tabularasa Posted February 25, 2019 Share #1 Posted February 25, 2019 (edited) Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi, This is my first post in this forum. I've recently purchased this used 35mm Summilux ASPH FLE, and upon some flashlight inspection, I found out lots of dust behind the front element (I think it's behind the front element since I cleaned it with both dry and wet methods multiple times already) , see pic attached. I don't know if such things are normal, do they look like haze? I also found out my 28mm Elmarit ASPH (used for 2 years) has some dust behind the front, but my Zeiss 50mm Sonnar looks clean, could it be an internal reflection thing for ASPH lens that makes dust more obvious? If this is serious, should I return the lens while it's still not too late? BTW I better hope these 2000 Lums projector beam will not damage the lens/sensor Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Edited February 25, 2019 by tabularasa Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/294619-haze-in-a-relatively-new-lens/?do=findComment&comment=3690847'>More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted February 25, 2019 Posted February 25, 2019 Hi tabularasa, Take a look here Haze in a relatively new lens?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
dkmoore Posted February 25, 2019 Share #2 Posted February 25, 2019 How much did you pay for the FLE? If you got a very good deal on the lens it could be worth keeping as long as it’s just dust, and not fungus. Leica can clean out the dust, fungus; not so much. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleepyhead Posted February 25, 2019 Share #3 Posted February 25, 2019 I think I would return the lens. Whatever that is, it doesn’t look normal to me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tabularasa Posted February 25, 2019 Author Share #4 Posted February 25, 2019 (edited) I got it for a not too bad price, so as long as it's dust I think I'm OK with it. But this one just looks way off, and those tiny dots are so dense I don't know how they got in there in the first place (considering this lens is at most 5 yrs old) Edited February 25, 2019 by tabularasa Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecar Posted February 25, 2019 Share #5 Posted February 25, 2019 Doesn't look like haze... and doesn't look too good... It could be a lot of dust or, indeed, fungus. In doubt, I'd return the lens, unless it's a bargain. It's not like used 35 FLEs in good condition are hard to find. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdlaing Posted February 25, 2019 Share #6 Posted February 25, 2019 Let’s see a nice in focus pic of the rear element at a slight angle? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tabularasa Posted February 25, 2019 Author Share #7 Posted February 25, 2019 Advertisement (gone after registration) Update: Made my mind about it. Gonna return the lens and buy a (new or used) Zeiss Distagon 35mm, which I initially avoided buying due to large size and finder blockage. But I think at the end of the day I'm happy to trade that with better image quality and cheaper price (better to spend that 1000$ on a trip). Thank you for bits of advice. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted February 26, 2019 Share #8 Posted February 26, 2019 You can't see the dust but a flashlight shows it up? Have you considered the dust is on the flashlight? Besides which if there is any dust in there's a good chance it's going to be magnified by the lens elements and look far worse than it really is. If you can't see dust in a lens with the naked eye then it's not going to make any difference at all to any photograph you make, and when you can see dust it takes an awful lot of it to degrade the image. I think you've been swayed by the hand wringers, you should've kept it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertknappmd Posted February 26, 2019 Share #9 Posted February 26, 2019 Frankly, it looks awful and is probably fungus... I would advise you to get your money back... Albert 😎 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted February 26, 2019 Share #10 Posted February 26, 2019 As it sounds like you have a time-limited period to return it, I would err on the safe side and do just that. However, most used lenses will look quite dusty when you do the flashlight test - it's just the question mark over whether that lens has fungus which would bother me. If you aren't sure what fungus looks like don't take the risk. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tabularasa Posted February 26, 2019 Author Share #11 Posted February 26, 2019 Another update: upon closer inspection, I found out those tiny spots (they are really small in diameter, I would say a little bit smaller than ordinary dusts I usually see on the top of a lens) are quite evenly placed. Could that be a red flag for fungus? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exodies Posted February 26, 2019 Share #12 Posted February 26, 2019 Isn’t fungus lines spreading out from a point or are there different types? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted February 26, 2019 Share #13 Posted February 26, 2019 Google 'lens fungus' and look at images for examples. It's impossible to tell from the photos posted here what it is. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted February 26, 2019 Share #14 Posted February 26, 2019 When in doubt, return. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted February 27, 2019 Share #15 Posted February 27, 2019 9 hours ago, Exodies said: Isn’t fungus lines spreading out from a point or are there different types? Yes, this looks nothing like fungus which comes in clumps with tendrils, not evenly spread dots. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertknappmd Posted February 28, 2019 Share #16 Posted February 28, 2019 On 2/27/2019 at 2:51 AM, 250swb said: Yes, this looks nothing like fungus which comes in clumps with tendrils, not evenly spread dots. Whatever it is... just simply return the lens and get your money back.. There is no way to conclusively diagnose the problem over the internet.. Albert Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
a5m Posted February 28, 2019 Share #17 Posted February 28, 2019 Where did the lens ship from? In other words, where was it kept prior to you purchasing it? I had purchased the latest 50 Summicron v5 non-APO that had tiny, shiny dots concentrated right in the center of the rearmost element. The lens came from Hawaii and I suspected it had something to do with the humidity. In any case, I showed it to several technicians and they couldn't put their finger on exactly what it was. Fungus was a possibility, as it presents in many different ways. If it's anything like what you see in the pictures I've attached, I'd return the lens for sure. Unless the seller agrees to compensate for the cost to clean, but even then there's no guarantee it'll be 100%. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/294619-haze-in-a-relatively-new-lens/?do=findComment&comment=3692905'>More sharing options...
tabularasa Posted February 28, 2019 Author Share #18 Posted February 28, 2019 21 minutes ago, a5m said: Where did the lens ship from? In other words, where was it kept prior to you purchasing it? I had purchased the latest 50 Summicron v5 non-APO that had tiny, shiny dots concentrated right in the center of the rearmost element. The lens came from Hawaii and I suspected it had something to do with the humidity. In any case, I showed it to several technicians and they couldn't put their finger on exactly what it was. Fungus was a possibility, as it presents in many different ways. If it's anything like what you see in the pictures I've attached, I'd return the lens for sure. Unless the seller agrees to compensate for the cost to clean, but even then there's no guarantee it'll be 100%. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Yes! They are almost exactly like that, I don’t have a flashlight apart from my projector and had a hard time taking the photo, but yours matched quite well. The lens came from France, and the spots are really small to make me think it’s dust, but what could it be if it’s not fungus (judging by the shape)? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
a5m Posted February 28, 2019 Share #19 Posted February 28, 2019 21 minutes ago, tabularasa said: Yes! They are almost exactly like that, I don’t have a flashlight apart from my projector and had a hard time taking the photo, but yours matched quite well. The lens came from France, and the spots are really small to make me think it’s dust, but what could it be if it’s not fungus (judging by the shape)? I had a feeling, it looked very similar. That's what stumped me and others, if not fungus what is it? Maybe moisture that condensed into water drops? Sorry I can't be of more help. In my opinion, if you're not paying an amazing price for it I'd just send it back. I don't think it's worth the hassle. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tabularasa Posted March 1, 2019 Author Share #20 Posted March 1, 2019 (edited) 19 hours ago, a5m said: I had a feeling, it looked very similar. That's what stumped me and others, if not fungus what is it? Maybe moisture that condensed into water drops? Sorry I can't be of more help. In my opinion, if you're not paying an amazing price for it I'd just send it back. I don't think it's worth the hassle. Hopefully they are not alien eggs, ha. I’d like to know what you ended up with those spots? Did you take the lens for cleaning eventually? I’m sure the IQ will not be impacted in anyway, but it’s just a bit worrying. I recently just sent my Noctilux to Leica Germany for cleaning and they haven’t got back to me with a time estimate yet. But I would expect at least a month. Edited March 1, 2019 by tabularasa Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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