Would you keep this lens?

[Henkr]

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Hi all,

Just starting out with the R system, got a nice leicaflex sl2 and now looking for some lenses to go with it. Bought this one online, no haze, no fungus. Seller mentioned some smaller scratches, but upon inspection I found one that seems bigger and deeper than I expected. It seems to be on an inner element, forward from the aperture blades. It's not on the sides, but isn't really directly in the middle either.

I've attached some pictures, one with just the reflected light (front lens cap on) and another backlit with a ceiling light.

(There's a bunch of very small scratches too under led flashlight backlight, but those are what I would expect for "smaller scratches" so I haven't bothered posting those).

On the one hand, why pay so much for the Leica quality and engineering to be marred by improper cleaning? On the other, people tell me scratches that aren't on the rear element might be pretty much imperceptible, it's a fairly hard to find lens (28mm elmarit v2), and I'm looking forward to start lugging the leicaflex around. What would you do in this situation?

 

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Edited November 7, 2022 by Henkr

[Pyrogallol]

See this thread 

 

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[dkCambridgeshire]

The interior scratch could be indicative of someone dismantling the lens to e.g. remove dust / fungus and accidentally marking the glass. Consider trying the lens under controlled conditions i.e. on a tripod at all apertures and at various subject distances – and carefully examine the image results. More easily tested on a digital camera (using an R lens adapter) if you have access to same.  

[earleygallery]

Agree - that scratch is not going to affect the images, but will affect the value. If you got it for a good enough price then just use it.

[hansvons]

I‘d return it. All said above I can only underline, but that scratch will be an itch that won’t go away. Been in that position and returned it. A fortnight later, there was another opportunity in a similar price range with pristine glass at a slight premium. 

[Intrepid]

On 11/7/2022 at 5:03 PM, hansvons said:

I‘d return it. All said above I can only underline, but that scratch will be an itch that won’t go away. Been in that position and returned it. A fortnight later, there was another opportunity in a similar price range with pristine glass at a slight premium. 

I'm with Hans. A scratch like that could not have happened without someone disassembling the lens. Wopuld have taken an expert to reassemble that lens. Not worth the worry. There are hundreds if not thousands of identical flawless lenses on the market. Return. 

[Henkr]

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Hehe, against the (perhaps wiser) judgements of many in this thread I decided to keep it. It's been getting a lot of use so I probably won't be selling it, and seems to be a rarer lens with a short production run, so I'll take the scratch and spend my time and effort researching other lenses. Mechanically it's a pleasure to use, which keeps the scratch out of my mind. Thanks all for giving your perspectives!