Why an oval sun in this sunset photo? First post...love all the advice and discussion here! I am hoping someone can explain why the sun disk in this photo is oval. I have a series of...

enygy Loc: LI, NY

First post...love all the advice and discussion here!

I am hoping someone can explain why the sun disk in this photo is oval. I have a series of these with the oval in different places in the image.

Shot with Nikon D70s 80-200 f/2.8D ED @ 80mm ISO 500 1/4000 f/5.6
Subsequent photos show that sensor appears to be OK...no burned out spots. (second image taken about 10 minutes later)

I have never seen this before. Any ideas?

Thanks!

(Download)

babastudios

Wow this is weird. Personally when I am shooting into direct sunlight I am at at least F8, this may help with the shape of a sun since it is an imperfect orb of light that the aperture can shape.

alberio Loc: Casa Grande AZ

enygy wrote:

First post...love all the advice and discussion here!

I am hoping someone can explain why the sun disk in this photo is oval. I have a series of these with the oval in different places in the image.

Shot with Nikon D70s 80-200 f/2.8D ED @ 80mm ISO 500 1/4000 f/5.6
Subsequent photos show that sensor appears to be OK...no burned out spots. (second image taken about 10 minutes later)

I have never seen this before. Any ideas?

Thanks!

Your sun would probably be round if the post wasn't interfering and causing diffraction issues

SonyA580 Loc: FL in the winter & MN in the summer

My first guess would be lens flare. Slight flare in lower left. Were you using a filter on the lens? This could be a cause.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

enygy wrote:

First post...love all the advice and discussion here!

I am hoping someone can explain why the sun disk in this photo is oval. I have a series of these with the oval in different places in the image.

Shot with Nikon D70s 80-200 f/2.8D ED @ 80mm ISO 500 1/4000 f/5.6
Subsequent photos show that sensor appears to be OK...no burned out spots. (second image taken about 10 minutes later)

I have never seen this before. Any ideas?

Thanks!

Oh, come on guys. It is the same reason the Sun looks red at sun set and sun rise. The light is bend going thru the "extra" atmosphere at such an angle. The air acts like a lens or prism and "bends" the light. And the Sun light is so much dimmed at these positions that you can safely photograph it and look at is for a bit. And smog adds to some of the effect as a "colored filter".

ole sarg Loc: south florida

But your answer which is accurate is not as much fun has the others!

lamiaceae wrote:

Oh, come on guys. It is the same reason the Sun looks red at sun set and sun rise. The light is bend going thru the "extra" atmosphere at such an angle. The air acts like a lens or prism and "bends" the light. And the Sun light is so much dimmed at these positions that you can safely photograph it and look at is for a bit. And smog adds to some of the effect as a "colored filter".

dragonswing Loc: Pa

Reminds me of the eye of Sowran (?sp) from LOTR.

alberio Loc: Casa Grande AZ

lamiaceae wrote:

Oh, come on guys. It is the same reason the Sun looks red at sun set and sun rise. The light is bend going thru the "extra" atmosphere at such an angle. The air acts like a lens or prism and "bends" the light. And the Sun light is so much dimmed at these positions that you can safely photograph it and look at is for a bit. And smog adds to some of the effect as a "colored filter".

You are correct about the distortion of the sun at lower positions in the sky. I only saw the first image and thought the poster was refering to the distortion in that shot.

enygy Loc: LI, NY

alberio wrote:

You are correct about the distortion of the sun at lower positions in the sky. I only saw the first image and thought the poster was refering to the distortion in that shot.

Alberio - I am only asking about the first shot...the second is a "normal" example.
Thanks for your replies.

enygy Loc: LI, NY

lamiaceae wrote:

Oh, come on guys. It is the same reason the Sun looks red at sun set and sun rise. The light is bend going thru the "extra" atmosphere at such an angle. The air acts like a lens or prism and "bends" the light. And the Sun light is so much dimmed at these positions that you can safely photograph it and look at is for a bit. And smog adds to some of the effect as a "colored filter".

lamiaceae - you are right about the extra atmosphere but the sun is usually squashed horizontally at sunset not vertically as in the first photo. You can actually see part of the round disk protruding from the side of the oval.

enygy Loc: LI, NY

SonyA580 wrote:

My first guess would be lens flare. Slight flare in lower left. Were you using a filter on the lens? This could be a cause.

Sony850 - you might be right, but it seems too intense an effect to be lens flare and the flare you cite is circular.

enygy Loc: LI, NY

dragonswing wrote:

Reminds me of the eye of Sowran (?sp) from LOTR.

dragonswing - LOL!

Here is another that reminds me of young Luke on Tatooine...

Pegasus Loc: Texas Gulf Coast

My first guess is that the Sun went subsonic before it got to your camera, became unstable and keyholed on the sensor. You should increase the twist rate or add more powder.

BlackRipleyDog

alberio wrote:

You are correct about the distortion of the sun at lower positions in the sky. I only saw the first image and thought the poster was refering to the distortion in that shot.

Sunrise on Casco Bay this past summer. Looks like a nuclear blast. The atmosphere is like a lens and can introduce all sorts of distortion.

The 2nd shot is a little later

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ken_stern Loc: Yorba Linda, Ca

lamiaceae wrote:

Oh, come on guys. It is the same reason the Sun looks red at sun set and sun rise. The light is bend going thru the "extra" atmosphere at such an angle. The air acts like a lens or prism and "bends" the light. And the Sun light is so much dimmed at these positions that you can safely photograph it and look at is for a bit. And smog adds to some of the effect as a "colored filter".

LAMIACEAE --- Got it right!!