In article <33856052.329E@ra.msstate.edu>, sgr1@ra.msstate.edu says...
>Steve Roberts wrote:

>> I have noticed on pictures that I take at night, I sometimes get
>> strange little spots at the top of the print that roughely correspond to
>> lights on the horizon at the bottom of the print. I have also noticed
>> that this condition gets less noticeable as I stop down the lens. It is
>> definetly worst when shooting wide open. The lens is a Vivitar
>> 70-210/4.5 Macro and camera is F3HP. What is this phenomenon called?
>> Is it more common with cheaper lenses than with manufacturers lenses?
>>
>> I would appreciate any help with this, I have had some really nice
>> prints spoiled by this effect. Also, I just remembered this, I had a UV
>> filter attached (habit I guess). Could the solution be as simple as
>> removing the UV filter? If so, would this account for the dependence on
>> apeture size? -Thanks.

> I am the original poster of this question. Several people have told
>me now that what I observed was called "Flare". I recently had a 28mm
>lens that was bad about producing an area in the center of the frame
>that appeared to be "lighter" than the surrounding area (in normal
>daylight shooting). Some of the color and detail was lost from the
>center of the picture. It was not extremely noticeable until I compared
>shots of identical subjects taken with another 28mm in a side by side
>comparison. I thought that this "hot spot" in the center of the frame
>was called lens flare. What I observed at night was very different in
>that separate distinct spots were formed along the top of my prints (as
>opposed to a whole area being slighty washed out). I don't mean to be
>nit picking, I'm just trying to learn the jargon so when I read lens
>tests or reviews, I know what I'm reading. Again, thanks to all who
>have responded. -Sincerely, Steve Roberts

What you described is not what I would call flare (a diffuse spill of light
across the image from a bright source within or without the frame), nor is
it necessarily caused by reflections off the filter (a 100-500mm Cosina
zoom that I have also does it, making an otherwise good lens useless for
night shooting, with or without the filter). Call it "internal lens
reflections", for want of a better term...;-)
"Hope This Helps", "Bob Neuman", David Ruether
http://www.fcinet.com/ruether