cfreemanphotography Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 I recently obtained the 17-35mm f/2.8 Nikkor for landscape purposes. I cannot for the life of me get this lens tocreate a nice diffractive starburst, regardless of how wide the lens or how small the aperture. Anyone have anyexperience with this lens? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
User_276104 Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 The 9-bladed diaphragm may be preventing it; just a guess. I've had the 17-35mm f/2.8D for years but have never tried to create the sunburst. Maybe I'll try it tomorrow morning and let you know what happens. The 20mm f/2.8D has a 7-bladed diaphragm and I've gotten sunbursts at f/22 with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
User_276104 Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 Sunburst, starburst...I don't know what to call it. I guess starburst is the correct term. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjørn rørslett Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 Set the lens to f/22. The sun needs to be clear of clouds. For this kind of photography, a slight underexposure is often beneficial. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bernie moore Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 Is this what you mean? Sorry it's not a better shot, but I don't have a lot of these on file. Taken with a 17-35 2.8 etc.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_hooper1 Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 For consistent star burst results just purchase a star filter. There are several brands of filters offering differing star effects, differing numbers of points, etc. Be happy your Nikon 17-35mm does not easily manifest this effect. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/9830-REG/B_W_65064401_77mm_6x_Cross_Screen.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfreemanphotography Posted June 27, 2008 Author Share Posted June 27, 2008 Bjørn, I have been attempting this at f/22, and at the widest settings to make the physical size of the aperture even smaller. No luck yet, but I'll keep trying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfreemanphotography Posted June 27, 2008 Author Share Posted June 27, 2008 Robert, I have been hoping to stay away from those filters as they would impair image quality, however I suppose for very specialized shots it may be worth using. And yes, I guess one should never complain that their lens does not suffer from excessive diffraction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_hooper1 Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 Shooting at f22 degrads image quality even with this fine lens, especially at the wide end. You may actually get better results shooting through a good quality star filter at f5.6 or f8. Certainly, you will have more control over the star effect using a filter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex_lofquist Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 You can make your own "starburst" filter from an old UV or haze filter. For six beamed stars, just enscribe a series of parallel lines at 120 degrees apart on the filter. A carbide tipped stylus should work OK for that.The more lines, the stronger the burst. For four beams, use scribe lines 90 degrees apart. Note that you will only get even numbers of beams irrespective of the numbers of scribes. Don't stop all the way down as it is counterproductive! f/8 is a good starting aperture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfreemanphotography Posted June 27, 2008 Author Share Posted June 27, 2008 Robert: Dur, I feel stupid. Good point. Why didn't I think of that? Alex: If I mail you a filter, will you make me a star filter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_hooper1 Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 No need to feel stupid, Christopher. I learn something new or something that didn't occur to me almost every day at photo net. That's why I like hanging around this place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex_lofquist Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 Sure, I'll be glad to do it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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