My *&#@%$ 80mm lens fell

[Harley Goldman]

My Schneider 80mm SS XL fell off the front of my Arca yesterday, right onto a bunch of rocks. It must not have been clipped in completely. It could have been far worse, but it ended up with a pit on the front element about 1/8 inch in diameter, about 3/8 inch from center.

I have a call into Schneider's repair center in Van Nuys, but the service rep, John Sioringas, is on vacation this week. I want to see what my repair options are and how much it might run me.

I am thinking that I could get away with it on a longer lens, but on a wide angle, the ding is going to cause image problems. Flare is the most obvious problem, but I am concerned it would be detectable in larger prints.

Any opinions on repairs or image issues? Trying to get some info to help with my damage assessment.

Fortunately, it is not my most used lens, but it sure is nice to have when I need it.

Thanks

[Doug Dolde]

Ouch ! I feel your pain. I had that happen to my 110mm SS XL but I had a Lee adapter ring on it. It just dented the rear filter ring which I bent back. Can't use it for rear filters then I never did anyway.

I can't imagine trying to use a lens with a glass chip though. Bet the repair price is small compared to the price of buying a new one.

[Brian Sims]

Yikes! After an accident like that:

Step 1. Consume a significant portion of a bottle of scotch (or some other significant vice if you don't drink).

Step 2. Call your insurance agent. Some homeowner policies will cover accidents like this, especially if you've been with the same company for a long time and haven't made lots of claims ($1,500 for them is nothing and would probably buy your loyalty for many years).

Step 3. Photograph the damaged lens in adverse environments (half submerged in sand with crashing wave, touching hot lava, tied to a string on the back of a just married limo), call it "postmodern photography" and try to sell enough prints to buy a new lens.

[Donald Qualls]

Well, or fill in the ding with India ink and shoot a few sheets to see what it actually does to your image quality when you eliminate direct scattering by the damaged portion of the glass.

In theory, removal of any glass should result in stress relief that will result in changing the contour of the glass near the ding, but in practice, the results are often undetectable once you eliminate direct scattering...

[Richard Wasserman]

I sympathize. I had someone on a bicycle run into my tripod and knock the camera over which of course landed directly on my 110mm Super Symmar, which was totaled. My homeowners insurance bought me a new one and then informed me that they wouldn't pay a claim like that again.

I would try Donald's idea with the India ink-you have nothing to lose and it just might work. Good luck

Why are all the damaged lens stories so far all Super Symmars? Do they have a weird sense of gravity or something?

[Ernest Purdum]

There is another factor with dropped lenses. The glass may be "strained" which affects image quality. The test is to examine it betseen crossed polarizers. Strain shows up as a pattern which rotates along with the lens.

[Andrew O'Neill]

The same thing happened to me twice. Once with a nikkor W210, and once with SW120. The 210 fell and I managed to catch it with my foot which totally amazed me. I wasn't so lucky with the 120. I was in a mine tunnel and pointed the camera down. One minute the coal car tracks were there on the gg and then there was all this blurry light...followed by a thud on the rail balast. The front element had two nicks but luckily off centre.

[erie patsellis]

harley,
If you dont' have insurance, just ink it and give it a shot, you may be pleasently surprised.


erie

[cyrus]

As a sailor, I have a golden rule - everything must be tied down. Why not put a lanyard around the lens to prevent this sort of thing?

[Ash]

How did this happen in the first place?!?!

I don't even know how a lens could shift from my cameras...but is it because I have much older woodies, and the lenses are held in place like they were never going to be removed??

I was trying to put a 4x5 spring back together the other day, cracked the GG. One of the screws is in too tight to remove too