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Dust in new lens!


colonel

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I have seen surprisingly few of these threads

So assume either dust is not common, or its so common people don't complain

 

Basically I have just bought a new Summilux 50mm f1.4

 

There is a single piece of dust between the aperture blades and the front element. Can't say exactly where, looks about half way (depth)

 

It is also half way between the centre and the side (plain of the lens)

 

It lights up when a light source is shined in the front of the lens and can be seen when the aperture blades are closed down or open.

It is very small and can't be seen in normal light unless a bright light is aimed at the front of the lens and it is looked at at an angle.

 

If this was a nikon 50mm f1.4 I wouldn't care, but seeing as this is an expensive lens I just wondered whether its something that people generally accept around here.

 

I won't have a chance to test the lens fully for a week or so

 

Thanks in advance for your advice

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It's not sealed. Dust is a fact of life. It's all around us. Just getting it out of the box is a risk. You are generating dust all the time as your skin sloughs off. It will not show up in your pictures. Live with it. It's not another reason to beat Leica, sorry...

 

Regards,

 

Bill

Edited by bill
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It's not sealed. Dust is a fact of life. It's all around us. Just getting it out of the box is a risk. You are generating dust all the time as your skin sloughs off. It will not show up in your pictures. Live with it. It's not another reason to beat Leica, sorry...

 

Regards,

 

Bill

 

I just wanted to know whether I should exchange it

sounds like your vote is to keep

 

best rgds

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I have seen surprisingly few of these threads

So assume either dust is not common, or its so common people don't complain

 

Basically I have just bought a new Summilux 50mm f1.4

 

There is a single piece of dust between the aperture blades and the front element. Can't say exactly where, looks about half way (depth)

 

It is also half way between the centre and the side (plain of the lens)

 

It lights up when a light source is shined in the front of the lens and can be seen when the aperture blades are closed down or open.

It is very small and can't be seen in normal light unless a bright light is aimed at the front of the lens and it is looked at at an angle.

 

If this was a nikon 50mm f1.4 I wouldn't care, but seeing as this is an expensive lens I just wondered whether its something that people generally accept around here.

 

I won't have a chance to test the lens fully for a week or so

 

Thanks in advance for your advice

 

 

As it won't show in the pictures, just ignore it, there will be more dust from regular use. Just have fun with it, it is a fantastic lens.

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I have just inspected mine and no dust, none. (had it since 2010) If you do not feel satisfied - I would tell you to ask for a replacement. (and do not feel bad about this). I once took my Noctilux back because the lens hood was not flush - they replaced it.

 

The other point is - resale vale - look on eBay - usually advertise no dust/fungus etc.

 

If dust collects after you have owned it over a long period of time - well - that is your dust.

(I know is does not affect photographs - but it would drive me to distraction - I can expect that from any other camera brand - I draw a line with Leica with a Brand New Purchase.)

 

Good Luck! :)

Edited by businessasusual
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I won't have a chance to test the lens fully for a week or so

 

You are running no risk here. Check the lens thoroughly, then keep it if you are fully satisfied with what it delivers. Keep in mind that lenses do differ from sample to sample, so if your's turns out to be a stellar performer, I would not run the risk of exchanging it for another one that may not perform as good, just because there is an almost invisible dust speck in the one you have. Ultimately, any lens you use will show some dust specks on the inner lens surfaces sooner or later.

 

An additional thought: If your lens turns out to have problems, e.g. front or back focus or whatever, you will have to send it in anyway, and you can then ask them to remove the dust as well.

 

The influence of dust is generally overrated by most users. I just had an older Summilux-R lens with Leica in Solms for adjustment, and they informed me on the presence of some dust particles within the lens, but at the same time said they would not affect optical performance. I could have the lens cleaned for some extra money, but decided against it as the lens surfaces show no haze.

 

Andy

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Thanks all for your advice

I decided that the main.thing was possibly an.effect.on.resale (although I was worried about stray light flare at night)

So I swapped it at the dealer for a new sealed one, which looks good so far

Many thanks to the excellent service of R G Lewis in London.

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Small specks of dust inside the lens has almost no impact on image quality since the light is not focused.

 

Keeping the rear element clean is of much much greater importance.

On super wide angle lenses the front element should also be kept very clean of any dust or dirt since the DOF is so deep that it approaches the actual front of the lens, for a 8mm for instance, not so relevant for RF...

 

There are so many things invisible to the naked eye in a lens that have much larger impact on image quality, the shape and surface of the glass, correct coating, de-centering of elements, elements not corectly seated or not correctly tightened, shims and tolerances of all of the machined parts...

 

When you disassemble lenses like these you will find alignment markings and numbers, measurements and shims from the person building the lens, these are made during assembly and adusting of the lens and must be used as a guide when doing repair work or cleaning.

If this is not done correctly your lens will be much worse that it was with the dust.

 

A big speck of dust like 0.5mm and larger for new lenses; return to seller.

 

Old lenses can be cleaned, but if it is close to the rear element of fast lenses I would not recommend disassembly...

 

Don't attempt cleaning a lens yourself if you whish it to be completely free of dust, keeping a lens free of dust while working on it is close to impossible, let alone keeping the glass clean, except if you have access a proper 'clean room'...

 

Some lenses have groups of glass that are not meant to be taken apart after assembly...

 

The rear element of the Noct-Nikkor is such an example, not removable and all repairwork should be done by Nikon Japan due to the tight tolerances...

 

IMHO a small speck of dust is nothing to worry about :)

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