Lens Flare (Pan. DMC-TZ5)

I am used to lens flare from the sun in SLR cameras and know how to block it out, however I am now discovering on my brand new digital Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 (P&S camera) a horrible unsatisfactory ability to manage lens flare or even the option of placing my hand above the lens to block it out.
IT is appearing in unsightly bars of light across the frame and no amount of blocking is getting rid of it.

I am wondering if this is normal to small point and shoot cameras or only to this brand/model of camera? I owned an olypmus before and didn't have this problem.
Is it because of the large LCD? I even had it all the way through my videos too.

I have two days left to return this camera - if the prob. is camera specific. Please
let me know your exp with shooting in full sun.

Hi,

My camera also shows vertical purple bars of light when the lens is pointed at a strong light source, such as the sun or a lamp.

These purple bars usually do not show in the picture.:) When taking videos, the flare IS recorded.:(
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Flare is caused by light reflections within the lens, some lenses are better at eliminating flare than others are. This is due to the quality of the optics and multi-coated layers over the lens elements.

Thank you so much for this confirmation AMDA.
Yes I checked and you're right - the stills did not record the flare, only the VIDEO.
WEIRD. Good to know. I do like this little camera and didn't really want to return it.
Strange that a Leica lens and €350 P&S camera cannot handle the flare.

This bar flare is actually called "vertical smear". It occurs when using a camera that has a CCD sensor.

Cameras with CMOS chips shouldn't have this problem.

Check this link for more information about vertical smear.
(Scroll down to near the end of the article).
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Hazy-looking flare is due to light reflections in the lens.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by A.M.D.A.

This bar flare is actually called "vertical smear". It occurs when using a camera that has a CCD sensor.

Cameras with CMOS chips shouldn't have this problem.

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That's an interesting bit of information I'd never heard. Thanks for posting that. And thanks for answering the question. I see the bars of flare on compact camera LCDs all the time. But I learned a long time ago to ignore them because they never show up in the actual image.