Topic: Lenses, scratches, and you

[02Pilot]

I know we're not all as finicky about our lenses being pristine as, say, the people over at the Leica forums, but nonetheless I suspect the idea of a less-that-perfect lens is still a bit distressing to some of us. How will I ever be able to take sharp photos with dust, dirt, cleaning marks or (horrors!) a genuine scratch on my lens?

Well, before you spend any more time stressing over that nasty little mark you just discovered on your favorite lens or the pieces of dust that somehow found their way between optical blocks, I suggest you read this: http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2008/10/front-element-scratches

(I know this is an old article that some may have seen before, but it might be interesting for those who haven't, and perhaps a good reminder for those who have.)

[Indofunk]

Thanks for the link! I know we talked about this last week, but I totally forgot to look up the images And let's all agree to discount the last image, I mean who uses autofocus?

[hookstrapped]

Thanks for that.  Do you know of any similar tests or discussion about the effect of fungus on inner elements?

[mcduff]

Ya I remember seeing this a while back. I remember seeing it referenced in one of those rather intense discussions on one of the forums where people quickly establish patronizing tones with each other the funny think was that it was being used by both sides of the argument. I think it was one of those all-too-frequent "should you protect your expensive lens with a $30 filter?" debates.

Hookstrapped, while closer the defects get to the film plane the more the defects matter (I was always told a scratch on the back of the lens was a disaster), I have had repairmen tell me not to worry about a lot of defects in the inner elements.

I wild love to see some tests tho.

[Late Developer]

When I first started taking photos, one of my main subjects was motorcycle speedway. Two teams, one track - about 400 metres long, 4 riders to a race, lots of cinders flying, 500cc single cylinder, run on ethanol, no brakes, skid round corners and lots of crashes.

I had an old 35mm Edixa with a WLF, 50mm lens and a 300mm f5.6 "Prinzflex" which was pretty crap - but all I could afford. I wasn't sufficiently savvy to put filters on the front of lenses as a teenager and, as a result of repeated exposure to the speedway track (or at least part of it) hitting the front element of my lens, it got badly scratched but still kept producing half-decent shots.  However, eventually it got so full of crud that the focusing became completely jammed and I couldn't get a bean for it and threw it away.

Which sort of brings me to my point. I like lenses which have flawless glass and mechanics - especially if it's an auto focus lens (yes, I use them).  I'm less exacting about the cosmetics (within reason) but I expect lenses for which I've paid good money to work as they are intended and have some residual value if I decide to sell or trade them.

Maybe that's why I've owned a couple of Leicas down the years......

[Francois]

My own vanity makes me love to look at my own reflection in my lenses. You can't do that when they're all scratched-up 

(I just couldn't resist this Miss Piggy moment  )

[Aksel]

Elmarit-M 90mm E46, don´t like looking at the sun, but neither does the M4 curtains.  Everything else is fine.  Best buy I ever did 

[Francois]

I'm actually pretty good with my lenses when it comes to scratches. I take good enough care of them to avoid that. I've got only one with a not so bad scratch on it.
For me, the worse is dust, dirt and smudges. I don't know how all that dust gets in there!

[Rafael Morales]

It's fungus that makes me sad here in Florida.   

[SLVR]

Aksel, that lens looks terrible!! 

my lenses are pristine and I plan on buying them and maintaining them that way. But thats just me.

[02Pilot]

Don't get me wrong - I like nice clean lenses as much as the next person. I think I might actually break down if anything happened to my lovely Canon 50/1.5 LTM. But knowing that a little scratch here or some dust there isn't going to make much difference makes it a lot easier to buy stuff sight unseen or happily use some of the less-than-perfect pieces in my collection without undue concern about the results. It also makes me appreciate the value of a lens hood that much more.

[Indofunk]

I am overly cavalier with my lenses. I wipe the front with my tshirt all the time, I throw lenses haphazardly into my bag, if I hear one lens hit another one, I just shrug it off with an "oh well"... but I even treat my horns (my primary pride & source of income) with the same cavalier-ness. I'm just a sloppy, non-caring person in general  I mean, it's only equipment, right?  tone is in the fingers/photos are in the eye?

[02Pilot]

Thanks for that.  Do you know of any similar tests or discussion about the effect of fungus on inner elements?

I don't know of any tests on internal fungus. However, I do know from personal experience that even persistent fungus can be removed with a liberal application of moisturizing hand cream. Yes, really. Just slather it on, wait 5 or 10 minutes, wipe off, and then clean the lens as normal. If the glass is etched, well, there's nothing to be done about that, but the fungus will be gone. I've revived several lenses this way with excellent results.

[Late Developer]

It's also possible to kill off fungus by putting the lens into bright sunlight - as fungus can only survive in dark, moist places.

[02Pilot]

It's also possible to kill off fungus by putting the lens into bright sunlight - as fungus can only survive in dark, moist places.

Sunlight will kill it and stop it from spreading, but it won't remove it. Whether it's worth digging into a lens for a physical clean-up is going to be case-specific, of course.

[Bryan]

It's also possible to kill off fungus by putting the lens into bright sunlight - as fungus can only survive in dark, moist places.

Sunlight will kill it and stop it from spreading, but it won't remove it. Whether it's worth digging into a lens for a physical clean-up is going to be case-specific, of course.

I've read that a mix of hydrogen peroxide and ammonia will kill and remove mold.  I have a Kern Switar lens for one of my 8mm cine cameras that I sent in to have cleaned and repaired, I can't even see where the mold was.  I have another with mold off to the side that does not affect the image.  I left it out in the sunlight to kill the mold.

[02Pilot]

It's also possible to kill off fungus by putting the lens into bright sunlight - as fungus can only survive in dark, moist places.

Sunlight will kill it and stop it from spreading, but it won't remove it. Whether it's worth digging into a lens for a physical clean-up is going to be case-specific, of course.

I've read that a mix of hydrogen peroxide and ammonia will kill and remove mold.  I have a Kern Switar lens for one of my 8mm cine cameras that I sent in to have cleaned and repaired, I can't even see where the mold was.  I have another with mold off to the side that does not affect the image.  I left it out in the sunlight to kill the mold.

I don't doubt there are many treatments that will kill fungus, but the beauty of the hand cream method is that the potential for unwanted side effects in the rest of the lens is essentially zero. First time I tried it I was startled by how well it worked.

[Francois]

I've never had a lens with fungus. But after the last flood, I used a very liberal amount of a stuff called Concrobrium Mold Control. It's made for killing fungus on wood and other porous surfaces. I sprayed some on plastic vapor barrier that had some black mold on it and it just slipped right off.

If I had a lens with fungus, I'd be tempted to use the leftovers.