Cracks on the inside coating of an Macro-Elmarit-M 90mm lens

[satijntje]

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Hello Leica friends.
I intend to buy a Macro-Elmarit-M 90mm lens in the silverchrom version.
Unfortunately, there are not so many on the market but I found one.
However the owner states in the text of the advert that on the inside of the lens there are cracks in the black coating.
I asked an advice from a Leica repair shop and it seems that they will not be able to make a repair on this.
But the (reputable) repairshop further stated that the cracks do not do any harm to the lens or image rendering and that the lens can be bought without any problems.
What are your thought on this?

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[UliWer]

I think you mean the Macro-Elmar.

I just looked at mine and found the same "cracks". It looks as if the black cover of the inner shaft was done by patchwork. I never noticed this before and for sure it does not have any influence on the results. It's only function is to be dark and avoid reflections, the "cracks" don't detract it to fulfill this task.   

[FrozenInTime]

Such surface cracks are quite a common aging seen with the anti-reflective coating used on Hasselblad 500 series rear secondary shutter blinds ; perhaps inherent to the paint composition.

[satijntje]

vor 22 Minuten schrieb UliWer:

I think you mean the Macro-Elmar.

I just looked at mine and found the same "cracks". It looks as if the black cover of the inner shaft was done by patchwork. I never noticed this before and for sure it does not have any influence on the results. It's only function is to be dark and avoid reflections, the "cracks" don't detract it to fulfill this task.   

Indeed, Typo. Macro-Elmar

[davysn]

I checked my lens,and it’s just a piece of soft velvet cloth attached inside.When the lens rotates,it won’t have any effect on it,meaning it won’t have any substantial impact on the lens performance.

[farnz]

Hi John,

As others have said, I doubt that the cracks would have any effect on your pictures but since I know that you sometimes sell lenses you might take into account what effect the visible cracks might have on selling the lens in the future in terms of what price you could get for the lens and if you might get stuck with it because other buyers might be put off.

On the other hand it might be an advantage in reducing your (current) seller's price for the same reasons above.

Pete.

[lct]

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I see no paint but a sort of velvet cover stuck in two pieces inside both my black and silver v1 copies. Strange that Leica is unable to repair or replace such a cover. I would ask Leica directly.

[Jean-Michel]

Hi,

Those marks are not cracks. As LCT just wrote, it is just some sort of softish dark gray material. Your (OP's) photograph could be easily that of my own Maco-Elmar. Nothing to repair here.

And, the Macro-Elmar is a really fantastic lens. 

[DadDadDaddyo]

The inner surface of the barrel isn't in the direct optical path, right? That is, while the light focused by the lens may pass by, it doesn't pass *through that coating, won't be diffused by it or de-focused by it. 

Confirm it with test shots, but my guess is there's nothing to worry about here...

[UliWer]

No, of course the inner side of the shaft isn't in the optical path. Most other similar lenses I know have a corrugated metal surface on the rear inside. I don't know the reasons why they used a different design for the Macro-ElmarIt. Though as long as it's dark and non reflecting there is no problem.  

[rsh]

It appears to be the same material used in the 75 Apo Summicron M.

[UliWer]

Yes, though the 75mm only has a strip of about 0.5cm at the very rear end. For the Macro-Elmar it's much broader. 

[Ecar]