Damaged 110mm super symmar

[Jeff_5307]

I recently came across a used Schneider 110mm super symmar XL at a very good price.At first
glance it seemed in good condition but the price made me check it a little more carefully and
then I understood why the price was so low;someone had obviously used the wrong filter and
it had come into contact with the front lens element leaving it marked.As the lens was nt in
a lens board and I was short of time I left it. However now I'm wondering if it's worth a second look.I've heard that marks or scratches are more of a problem for wide angle lens than for longer focal lengths.My question is would any problem be immediately apparent
on the GG or would it only show up when focused at a certain distance of at a certain f stop
in which case a bit more critical testing would be required on my part.Any advice appreciated.

[Graeme Hird]

You are not likely to notice any degradation of the image unless shooting into bright light, and if the mark is small, a little black ink will help . If the price was really good, I'd take it.

(And if you don't want it, send the seller my way ....)

Cheers,

[tor kviljo]

A small mark on a large front-lens as the 110 XL is probably not giving visible degradation on image at all, but even if scratches were so numerous that it gave image-degradation, you are not likely to see it on GG unless having a very smooth GG & goud loupe. On the other hand, it is easily to detect degradation by inspecting the aerial image of a detailed scene by a very strong loupe (I use a lens from a micro-fiche reader and a resolution chart from the german "Photomagazine"). What happends when front element gets heavily scratched is that contrast & resolution is reduced & image appeares more washed-out, as if much internal flare in lens. I once had a 150mm f 2.8 Sonnar for the Hasselblad 2000F. Originally a very sharp lens, but this one were totally & heavily scratched on front element, partly on rear element - looking as being transported unprotected in a pocket together with a large amount of keys & coins for a long journey (probably not a bad guess on how it happened, by the way). Lens gave very "soft" images wide open, but it still gave high-resolution imagens when closed down to f 11 & 16! This were very apparent on inspection of aerial image, and reproduced likewise on film. Thus - I wouldn't be bothered by scratches on front element - espesially on LF lenses (usually used at least stopped 2-4 stops down), but I would be very careful with in-glass imperfection on rear element as these are more likely to affect performance. On the other hand: I would have used those "large scratches" on glass for all they were worth to get price down...

[J. P. Mose]

If the price was right to begin with, you could always have the front element polished and recoated at Focal Point Lens Inc. in Colorado. It will cost you around $300. However, the lens may be fine with it as is (any effect may be negligable). Shoot a batch of test shots and find out.

[Brian Vuillemenot]

On the contrary, the resale value of the lens will be seriously affected. This lens, if bought new, has a very high resale value- I've seen it going used on E-bay for more than I paid for it new! (Of course, I bought it before the price was recently raised). Even if you get it real cheap, if you need to pay $300 for a resurfacing, that might take care of any difference. If you want a user lens, and can get a real good deal (less than 1/2 of the new price), I'd say go for it, but only if you're sure you don't want to re-sell it eventually.

[Jeff_5307]

Perhaps I should have mentioned the price so that others can judge if it is worth it.This lens
is for sale in Japan and a rough exchange rate would put it at $800( US$) so thats about half the price of a new lens from Robert White.

[Chuck_1686]

Maybe another thing. Is a great lens with some damage better then a lesser lens in perfect condition? Seems like you could get a perfect 120 wide angle for around that price. Of course if size is a factor this wouldn't help.