Polka dot flares are not something I expected to encounter after years of shooting directly into the sun. While testing an unreleased lens on my Leica CL, I noticed a series of organised red circular flare patterns appearing only at smaller apertures. Curious about the cause, I compared results across multiple cameras and formats, eventually tracing the behaviour to sensor design and on-sensor phase detection. This post documents that accidental discovery and what I learned f

I guess now I like the idea of how shadow throws an image into ambiguity. You see it but you don't.

Atypical Observation in Hong Kong shot with Leica CL and Canon 5D IV and post processed with the latest technique.