Lens coating damage

[Steve Clark]

Is a damaged coating on a lens still better than no coating at all?

[Jim Galli]

YES. The way I understand from what I've read assuming the glass surfaces are good whatever the gain from the coating will only be lost in a percentage equal to the amount of the surface damaged. So if the coating is 10% damaged you're down 10% in whatever the gain from the coating was. Overall percent can be very low. People who obsess over perfection are suffering from a far greater % loss than a little coating damage. But that will never change.

[Mark Sawyer]

What Jim said, and it's a wonderful thing! I've bought a couple of great lenses quite cheaply because they had very minor flaws (maybe 0.001%) in the coating only. Could never have afforded them otherwise...

[John Kasaian]

What Jim said....and don't used vodka to clean your lens when out in the field, even if its the only thing handy!;-)

[Chris Gittins]

Geez, I'd think vodka would be pretty good for lens cleaning. Seriously. 20-40% ethanol in water? I'd think that would work pretty well. Except, of course, that there may be far better uses for it than removing crud...

[Jim Rice]

But what about sour mash?

[Chris Gittins]

Actually, I think Everclear is what you want for lens cleaning. The "better uses" issue remains however.

[Steve Clark]

Thanks, I enjoyed the answers! This isn`t one of those things where I`m obsessed with a little damage. I have a lens that some bonehead left their permanent fingerprint covering the entire inside of the rear of the front cell. I was thinking of removing the coating entirely if that would improve things. If somes better than none, so be it...