Could my kit lens have a defect?

I noticed that on my 18-200mm kit lens there appears to be a very VERY small spec which appears to be on the inside of the lens (just on the other side of the glass). I only notice it in certain light otherwise I dont see it.

Is this fairly normal for a lens to have something like this or should I be exchanging it or contacting cannon about it?

it's probably a small speck of dust, and nothing to be concerned about

Its hard to tell if its dust or not since I can only see it when I angle it a certain way and get the light to hit it just right.

Here is a pic showing it. Its the little spot just on the outside of the dark inner circle of the lens right above the reflection of the buildings.

Does it show on photos taken with the lens? Due to the physics of focus, I think things like this are often not a real problem.

That is, of course, unless it's the beginning of fungus - which is probably doubtful if it's a new lens.

Jason

I have not seen it in any pictures. I just got this camera and lens about 2 days ago. I thought it might have been on the outside of the lens but when I put my cloth on the lens to wipe it off I can tell it is not on the surface and it seems to be on the inside.

Is this not normal for lenses to come with something like this sometimes?

lenses get dust in them...it won't affect the images in any way what so ever...

DreDaze wrote in post #14345745
lenses get dust in them...it won't affect the images in any way what so ever...

by looking at the picture does that look like just dust and not damage to the lens? It just caught me off guard since I did not notice it until the light hit it just right. Otherwise I never see it. Is that fairly typical?

Thanks for the help guys! I tend to get very paranoid about these things

Ratjack wrote in post #14345767
by looking at the picture does that look like just dust and not damage to the lens? It just caught me off guard since I did not notice it until the light hit it just right. Otherwise I never see it. Is that fairly typical?

Thanks for the help guys! I tend to get very paranoid about these things

It's too hard to tell if it's dust or something else from that photo, but there is no way that will affect your photos whatsoever so I wouldn't worry about it. You would be surprised how much damage there needs to be before image quality is compromised. Even a scratch right across the lens is hard to see in photos.

Also some marks are stubborn and won't come off the glass with a light cleaning with cloth. It may come off if you use a cleaning fluid but I would not try just for that, it could do ore harm than good. If it is inside and it doesn't move when you shake the lens, it's probably a small defect from manufacturing but it's too small to worry about.

well I took a picture at 200mm and a high f stop to look for any problems in the image and I found tons of black spots in the image..... (when uploaded they are not as noticeable as what I see in the picture I have on my computer)

Ratjack wrote in post #14345995
well I took a picture at 200mm and a high f stop to look for any problems in the image and I found tons of black spots in the image..... (when uploaded they are not as noticeable as what I see in the picture I have on my computer)

You have nothing more than typical sensor dust. The tiny speck in your lens will cause absolutely no issues. Most sensor dust is also a non-issue at larger apertures but will tend to show itself when a lens is stopped down. You can clean your sensor if it's affecting your photos.

Be warned, the more you look for image defects, the more you find them. The more you find them, the more they drive you crazy. And EVERY camera has some bad/hot pixels and every lens will get dust in it eventually if not right out of the box. It's a fact of life living on an organic planet. Nobody will notice them in your pictures and you won't notice them until you do crazy things like shooting white walls at f22 and blowing it up 200%.

tkbslc wrote in post #14346041
Be warned, the more you look for image defects, the more you find them. The more you find them, the more they drive you crazy. And EVERY camera has some bad/hot pixels and every lens will get dust in it eventually if not right out of the box. It's a fact of life living on an organic planet. Nobody will notice them in your pictures and you won't notice them until you do crazy things like shooting white walls at f22 and blowing it up 200%.

That should be a "Sticky" at the top of this forum

tkbslc wrote in post #14346041
Be warned, the more you look for image defects, the more you find them. The more you find them, the more they drive you crazy. And EVERY camera has some bad/hot pixels and every lens will get dust in it eventually if not right out of the box. It's a fact of life living on an organic planet. Nobody will notice them in your pictures and you won't notice them until you do crazy things like shooting white walls at f22 and blowing it up 200%.

So what your saying is pretty much everyone will see this if taking a picture at f/ 32 200mm? If so then that is a relief. I used a blower on the sensor and that did not seem to help get rid of it.

The spot of dust in the lens is no worry at all. You will get alot more with time! As mentioned dust in the lens does not eggect picture quality. As mentioned before your pic's posted with spots in the image is dust on the sensor. Get a rocket blower and blow the sensor off. Search on the net for info on sensor cleaning after looking it up in your user manual.

f32?

Yeah. You can't get a sensor clean enough to not see spots at 100% and f32...