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ugly lines around flowers and branches

Started Mar 9, 2020 | Discussions
nvdg New Member • Posts: 18
ugly lines around flowers and branches

Just came back from shooting some plum trees in bloom. Used a 5d mk IV with a 35mm f1.4 ii.

These shots are unedited and were taken at f1.4 1/200s ISO100.

I love this lens and I've been shooting with it for a while and I never noticed anything strange before. But when I was just looking at the shots, l noticed ugly lines around the petals and the branches. I was using a CPL filter, but I've been using this filter for some time and I never noticed this before.

Any idea what's going on here?

Thanks

Canon EF 35mm F1.4L II USM Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
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WindwardHaole Senior Member • Posts: 1,550
Re: ugly lines around flowers and branches
5

This may be a degree of astigmatism, and considering that Canon's 35, 1.4 II has low lens-to-lens variability it's possibly within normal limits for the design. Using a wide angle f/1.4 lens, wide open at minimum focusing distance, with a background containing tree limbs, flower stalks and other linear subject matter is possibly a worst case scenario. Lensrentals.com's "Geek Articles" are a wealth of information on all that we see and possibly want to "un-see" in our lenses.

Andy01 Veteran Member • Posts: 5,191
Re: ugly lines around flowers and branches

May I ask what filter you were using ?

My guess is that it may be a cheap CPL. There have been many threads here displaying some very strange bokeh artifacts when using cheap filters. There was a long thread a couple of years ago about this type of thing on a Canon 100-400L ii, which is an outstanding lens. The person removed the $30 filter and the issue vanished.

I have to say though that these photos just don't look right (apart from the strange lines) - they don't look like normal shallow DoF shots, but rather like areas have been deliberately blurred out using PP - quite odd.

Colin

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OP nvdg New Member • Posts: 18
Re: ugly lines around flowers and branches

Hi, thanks, but it's not a cheap CPL filter. I live in Japan and this is the best filter I can buy here: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0757KSX8Z/ref=twister_B07PV1R1WN?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I have the same filter on my 24-70 f2.8 ii and I never had any issues with it.

BlueRay2 Forum Pro • Posts: 14,816
Re: ugly lines around flowers and branches
1

this is perfectly normal for a fast f1.4 lens wide open.i would have stepped down to at least f11.0 aperture in order to get more of the stuff in focus. to sum it up, there is nothing wrong with your shot considering the shallow aperture you have selected.

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Tannin Senior Member • Posts: 1,510
Re: ugly lines around flowers and branches
2

Good answers above. My response to these shots is that, if I was taking them, I'd be standing a long way further back and using a much longer focal length.  I'd be reaching for the 100/2.8 macro or, more likely, the 100-400 at maybe 300mm, give or take. And aperture? Hmmm ... I think I'd start with the old rule: if in doubt, go to f/8 first.

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andrewD2
andrewD2 Veteran Member • Posts: 9,506
Re: ugly lines around flowers and branches

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/58370181

35L II shows some odd bokeh in certain cases due to astigmatism. 
I was worried my lens had issues but they all do it, you could see it in the CA test Dpreview did. Not widely noticed but it is there. Been a great lens for me overall.

Cheers,
Andrew

OP nvdg New Member • Posts: 18
Re: ugly lines around flowers and branches

Thank you all for the feedback. Yes, I know the 35 is not the right lens for these kind of shots, but that was what was on my camera when I came across this scene. Anyway, it's good to know that this amount of astigmatism is normal with this lens.

BlueRay2 Forum Pro • Posts: 14,816
Re: ugly lines around flowers and branches

nvdg wrote:

Thank you all for the feedback. Yes, I know the 35 is not the right lens for these kind of shots, but that was what was on my camera when I came across this scene. Anyway, it's good to know that this amount of astigmatism is normal with this lens.

i really like both of those shots, i think both look sort of dreamy and so different!

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We are ephemeral dreamers, like surfers on evanescent waves!!!

OP nvdg New Member • Posts: 18
Re: ugly lines around flowers and branches

Well, thank you very much! I wasn't happy with them because of the lines, but I'm glad you like the overall feeling to them.

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