Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2008/11/24
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Maybe the previous owner was oppressing poor village folk in Mexico! Cheers Geoff http://www.pbase.com/hoppyman/e http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/gh/ Pick up your camera and make the best photo you can. -----Original Message----- From: lug-bounces+hoppyman=bigpond.net.au@leica-users.org [mailto:lug-bounces+hoppyman=bigpond.net.au@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of David Rodgers Sent: Tuesday, 25 November 2008 02:18 To: Leica Users Group Subject: RE: [Leica] forget about coatings, how about them scratches... I once purchased a used 60/4 Distagon (Hasselbald). The front element looked like someone had taken a diamond to it. A "Z" 2 inches across was etched into the front element. It didn't appear to be accidental. I surmised that some photographer angered a wife, girlfriend, spouse, significant other, or model (perhaps one in the same) and that person took a ring or earring to the lens. The lens was cheap ($300 back when they were going for $1,500 used) and aside from the scratch, mint, so I chanced it. I tried everything to see if I could make the defect show up. Yet no sign image degradation whatsoever. That included things like min and max focus at an empty sky, shooting directly at strobes, etc, etc. Even though I proved to myself that it wouldn't be a hindrance, I still couldn't stand it so I sent it to Hasselblad to see about a new front element. They said they could only repair it if they had the correct replacement element. Glass in lenses -- or so I was told -- was matched and they only made a certain number of extra elements for each batch of lenses. Lucky for me they had the right element. It was $150 to repair (early 90's). I probably spend more on film testing the lens than that. When Hasselblad repair returned my lens they mistakenly sent me a brand new 120 Makro Planar CF/T, a lens I wanted but couldn't' afford at the time. When I called they apologized. I said, "No apology needed if I can just keep it and we call it even!" Alas, it was hard shipping off the 120, but the 60 served me well for many years. DaveR