Help!!! What’s this on my D810 NEF files??...

[Patrick Berg-Pedersen]

#2 has a big dust spot but that is likely not the issue as I am sure you are familir with those. In #1 there are some subtle vertical stripes/color variations. The strange thing is I see a tendendy for this in #2 but then the stripes are still vertical in the image and not related to the apparent orientation of the sensor. Not sure about #3. That makes me wonder if there is something about the location. The sky sometimes is sensitive to what happens on the ground, for instance in the arctic, the sky over open water is known to have a darker color than the that over ice.  It might be a long shot, but could be a similar effect of land v.s sea. In other words, to rule out the location, do you have images from a completely different site showing the same?
(Edited in parallel with Bent's message).

Edit: To rule of the processing side could you try a straight JPG conversion in Capture NX-D or ViewNX-i ?
Edit2: I  now see the stripes are extending down into the sea so the land-sea hypothesis effect on the sky is not supported.

Øivind; I’m going to download Capture NX-D and View NX-i to my Mac now. So to see if I’ll get the same vertical magenta/red “stripes” there. Then I know the issue!
The dust spots I just didn’t bother to remove since I just wanted to show you guys these strange artifacts! 😉😊😊👍🏼👍🏼

[MFloyd]

Maybe make the original NEF available (from the first picture, for example) and I have a try with my Lr Classic CC and Macbook Pro.

[Patrick Berg-Pedersen]

Definitely the filter!

Erik!!!!!!! YOU WERE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT!!!!! It was the GND 6 (with Very Hard graduation) a new filter from my sponsor, LEE Filters.. I laid the filter on a white paper and it is FULL of stripes, even at the bottom there’s a really huge one going this time horizontally!!

So thank you Erik, for making me look properly into this !!! I’d better call them right away!

THANKS SO MUCH!!

It’s sad though because I can’t use these images! I would really like to, but not when they have these stripes!!
But, I cannot thank you enough!!!!🙏🙏🙏😊😊😊👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼🙋🏻‍♂️🙋🏻‍♂️🙋🏻‍♂️🙋🏻‍♂️😍😍😍🙏🙏🙏😊😊😁😁😁😄😆

[Les Olson]

I think it is an optical illusion.  Neurons in the retina have what is called lateral inhibition: they are inhibited when adjacent neurons fire.  So a neuron that looks at the centre of a bright patch is inhibited relative to a neuron that looks at a dark-light interface because the neuron at the interface is inhibited on one side instead of both. The result is edge enhancement, but when adjacent areas have only slightly different luminance you see illusory darker and lighter bands where the areas meet. This causes Mach bands (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mach_bands) and the Cornsweet Illusion and I think that is what we are all seeing.

If you cover up one edge of one of the dark bands with a piece of paper the other edge disappears.   

[Patrick Berg-Pedersen]

Ok guys, Erik solved the problem!!!
It was my GND Filter, when I look at it with my eyes I can clearly see the “stripes” are on the filter! On the bottom at the clear side of the GND it also has a huge horizontally “stripe” it really looks awful and I cannot understand why I didn’t see this before I used it! Luckily this was one of my first times using the new very hard grad GND 0.6 !

Thanks Erik and you all, for helping me out!! I appreciate each and one of you!!

I love this community!!😊🙏👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼🙋🏻‍♂️🙋🏻‍♂️🙋🏻‍♂️😍😍‼️

[Jakov Minić]

Erik has become Dr Lens + Filter

Glad the mystery is solved!

[MFloyd]

....
It was my GND Filter, when I look at it with my eyes I can clearly see the “stripes” are on the filter! On the bottom at the clear side of the GND it also has a huge horizontally “stripe” it really looks awful and I cannot understand why I didn’t see this before I used it! Luckily this was one of my first times using the new very hard grad GND 0.6 !...

Hi Patrick. Will you return the lens filter to the manufacturer ?

[Andrea B.]

Adding a bit of noise in Photoshop can often mitigate the appearance of banding-type artifacts. Ann might have some details on the best settings, so I suggest asking her. If this works, then you would be able to use your photos.

[pluton]

I also believe that the artifacts comes from the Mac processing of the image. Like it doesn’t find a proper new codec for the D810.
Only the vertical shot is edited, the two others are just saved unedited to show you guys this!

Just for clarity, if you are using Lightroom to open, view, and 'Develop' the files, the Mac raw converter is not involved.

[Steven Paulsen]

You may be getting some light bounce between the lens' elements, filter &/or sensor, producing the odd stripes. You stated this happened with different cameras. Perhaps, were you using the same glass stack, (lens) that picked up the undesired stuff.

Nonetheless, great images. Whenever I clean a mirror or the back window of my home, I seem only to focus on the spot that I missed.

[Patrick Berg-Pedersen]

Hi Patrick. Will you return the lens filter to the manufacturer ?

LEE Filters are my main sponsor, and I recently received a whole bunch of new filters for the SW-150 MkII system, which is designed to use with ultra wide lenses. In comparison to the most used filter range, the 100mm system which measures 100x100mm and the GND’s measures 100X150mm, the graduated filters for the SW-150 are 150x170mm and the Little Stopper, Big Stopper, and the Super Stopper, Polariser and so on, are 150x150mm.
The filter I used on these shots were actually a GND Hard grad 6, not a Very Hard Grad, as I believe I wrote yesterday. And this is one of my most used GND’s on the 100mm system, luckily I haven’t used this one much on the SW-150 system yet, I’ve used the medium grad 6 and the very hard grad 6 and 9 a lot.
I’ll take a picture of the filter used on the images shown in this post in a couple of hours to show you how contaminated it is, I haven’t received any reply from LEE Filters yet, but I guess I’ll have a phone call during the day. I’ll keep you all posted.
But I have to say, I’ve used A LOT of LEE Filters the past years and this one is the ONLY filter I’ve gotten that has this issue.

I have to thank you all, for all your help, and again I cannot say how much this Nikongear site is guiding me and helping me on my way!! Thanks all ‼️🙏🙏🙏🙋🏻‍♂️🙋🏻‍♂️🙋🏻‍♂️👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[MFloyd]

Thank you for the answer. I'm still surprised by the utilisation of physical filters; I stopped using these since I switched to digital; and solved most of the issues by bracketing and / or post-processing. The only case I would envisage filters is for long exposures. But I'm certainly missing something 😊

[Erik Lund]

You may be getting some light bounce between the lens' elements, filter &/or sensor, producing the odd stripes. You stated this happened with different cameras. Perhaps, were you using the same glass stack, (lens) that picked up the undesired stuff.

Nonetheless, great images. Whenever I clean a mirror or the back window of my home, I seem only to focus on the spot that I missed.

Yes, it can also leak in through the eyepiece if it's not covered,,,

[David H. Hartman]

I'm late joining this discussion but my guess is the problem is caused by digitally induced reactionary technology. This problem is seldom seen if one's lens is not stopped down below f/8.0.

Dave Hartman

[Patrick Berg-Pedersen]

I'm late joining this discussion but my guess is the problem is caused by digitally induced reactionary technology. This problem is seldom seen if one's lens is not stopped down below f/8.0.

Dave Hartman

In this case, Erik has the correct answer (again). After talking to my contact at LEE Filters I’ve now gotten six new filters, because I found these red stripes on 6 of my GND’s. LEE Filters said that their technician had seen some familiar issues after they released the very first batch of the Field Pouch. The technician said the pouch insert had some color contamination that could color the filters.. I don’t think this is the issue here though.. Because the stripes were going not only vertical but also horizontal.

On my landscape shots I use f14 and 16 mostly, it works without too much diffraction on the 14-24 2.8.

About the light leaks;
On my 17-35 2.8 I had to cover the entire lens, as the focal window let so much light in, we have to remember that most (or all) lenses are NOT made particularly for LE photography, so a (f.i.) five minute exposure WILL without covering the lens (and of course the viewfinder), will be totally ruined by light leaks. That said, I don’t cover the 14-24 2.8 (Nikon, of course..), it just don’t leak, but then again, my longest exposure until now with the 14-24 are around 15 minutes in dim light..

In one of my next posts I’ll show you our new Reversed GND filters. And the new IRND PRO Glass series, which needs absolutely no color correction. One of these are 15 Stops, and I can’t wait to try them out myself.
Here’s a “teaser” for you; If the camera meter says 1/2000, with the 15 Stop filter it’ll be 15 seconds!!! 1/30 in camera = 16 minutes, 1 sec= 8hours, 32 mins, 2 sec= 17 hours, 4 mins!!! (And I got two 15 Stop filters, wonder how that will turn out...🤪😊😉