I think in regard to lens flare, the effect that people really want is that of a star filter on a light source. We often tend to use a simulated lens flare which has components due to the multiple lens components individual reflections/artifacts. I would love to find a good digital equivalent of a star filter! Lin, lens flare is a lighting artifact experienced with less than great lenses. A camera lens is not a singlr optical component but a stacked series. When you shine a strong light into this set of components you get (due to refraction) secondary areas of illumination due to the individual components not all working just so together. It is NOT an indication of professionalism! This is why I suspect people would want the star filter. This usually is pattern etched single filter at the front of the lens which will flare the strong light intoo a radial star pattern. There are no other artifacts with this (when done with a good lens). DOF is Depth of Field, Due to the size of the shutter's apperature, when open, light physics dictates what range of distance from the lens is in focus. This effect can be used to isolate an object of attention from a background as a valid technique. However, for most images, where the object of interest and background are at approximately the same distances, this should not be apparent. Miden - the toy effect may be due to the loss of visual connection with the setting the object of interest is situated in. To my mind this is a prime example of the dangers associated with DOF usage. Bryce in many ways is a virtual camera (IMHO) and I tend to try and use it like one. Richard

Pass no temptation lightly by, for one never knows when it may pass again!