Hello. I don't know if this is a useless question or not, but I have an old Minolta 28-135 zoom that I've tried on a Alpha 850. The lens is pretty good, but all to subject to flare. I've wondered if a Zeiss filters reported to have coatings that help control flare, would actually help with this lens -- or is there something about the design that won't be controlled.

For what its worth, I've also been using it with a Hoya HMC skylight filter that I bought back in the day I bought it. I found the receipt for it. I paid about $430 back in 1987, when I bought a Minolta 9000. So much for good prices.

The Zeiss coating on a filter reduces the flare associated with the filter itself, but it does nothing--and there is nothing that can be done--to reduce flare on a lens. Flare comes from every lens element within your lens. It's not a quality of the light that can be filtered out on its way to the sensor, but a quality of the glass. Coatings help reduce the glare that comes from lens-to-air surfaces but only for the lens element that is coated. This is why lens flare often appears as many diaphragm shapes all stacked on top of each other. Each element, coated or uncoated, contributes to the lens flare, but the coated ones contribute less.

Well I generally agree with your statements, but the 28-135 is a first-class lens that behaves differently on a digital camera -- I've shot many hundreds of film pictures with it, and did not see the flare that occurs with the a850. So there is something else going on with this lens and camera. I don't get the difference I see.

The flare is probably due to sensor/back element reflections. This affects several lenses. You have to be careful. My 50mm f/1.4 and 50mm f/2.8 Macro have been particularly prone to the problem.

David

Than you for the answer David. It explains what I've seen.

What you say be careful, what do you do to prevent the flare. In one shot with a flare, it was taken at an angle that was probably around 70 degrees from the sun. I never expected a flare at that angle.

I had a Tiffen polarizer that would cause those flares. I replaced it with a thin marumi and it doesn't get them now unless the sun is at the very edge of the frame and that happens with or without the filter. I would try a flared scene with and without the filter and see if you still get it.