No, Daily Mail, they are not super intelligent ghosts

It’s very annoying when the tiny focal length of a compact digital camera, combined with a flash close to the lens, creates little circles of light from out of focus particles in the air. Aside from the proximity of the flash I suspect the depth of field is a key element, dependent on the aperture sizes available on various digital compacts and the size of their CCD sensor. But I’m no expert. I think that’s a logical explanation for ghost ‘orbs’. Rather than this madness. In the case of 35mm film cameras what’s the bet they’re using a 50mm or less with a small aperture? It would be interesting to experiment with the effect - it’s probably difficult to reproduce with a decent film camera or DSLR - so novel effects may be found that professionals haven’t used. For instance using a large cardboard box with the top and bottom removed as a frame with various thin fishing wire grids with tiny reflective objects at intersections. Shooting through it with the flash.

Don’t the Daily Mail employ professional photographers? Couldn’t they have asked one? Ask yourself those questions and more when you read this.

Picked up on via the Bad Science forums.