Scratches on a brass lens

[Takizawa]

Hello All,
I purchased a lens on EB*Y (not for a huge amount of money) and noticed the lens has more than a few surface scratches to the glass. While the listing picture was not too off, the description stated "clean glass". Am I wrong to complain to the seller? And when taking photos, are multiple surface scratches likely to have an impact on a photo? I'm speaking in general here based on your own experience with this type of situation.

Thanks! Michael

[Alan Gales]

I'm no lens expert but from my understanding it is better to have a lens scratched on the front element over the rear element. It is better to have scratches along the edges instead of towards the center of the element.

Scratches can cause lens flare which degrades your image. If you use a scratched lens you need to shade it really well.

A "clean glass" lens to me means no scratches.

[Alan Gales]

You know Michael, this kind of stuff ticks me off. I'm a small time Ebay Seller (not a power seller) and I have sold tons of used camera gear including lenses. If I say in my auction that a lens has clean glass then I mean it looks like new. If the glass even has a coating mark I mention it.

Sorry about my rant.

Alan

[Takizawa]

Thanks Alan. In a way I started to question myself.. wondering if there could be multiple interpretations to 'clean glass'. But you're right, a not-too-subtle detail like scratching should have been noted in the description.

Michael

[jcoldslabs]

I recently bought a lens that had a significant 2mm scratch right in the center of the front element that was not visible in the auction listing photos. I complained to the seller and he gave me the option to return it or keep it at a steep discount. I ended up keeping it more to save on return shipping than anything, but I have used it a few times and it's OK. Stopped all the way down there are some "halo" flare artifacts from the scratch, but closer to wide open it looks fine. I figure it will be good for portraits but not landscapes.

Jonathan

[jnantz]

i'd say something to the seller, and
if you use the lens and the scratch bothers you
get some india ink and fill it , and use a sun shade
you will be fine ..

[Jody_S]

This is the sort of thing that gives fleabay a bad name. Yes, please do complain. You could argue that 'clean glass' means that he wiped it before taking his photos, but in the context of a photographic lens, that is clearly not the intended meaning. Scratches on a lens, no matter if the seller thinks it's only to put on a shelf, need to be disclosed.

[lenser]

Yes, contact the seller and see what can be done, but also note that unless you have a light source shining on the front of the lens, you may never notice any image problems. Just as an example, I bought a 135mm bellows nikkor, usually a pretty costly lens, for a song due to a large (1cm) and deep scratch on the front element. As a precaution, I used a black Sharpie on the scratch and then cleaned the residue off the glass. All my images done with it thus far have been absolutely fine. the theory behind the Sharpie is that it colors all surfaces within the scratch so that they do not flare. So far, so good, but I still keep direct light away from the lens surface.

[C. D. Keth]

It sounds misrepresented. That being said, I have a favorite old cooke cine lens that has a cracked front element. Not scratched, cracked. If I took it out of the housing it would fall in two pieces. I can't tell that it has had any visible effect on negatives as long as I shade it well from stray light hitting it directly.

[Alan Gales]

I like Cooke lenses. I bet you've made some really nice images with it, Chris!

[Steven Tribe]

A clean glass to me is one that has no dust/fly specks etc.

Unless the lister is a professional, when you can expect it to be something slightly less OK than "good glass". It is surprising that listers who have sold dozens of lenses can't be bothered to start with a description at the front surface and then go systematically through to the rear surface. Hopefully, the condition paragraph will eventually get more people to be systematic.