the coast.  A temperature of 45˚F is not a warm morning even though it might be abnormal for NE. I still think it might be internal moisture collecting on the inside elements of your Zoom Lens.


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## Thirdwind (Dec 15, 2015)

I drove about 20 minutes in the car to get to the first location and then about 5 minutes to the second location.
How do prevent this moisture problem from occurring?


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## Hal P Anderson (Dec 15, 2015)

Cletus,

Going from a warm environment to a cooler one won't cause condensation, although going from a cool outdoors to a warm indoors can cause it. Perhaps Thirdwind had the camera outside at one location and then brought it into a warm, humid car where the lens fogged up and maintained its fog when brought outside for shooting.


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## Thirdwind (Dec 15, 2015)

For the first photo i went from a warm car to a colder outdoors..i am thinking it may be some sort of reflection or flare from the light hitting the ND filters


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