Star blotches in S110 with flash

[jmdeng]

Hi.

I read through the other articles in this forum related to the S110 and did not see anything like my problem. But please exuse me if I missed the topic.

I've had my S110 for a little over a year. No problems until late last year. No sudden trauma or anything. But all of a sudden, I started getting star blotches in my photos (http://www.tenafly.org:8080/~jmdeng/Stars.html for 3 examples.) (hmmm, looks like you need to copy and paste...sorry)
on photos with flash. With no flash in daylight, can't find any. With no flash in darkness (some ambient light), no bursts found.

My lens looks ok. But perhaps it's tiny dust particles on the lens that are somehow catching the flash.

I guess I'm just curious if anyone has seen this before, or has any guesses.

Thanks.

[pblevitt]

Brilliantly wierd.

You haven't got a large ring on any finger that could do it ?, the shape looks 'crystalline' to me.

Try a few shots with the flash blurred, single thickness tissue, tracing paper or grease proof paper draped over the flash. You don't loose much light but softens the flash.

Next try a few shots with card between the lens and the flash, so that any light from the flash will have to come from the front.

Other things to think about when the shots are taken

how the camera was being held
hair length/style at the time
other reflective surfaces, not just those in shot
jewelry
were you using the LCD or optical viewfinder


If after all that you get no-where, have a beer

[Conk]

I have had this with my camera also but they are just circles. I believe it is the exact same cause. I work in a fibreglass production shop and have noticed these circles on photo's that I have taken there. I thought it was the dust but when I looked at the lens it was spotless. Then I thought maybe it was a reflection off the fibreglass dust particles in the air. (don't worry, respirators are worn:) ) I then had these circles appear elsewhere. I have tried to reproduce these circles over and over but no luck. It came down to places with fluorescent lighting. I think that the light settings were wrong which I have a bad habit of forgetting about.