01maciel Posted May 9, 2021 Share #1 Posted May 9, 2021 Advertisement (gone after registration) To my surprise I have found a scuff on the front element coating of my Voigtlander VM Nokton 35mm 1.2 ASPH. II. Cleaning with the well known tools were not successful at all. Neither was the Zeiss Cleaning Fluid, the secret and very effective weapon against any kind of lens smear. Luckily, the scuff doesn't seem to have any impact on the image quality but it looks quite worrying. I bought the lens in summer 2019. Anyone else with CV quality issues? The photo shows the lens with some dust. See the red marks what I believe is scuff. 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/320771-quality-of-voigtlander-nokton-lenses/?do=findComment&comment=4197809'>More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted May 9, 2021 Posted May 9, 2021 Hi 01maciel, Take a look here Quality of Voigtlander Nokton lenses. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
jaeger Posted May 10, 2021 Share #2 Posted May 10, 2021 8 hours ago, 01maciel said: Zeiss Cleaning Fluid it smells horrible... did you buy this lens new? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
01maciel Posted May 10, 2021 Author Share #3 Posted May 10, 2021 brand new, yes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroboros Posted May 10, 2021 Share #4 Posted May 10, 2021 Difficult to tell from the image but it looks like a smear from cleaning where a fluid has been used or the lens has been breathed on and then wiped with something. As the lens is around two years old, it could be a build-up of oily film that is responsible. If it’s really a scuff and the coating has been abraded in some way, then that’s another matter. Is there a possibility it could have been caused by a lens cap? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rramesh Posted May 10, 2021 Share #5 Posted May 10, 2021 Not sure where you bought the lens from. Voigtlander lenses do not come in sealed boxes. It may be possible that the store has opened. Dust and smudges should not be an issue as it can be blown or wiped away. Scratches and damage are a different matter. Not clear from your photo what the issue is. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
01maciel Posted May 10, 2021 Author Share #6 Posted May 10, 2021 Thanks so far. I'll try to clean the lens one more time and even more carefully when I have a bit more time. Let's see how it goes. vor 2 Stunden schrieb Ouroboros: Is there a possibility it could have been caused by a lens cap? Interesting, that's what I thought at first, too but judged it as unlikely since I use the original lens cap. I'll check it in detail depending on the cleaning results. The good thing is that CV offers a 3-years warranty. Before I'll send it back to the dealer I need to make sure it's not a cleaning issue. Otherwise it would be soo embarassing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroboros Posted May 10, 2021 Share #7 Posted May 10, 2021 Advertisement (gone after registration) 7 minutes ago, 01maciel said: ...Before I'll send it back to the dealer I need to make sure it's not a cleaning issue. Otherwise it would be soo embarassing. I've had another look on my Mac this time instead of my iPhone. I think it is a smear, there are several more marks around the lens which are similar to what I would expect to see if the lens has been wetted with fluid or condensation by being breathed on and wiped in a circular way. Hopefully that's the cause! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarsHP Posted May 10, 2021 Share #8 Posted May 10, 2021 To me it looks like residues from wet cleaning, oil, rests from fingerprints etc., not a coating issue. It's difficult to clean the extreme edges of curved lens elements. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ko.Fe. Posted May 10, 2021 Share #9 Posted May 10, 2021 (edited) Was it like this since new? Lots of things might have happened from Summer 2019 to May 2021. I had several CV lenses in the past. Two now. Best size, quality, price RF lenses. IMO. Edited May 10, 2021 by Ko.Fe. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spydrxx Posted May 10, 2021 Share #10 Posted May 10, 2021 The quality of my Noktons has been outstanding. I also think what you are seeing on yours is a user issue caused by incomplete wet cleaning. 6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
01maciel Posted May 11, 2021 Author Share #11 Posted May 11, 2021 Am 10.5.2021 um 13:14 schrieb Ouroboros: I think it is a smear It seems to be smear. After more than one try to clean the lens it is much better now. But it's not gone completely- quite persistent the stuff (see photo). Am 10.5.2021 um 16:30 schrieb spydrxx: a user issue caused by incomplete wet cleaning. This is very unlikely as I always clean my lenses with a appropriate dry lens cloth. I tried to clean the smear with the Zeiss cleaning fluid but it didn't get better or even worse. I think I am too faint-hearted. 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/320771-quality-of-voigtlander-nokton-lenses/?do=findComment&comment=4199115'>More sharing options...
LarsHP Posted May 11, 2021 Share #12 Posted May 11, 2021 (edited) 42 minutes ago, 01maciel said: Judging from the image, I am quite confident that it's residues that you can't remove (or naturally will have severe difficulties to remove) since it's placed at the very edge of the glass. Edited May 11, 2021 by LarsHP Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
adan Posted May 11, 2021 Share #13 Posted May 11, 2021 Anything is possible, but I tend to agree with LarsHP. There is a sharp, deep "corner" between the glass, and the black ferrule around the front element. It requires a very soft, thin flexible material (and a sharp fingernail or toothpick behind it, usually) to squish all the way into that corner and reach and remove stuff. __./ Sometimes a cotton-ball medical swab (aka Q-Tip™) is squishy enough to press-fit right down into that corner enough - and sometimes not. Additionally, the electric-blue color of the smudge (first example) says to me it is a dried liquid film - could be cleaning fluid, could be skin oil, etc. etc. Probably just atoms/nanometers thick, like the lens coating itself. Which shows just how tightly your cleaning tools must fit into that corner to touch it and remove it. Same for the remaining fine dust in the second example. At that scale, even a thin microfiber cloth is as thick and inflexible as a bed mattress - and even a toothpick will look like a light pole. It will need help and effort squeezing right in there. Has nothing to do with Voigtlander - I've had to deal with digging out such "cornered" dirt or films around lens edges for decades, with Leica, Zeiss, Canon, Nikon, and Pentax lenses. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted May 11, 2021 Share #14 Posted May 11, 2021 (edited) The really good news, as the OP noted in the first post, is that it will have absolutely no effect whatsoever on the quality of the images the lens will be able to produce. FWIW I, too, am in the 'residue of cleaning routine' camp. In light of this I would second Adan's suggestions in post #13 with the caveat that the central plastic rod of a Q-Tip™ (hanks for providing the 'trade mark' thingy, Andy!) must be handled with great care so as not to scratch the lens if you need to squish the softer-stuff into the corners. Good luck, Maciel, and let us know how it goes! Philip. Edited May 11, 2021 by pippy Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
onelensman Posted May 11, 2021 Share #15 Posted May 11, 2021 Unscrew the nameplate ring with a friction tool to enable cleaning to the very edge of the glass Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
farnz Posted May 11, 2021 Share #16 Posted May 11, 2021 One of these lens repair tools should do the trick. They're rubber so you won't harm the front element when removing the lens ring. (Full disclosure: I have no knowledge of, or connection to, this product. It was simply the first one that came up in an Amazon search.) Pete. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rramesh Posted May 12, 2021 Share #17 Posted May 12, 2021 Get a Lenspen. It’s quite handy. Comes with a brush and a finer tip for those edges. Just use a blower first to remove dust particles. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted May 12, 2021 Share #18 Posted May 12, 2021 Some cleaning fluids and many impregnated lens cloths come with products in them other than just cleaner. These 'products' can build up around edges and I think this is what you are seeing, a smear from cleaning fluids. Use a clean unadulterated cloth and try cleaning it with IPA (no, not India Pale Ale). 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
farnz Posted May 12, 2021 Share #19 Posted May 12, 2021 1 hour ago, 250swb said: Use a clean unadulterated cloth and try cleaning it with IPA (no, not India Pale Ale). Be sure to clean and lubricate the camera operator's insides with India Pale Ale though. Pete. 2 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crony Posted May 12, 2021 Share #20 Posted May 12, 2021 Hi, I own and use (currently) 9 Voigtländer M mount/E 39 lenses. The only one I am not happy with is my NOKTON CLASSIC 1,4/40 ser#9510615. The focusing ring is sticky, and makes a screeching sound. So, I use this lens rarely ... Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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