Anyone know the cause of "starburst" patterns when shooting into headlights?
I have an AF Nikkor 300mm 2.8 ED lens that gives headlights a noticeable starburst effect and the problem is getting worse. When the lens was new (about 6 years ago), it performed flawlessly. Now starburst patterns around headlights and ditchlights seem to be larger than the locomotive itself. The effect occurs on ground level and elevated head-on shots (and even on shots that are not so head-on) at every aperature setting. And nope, I do not use a filter. Perhaps the internal elements need cleaning? Perhaps the front element needs to be replaced? I keep the lens stored in a Tundra Sea King case with foam padding and maybe out-gassing from the foam has slowly deposited a film of gunk on the elements? I sent the lens to Nikon along with several prints illustrating the problem and they said there was nothing wrong with it. Dough! Is there a cure besides buying a new lens? Anybody want to buy a telephoto lens with a built-in star filter? James Mitchell N. Canton, OH --> SPORRS: Serious Photographers of Railroad Related Subjects X-Mozilla-Status: 0001 Content-Length: 3433
