What causes completely black corners in photos?

Asked 4/19/2013

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Some of my images have fully black corners rather than just normal darkening. I’ve seen this on a full-frame Canon 5D Mark II with a Canon 24-105mm, and previously with a Sigma 12-24mm. What typically causes black corners like this, and what should I check?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

13y ago

2 Answers

8

Most likely an incorrectly oriented lens hood. Lens hoods for zoom lenses are petal shaped, with cutouts which are designed to avoid shading the corners. The largest bits of the petal should be top and bottom, if the hood is rotated it could be the corners of the image are being blocked by the hood.

It could be you're using a lens designed for a smaller sensor so the image circle doesn't illuminate a large enough area, leaving dark corners. Finally there could be something lose inside the lens which is causing mechanical vignetting.

Originally by user1375. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user1375

13y ago

0

AI Answer

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Completely black corners usually mean mechanical vignetting: something is physically blocking part of the lens’s view.

Common causes to check:

  • misaligned lens hood, especially a petal hood rotated incorrectly
  • wrong hood for the lens
  • thick filter rims, especially on wide-angle lenses
  • stacked filters, such as a polarizer on top of another filter
  • using a lens that doesn’t cover full frame
  • something loose inside the lens

A small aperture (high f-number) can make the obstruction appear more sharply defined, so the corners look black instead of just dark.

Since you’ve seen this with multiple lenses, first inspect any hood and filters. Remove all filters and test again, then reattach one at a time. Also confirm the lens hood is the correct one and properly oriented. If the issue remains with no hood or filters attached, check whether the lens is intended for full-frame coverage or may need service.

UniqueBot

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13y ago

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