Air Bubble in Lenses

[.Hack]

Hey all, would like to check is tiny air bubbles common in lenses.
Went to look at the Nikon 17-55mm. Checked 2 copies of the lenses.
First lens, a tiny air bubble can be seen on the front elements at 17mm, second lens a tiny air bubble can be seen at 55mm.
Picture quality is not affected at all as the output is darn sharp.
Searched online and came across some websites on Leica lenses stating that the air bubbles are signs of high quality glasses.
So, what's your take on it?

 

[DonnyDan]

It is common and does not affect quality. I checked with a Nikon friend long time ago. Nothing to worry. My N17-55 and 24-70 have it too.

Btw i do not know why you can only see it when it is like 17 or 55mm. For mine it just stay on the front element no matter at which focal length.

 

[DeadEnd]

It is the characteristic for optic glass to have tiny air bubbles. If it cannot be seen under a torchlight, it is most likely to be normal glass.

 

[night86mare]

is 17-55 made in an old era? no?

http://photo.net/large-format-photography-forum/00MeOf

http://www.glennview.com/lens.htm

And, quoting from a 1919 Wollensak catalog, "Air bubbles are not, as is often thought, a defect in photographic lenses. In fact, while they are more apparent in the highest type of lens, they seldom appear in the cheaper grades. Bubbles are caused by the necessity of fusing the optical glass used in making lenses of high quality at a certain temperature, whether all bubbles have risen to the surface or not, in order to maintain certain optical properties. Such bubbles absolutely do not impair the definition or lessen the efficiency of a lens in the slightest degree."

1919..

so, whether common or not, air bubbles do not affect your glass. but they are only sign of high quality glass in OLD TIMES.

today, production techniques have improved.

 

[An drew]

is 17-55 made in an old era? no?

http://photo.net/large-format-photography-forum/00MeOf

http://www.glennview.com/lens.htm



1919..

so, whether common or not, air bubbles do not affect your glass. but they are only sign of high quality glass in OLD TIMES.

today, production techniques have improved.

Thanks for the links. So even until the 1950s it is thought that the better lenses should have bubbles. But I think it should be considered a defect nowadays with better manufacturing technology.

The paragraph below is copied from a 1951 C. P. Goerz American Optical Company catalog.

"Almost every modern anastigmat lens shows in some of its component parts minute air bells or bubbles. ... It is, however, impossible to obtain from the manufacturers of optical glass this material entirely free from bubbles: ... Their presence is rather a guatantee of quality than otherwise.

A quote from a 1937 Leitz lens manual:

"The excellent quality of our photographic lenses is due not only to progress in the art of computation and more exact methods of production, but also to the use of special kinds of glass. Maintaining the high reputation of our Works, it goes without saying that we use optical glass of the very best quality only; in spite of all technical advancement, however, it has not yet been practicable to produce glass having certain novel optical properties so as to leave it entirely free from small air bubbles. Hence, complaints as to these are not justified, since their presence in our special lenses merely indicates the use of glass with valuable physical properties. Isolated bubbles such as are allowed to pass through our controls, and have no influence whatever on the quality of the image, and the loss in light intensity is absolutely negligible."

As the glass with bubble would not be able to transmit light as designed it is definitely a defect but like dust particles it may not affect the image quality. I certainly would not accept a lens with bubbles if there are bubble-free ones.

 

[firstrazor]

Sounds like if the vagetable has worms, it means it is free from pestcide

 

[Ansel]

Sounds like if the vagetable has worms, it means it is free from pestcide

Haha...good one! :thumbsup:

 

[lsisaxon]

Sounds like if the vagetable has worms, it means it is free from pestcide

Sound like organic lenses.. Good for health, yah?

 

[nightwolf75]

oh coolz... another new condition for buy/sell from buyers - lens must be free of bubbles. :bsmilie:

 

[An drew]

oh coolz... another new condition for buy/sell from buyers - lens must be free of bubbles. :bsmilie:

unless the lens is made before 1950, then bubbles is good like worms on organic vegetables.

 

[obfuscate]

I think you are all nuts. :bsmilie: I don't for once think that there should be bubbles in lenses, it's more likely an illusion of a bubble.

 

[lsisaxon]

oh coolz... another new condition for buy/sell from buyers - lens must be free of bubbles. :bsmilie:

Should look at Carl Zeiss Jena lenses.. Free of bubbles is impossible!

 

[lsisaxon]

I think you are all nuts. :bsmilie: I don't for once think that there should be bubbles in lenses, it's more likely an illusion of a bubble.

Have you seen them yet? Leica lenses have them, Carl Zeiss lenses (Hass CF) have them, Carl Zeiss Jena lenses have lots of them, some of the older Canon FD lenses have them, a few Nikkors have them though it's less common...

 

[An drew]

is 17-55 made in an old era? no?

http://photo.net/large-format-photography-forum/00MeOf

http://www.glennview.com/lens.htm

Read the links above, bubble good, like worms on organic vegetable.

I think you are all nuts. :bsmilie: I don't for once think that there should be bubbles in lenses, it's more likely an illusion of a bubble.

 

[nightwolf75]

Should look at Carl Zeiss Jena lenses.. Free of bubbles is impossible!

oh.. i'm not questioning abt the possibility/impossibilty. i am questioning the level of potential analness among buyers, now that this has been asked. i remembered the flurry of questions asking abt shutter count some years ago... and next thing you know, now, the question abt shutter counts in buy/sell is almost a religious issue.

so... i won't be surprise, give it another couple of months, and i will see people asking whether the lens you are selling got bubbles or not...

 

[geekbrains]

Sounds like if the vagetable has worms, it means it is free from pestcide

LMAO.. a really good one

 

[wildcat]

so... i won't be surprise, give it another couple of months, and i will see people asking whether the lens you are selling got bubbles or not...

maybe B&S should change to include a new field when Selling/Buying in lens section: lens include bubbles [many / barely noticeable / only viewable using scope]

Had a good laugh on this. Thanks ;-)

 

[obfuscate]

Have you seen them yet? Leica lenses have them, Carl Zeiss lenses (Hass CF) have them, Carl Zeiss Jena lenses have lots of them, some of the older Canon FD lenses have them, a few Nikkors have them though it's less common...

No picture no talk.

 

[TheChef]

There are some who prefer their lenses to have bubbles. I once met a guy who showed me his Nikkor 135mm f2 lens. There were bubbles inside. They were very obvious. He was raving about his lens to me, that this is the first version that the current version is not as good, that many people had offered $$$ for his lens...blah blah...He took a photo using the lens on a D700. The picture looks very very sharp and bokeh is gooood. What is your take?

 

[lsisaxon]

There are some who prefer their lenses to have bubbles. I once met a guy who showed me his Nikkor 135mm f2 lens. There were bubbles inside. They were very obvious. He was raving about his lens to me, that this is the first version that the current version is not as good, that many people had offered $$$ for his lens...blah blah...He took a photo using the lens on a D700. The picture looks very very sharp and bokeh is gooood. What is your take?

Just like dust particles in the lens, they have only a tiny effect on the picture quality. What is the area compared to the entire piece of glass? I just realised there were 5 or 6 bubbles in one of the element of my Nikkor 85/1.4 and I thought it would be rare. I haven't thought about how best to take a picture of the bubbles in answer to #18 though.. They might just show up as black dots because you really need to tilt to see the bubble surface changing.