Scratches on lens

[weixiang80]

Hi...

Would like to ask CSer tolerance level on scratches and dust on the optics of the DSLR...

like the lens, viewfinder, mirror and so on..........

do you guys always clear away the dust on these? and if there are scratches (although no effect on the pic for naked eye) , what you all do?

 

[kingcrab]

If it is dust should be ok ba at least for me I wouldn't do anything. If it is fungus I will get it cleaned straight away else it may spread. Any fungus is bad even if you are able to clean it off as it will eat in to the coating on the lens. Scratches are the worse as I don't think there are anything you can do to remove them. If you are able to tolerate the scratches then good but you may still run in to problems when you try to sell it later.

 

[giantcanopy]

Dusts are often not big an issue since they hardly impact the image ( and they are less visible if they reside in the front of the optical element compared to the rear ) , and older lenses especially zooms accrue them over the years of usage. Before you check for them, remember to clean off the dust particles on the surfaces of the lens first.

Damaged lens coatings. Frequent abrasive cleaning with improper solvents or a contusion can cause the special multicoatings of the lens to come off, and this is often pretty obvious by varying the viewing light by various angles. Depending on the severity of coating loss, you may get more flaring.

Fine scratches usually do not impose too big an impact on the image quality. However a collective area of fine abrasive marks can significantly soften the area of the image with poor contrast. Avoid those with deep obvious impressions. I would avoid any marks of any kind. Remember that these marks will affect your resale of the lens.

Do look out for other issues like
- fungus, autofocusing focusing mechanism, Aperture blades ..
- physical problems like - filter thread damages, focusing, zoom creep ..

Ryan