Lens Flare Colour

[Trinitrotoluene]

Hi all,

This is my first post on these forums, so be gentle! I'm hoping in time to buy a decent SLR camera and get snapping some pics which I will share with you when I do!

I digress, this question is actually unrelated to SLR cameras, but rather Lens flares. My question is this, what actually causes different colour lens flare. In this image, for example, why is the lens flare blue?

This image was captured from a video, from a data aquisition camera that is a 16mm Maurer film camera, and it looks like it was fitted with a 5mm lens.

Thanks for any advice in advance.

 

[Stevo]

White balance on the camera? I'm not really sure.

 

[DiddyDave]

That's an interesting question - while I'm sure WB has a part to play, I think it's more likely refraction of the lens and it's multi-coating that determines the colour

Good one though, and I'm sure a 'boff' will give the proper answer soon enough

 

[Trinitrotoluene]

Thanks for replies, if anyone out there can give a technical answer that would be great. Don't feel the need to dial down on the Physics involved, as I'm doing a physics degree.

 

[Ross]

For exactly the same reason that a prism produces a full spectrum of colours when held up to light, it's just the angle of refraction that causes the colour.

http://www.howstuffworks.com/question41.htm