Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/08/30
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The flashlight bit can spot fog, fungus & just plain dirt but it also is
misused by foreign buyers at camera shows to down price your lens.
No camera repair person can duplicate the ultra-clean atmosphere
that lens manufacturers spend thousands of dollars to obtain.
The tiny motes of lint that you find in a "just cleaned lens" usually
has no effect what so ever on lens performance.
The few top notch lens repair people come close, but I have never
seen a "cleaned" lens that appeared as factory clean. I know that
this will be disputed but that is my experience. If you wear glasses,
try the flashlight on them & ask yourself if it faults your vision.
*********************************Marvin
Moss********************************
In a message dated 97-08-30 23:57:03 EDT, you write:
<<
David W. Almy wrote:
>
> All,
>
> Following up on a previous (old) posting, suggest you do the following,
> which I did the other day:
>
> 1. Assemble all your lenses in a dark room, the darker the better.
> 2. Find a good flashlight, the brighter the better.
> 3. Set each lens to their largest aperture, shine the flashlight up into
> the lenses as you watch off-center from the other end.
> 4. Prepare to be startled.
>
> Now, I know many of you have been doing this for years, in search of fog
> and fungus in 40 year old glass, but I (in 25 picture-taking years) had
> never attempted it before, so was in for a shock. The dust resident
> inside all of my lenses (Nikon and Leica) ranged from minimal to
> frightening. Even my new 100 APO was filled with flecks of dust, and
> it's brand new, with ROM chip. My mint, used 180 2.0 has a center
> element with light circular haze/fog/cleaning marks off to one side. My
> 20-35 Nikkor zoom has a mildly fogged center element.
>
> My question are these:
>
> 1. Jeeez!! Is this normal?!
>
> 2. How clean, really, is clean? Should I see ANYTHING but glass
> reflections, or does everything I own have to go to Sherry for
> disassembly?
>
> 3. To what degree does what's on the lens elements significantly affect
> their optical performance?
>
> Sober (for now) in Maryland, I remain, sincerely,
>
> David W. Almy
David,
1. Don't ever go in the darkroom with your lenses and a flashlight
again.
2. I think Sherry's busy enough.
3. Have a beer for every speck of dust you think you saw.
You'll be fine.
Colin
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