Scratched element, what to do?

I have a 17-55 f/2.8 IS that is perfect except for a scratch on the front glass. It is small, so small I thought it was dust when I bought it. It doesn't affect photos in any way that I can tell, and I've looked. It sits just a little less than 1/4" from the outside edge of the glass.
Can it be fixed? Reasonably? I wanted to sell the lens but couldn't when I realized the "dust" wasn't dust at all but this scratch. So, should I get it fixed or take my loss and sell it "As Is"?

I bought it to use for a friend's wedding ($880) and put a UV filter on it as soon as it came out of the box, and off I went to the wedding. 2 days later, 800 photos in the can and only then noticed and tried to clean the single speck of dust I saw under the filter. That was when I found that it was not dust but the evil scratch.

What should I do?

Thanks,
Matt

New or used?

I bought it used, mint condition, which it is (except for the scratch), but used nonetheless and since I used it for a couple of days before I noticed the defect, I bit my lip and learned a lesson in "buyer beware" since at that point I really didn't have recourse against the original seller. I'f I'd have been savvy and checked it out well, or at least better, when I received it, then I'd have dealt with the seller.

If it doesn't affect the photos, it shouldn't be that big of a deal. To fix it would most likely cost quite a bit and it seems pointless considering the pics it takes are fine. If you want to sell it, you may have to mark it down but not by much. Instead of selling it, why not keep it? It's certainly a nice piece of glass.

^ ^ ^ Like he said. If you don't notice it, don't worry. Keep the lens & get lots of use out of it. If the scratch is small and near the outer edge of the lens, it may have very little effect. Furthermore, a lens casts a full round image on the rear"plate" of a camera. The sensor (both crop & FF) capture a rectangular portion of that round image. If the aberation distorts the image in an area that is not captured by the senso, it really makes very little difference. -- In acutality, a flaw in the outer portion of a lens does have an effect over the entire image, due to the way the light is collected and focused, but the center of the lens is the sweet spot, not the outer edge.

If you are not seeing any effect on your images, don't worry about it.
Sure, it will cut some off the resale price, but then again if the lens is great
you probably won't be selling it any time soon. Just shoot with it and enjoy.
People in forums seem to be obsessive about hairline scratches on the front
element, that can't show up on an image.

As an experiment, next time you clean your front element or your UV or Polarizing
filter, look at it in oblique light. It probably still has a bit of an oily film on it from
the cleaning -- not bad but there. And I'll bet it doesn't affect the image either.
So your tiny scratch shouldn't.

Scratches on the front element really aren't going to affect your images unless there are a lot of them, and then you'll get reduced contrast, etc. It's possible that the scratch may cause a small flare or ghost in maybe .5% of your images, but I highly doubt you'll ever notice it. Put the corner of a post-it note on the front of your lens, take a picture and tell me if you can see it. Now a scratch on the REAR element...that's something different.

1/4 inch from outside edge is proabably not even in the imaging area...Try the post it note, or put the tip of your finger on the scratch and take a pic...is it there?

I don't think it would affect the sale to a knowledgable buyer...Pry scare some that don't understand.

But IMO leave the scratch and disclose it in the discription.

neumanns wrote in post #4419190
1/4 inch from outside edge is proabably not even in the imaging area...Try the post it note, or put the tip of your finger on the scratch and take a pic...is it there?

Ya'll are great. The post it note doesn't show at all and doesn't seem to reduce light into the lens. I never would have thought of that.
Thank you all!
I'm in love again............ 'till a red ringed lass might turn my head

You can send it into Canon to get the front element replaced so you can sell it for more or accept the loss on resale if you sell it. Find out how much it'll cost by calling Canon and decide from there. Either way, it'll cost you money and won't affect the IQ at all.

Personally, if it was me, I'd stop looking at the front element and just keep taking pictures.

i have a good sized scratch on my 70-200 and it's never been an issue, some people may worry about resale value but who cares if you don't plan on selling it, it's a tool, not an investment.

Jman13 wrote in post #4418560
Scratches on the front element really aren't going to affect your images unless there are a lot of them, and then you'll get reduced contrast, etc. It's possible that the scratch may cause a small flare or ghost in maybe .5% of your images, but I highly doubt you'll ever notice it. Put the corner of a post-it note on the front of your lens, take a picture and tell me if you can see it. Now a scratch on the REAR element...that's something different.

I actually managed to leave a 2mm very thin scratch on the rear element of one of my lenses. Despite all the cursing and **** from me, the lens seems to be doing fine. The scratch never showed up.

Try stopping your lens right down and also, take a shot into bright light. Sometimes scratches will create strange flare effects. If you don't see anything nasty in those shots, forget about the scratch. Wouldn't be surprised if the front element cost almost as much as the lens to replace.

dont worry too much.i have a good obvious scratch on my drainpipe and it doesnt affect the photos at all...even when stopped down.

If you're going to use the lens yourself, don't worry as the scratch won't affect the quality. If you're about to sell the lens, it won't make any financial sense for you to send it in for repair; just sell it as is. Make sure to mention the scratch and the fact that it's small and does not affect pictures, and you'll be surprised how many people don't care about such small things when buying second-hand.