17-40L SCRATCH!

jr_senator wrote in post #2115933
I wouldn't say you or anyone else is not a professional photographer because they use filters all the time on all their lenses. I would, however, say one is not a professional photographer if they don't make their living with photography. Hay, you are the first "Pro" I know of that uses UV filters as a matter of routine. I knew there was one out there somewhere. I'm glad you replied to this thread. Would you mind sharing your professional web site with me? Or let me know what newspaper you work for? Are you a PJ?

Let's get back on topic here credential police.

PEACHMAN wrote in post #2115914
Front end filters are like motorcyclre helmets,,,ya love 'em or hate 'em. They can cause less clear images with light reflecting around in between cover and element...ya know things are free and clear with out one, like the wind in your hair (skin in my case) without a helmet...ya just gotta accept the risks without one... My grand daughter wacked me in my 28-75 with a toy and put a nice deep 1/8" long one in the outer perimeter of the element...I can't get it to show during tests...but I know it's there and there goes pride of ownership!

Well said, handsome.
We'll never settle this issue....god knows Skippy has been trying.
Now some folks are injecting this pro vs. non-pro nonsense for additional flavour.
Starting to sound like FM or DPR.
What's next? Some 500 page rant and rave threads about 43 Mp Foveon sensors and prices of L lenses ? Hope not.

Petkal, I think we should keep this thread going, folks aren't nearly cross enough yet and there is surely more fun to be had here.

It's an unresolveable argument, but the very next time I scratch my filter ( a 77mm Hoya Pro 1-D multicoated that cost a lot of moolah) I'll be sure to post . Hell, I'll even include some pictures.

steved110 wrote in post #2116116
Petkal, I think we should keep this thread going, folks aren't nearly cross enough yet and there is surely more fun to be had here.

It's an unresolveable argument, but the very next time I scratch my filter ( a 77mm Hoya Pro 1-D multicoated that cost a lot of moolah) I'll be sure to post . Hell, I'll even include some pictures.

True enough, true enough.

I'm not going to touch the filter discussion, but I thought the OP might be interested in my experience w/ scratches

I bought an EF 35mm f/2 off eBay, and when it arrived took a bunch of shots. They seemed fine, but on a whim I took the lens off the camera, and held it up to a light at a slight angle and looked through. I almost passed out - the lens was so severely scratched that it was hard to find a clear patch. There were several sizeable pits in the front element, and a fine crazing of scratches all over. This photo (taken by holding up the lens at an angle to the light then shooting through it w/ a different lens on the camera) shows some of what I saw, but the fine scratches really didn't show up

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drbenjamin,

That`s impressive! I know a small scratch won`t shot, but half the lens being scraped off, I would figure it would be way more visible in the photos.

It really surprised me. I honestly wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it with my own eyes.

You could see it in pictures taken in bright sunlight - I could dig a couple up if people are interested. But my take home message was that a small scratch really doesn't matter, and since then I keep my eye out for used lenses with a single small scratch in the front element. Knocks a whole lot more off the price than it does the performance!

D

whoa

drbenjamin wrote in post #2116217
I'm not going to touch the filter discussion, but I thought the OP might be interested in my experience w/ scratches

I bought an EF 35mm f/2 off eBay, and when it arrived took a bunch of shots. They seemed fine, but on a whim I took the lens off the camera, and held it up to a light at a slight angle and looked through. I almost passed out - the lens was so severely scratched that it was hard to find a clear patch. There were several sizeable pits in the front element, and a fine crazing of scratches all over. This photo (taken by holding up the lens at an angle to the light then shooting through it w/ a different lens on the camera) shows some of what I saw, but the fine scratches really didn't show up

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seriously couldn't believe that I could take pictures with that lens, but it worked! The only real deficit occured in bright sunlight - the lens would flare impressively; if the sun subtended an angle of less than about 30 degrees wrt the normal, the whole shot would turn white. But in lower light, the lens was fine. Here's a flower shot I took before my discovery:

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In the end the seller, who was a decent guy, allowed me to return the lens. He was a professional news photographer, and allowed that in the field his lenses would get dirt/mud on them and he would just wipe them clean with his shirt. He hadn't looked through the lens before he listed it on eBay because it never occured to him - he thought the lens worked just fine! I suppose I'm glad I had this experience, because I tend to pamper my equipment and now I'm a little less panicky if I see a few bits of dust on my lens.
D

P.S. as you can see from my sig, my 2nd eBayed 35mm f/2 was a keeper

Thanks for sharing. This is what I would expect, minimal impact under good lighting but degraded flare performance.

I least I don't need to think up a controlled test method to prove this point now..
:p

I just bought a 70-200 2.8 v. 2 at al local pawnshop. He had it marked $795 (a good deal already), offered it to me for $600. So I went and got cash. came back, brought in my R7 with adapter and it tested fine. No issues image wise or mechanical. Then I looked close and found a 1/32" nick on the front element coating. At first thought it was dirt, So I rubbed it carefully with my fingernail, and sure enough, it was a nick. I mentioned it to him. he agreed, and said, "yeah, I saw your finger move" and asked what he'd do. he asked what i would offer, I told him $200. He countered $300, and we met there. I gave it a good cleaning with Pancro, put a filter on the front and we're good to go.

I could easily sell if for double i'd think

You just woke up a 7 year old thread ߫