[fotomarc]

There was a recent extra 15% reward points on certain lenses from Amazon for Amazon Prime Rewards credit card holders (in addition to the usual 5% reward points for Amazon purchases). As part of my latest LBA episode, I used that deal to buy a D-FA 28-105mm. When it arrived and I examined it, I was very surprised to find that the rear cap was coated with a very fine white dust, some of which also appeared around the red rubber WR gasket and the back portion of the lens barrel.

I did take off the front cap and the front element looked new, but I didn't want to mess with the rear cap and this mysterious dust (which I thought could have also migrated into the lens), so I returned the it for a replacement. When the replacement arrived, I was dismayed to find that it had the same problem (though to a lesser degree). I haven't removed the caps yet to check on the glass. I'm trying to decide whether to just return it for a refund.

Has anyone else received a new lens in similar condition? I was trying to figure out how this dust might have gotten on these lenses. Was it a manufacturing issue, or did something happen after they left the factory? Note that the serial numbers of the two lenses differed by about 6,000, so if it was a manufacturing issue, that suggests that it went on for a while (assuming that serial numbers are allocated pretty much sequentially).

I'm attaching some photos of the dust on the first lens.

Any ideas about this?

Attached Images

       

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Last edited by fotomarc; 01-22-2018 at 02:21 AM. Reason: Clarified about credit card reward points

[fotomarc]

Here are some photos of the second lens.

---------- Post added 01-22-18 at 03:03 AM ----------

I had wondered whether something had happened with the silica gel packet, though it seemed intact. Anyway, I just thought to take a closer look at the packet from the second lens. I held it over a spare rear cap and shook and tapped it a bit, and fine white dust started falling down into the cap. So that seems to be the likely source of the dust (unless the packet exterior picked up the dust and it's not from inside the packet, though that seems less likely).

What do folks think I should do about it? Return the lens? Just clean it off? Contact Pentax to ask them about this? (Maybe there was a bad batch of silica gel packets?)

And have other people experienced this?

[fotomarc]

Here's a crop from another photo of the second lens.

[victormeldrew]

Looks more like a mold to me. But whatever it is shouldn't be on a new, sealed lens.

[Larrymc]

Here's a crop from another photo of the second lens.

If it were me, I'd document it really well then get the dust off the lens by wiping and using tape to go around the seal area so that the tape adhesive lifts the dust off the seal. Then remove the cap and check the rear element areas for dust. If it has dust inside the lens then send it back again. Was the unit in a plastic bag? The dust looks like it might be from a formed cardboard packaging used to keep the lens from moving inside the box.

Larry

[stevebrot]

The dust and scuff marks are not what I would expect on a new lens. The lens should have been in a tape-sealed plastic bag. I would request a replacement.

BTW...who is the vendor (if not Amazon)?


Steve

[gofour3]

I've had items arrive with torn silica gel packs and the result is small clear beads all over the place and not dust. So I would rule out the gel packs.

Phil.

[Alex645]

the rear cap was coated with a very fine white dust, some of which also appeared around the red rubber WR gasket and the back portion of the lens barrel.
Has anyone else received a new lens in similar condition?
Any ideas about this?

No this has never happened to me.
Was the fine powder under and inside the rear lens cap?

If not, then I'm thinking it's corn starch. The box cover and all the literature that comes with new lenses are usually printed offset, and white non-toxic corn starch powder is usually sprayed onto the printed material on the press to prevent it sticking to each other sheet before it cures or dries.
I've seen instances where this is done excessively, and the powder is usually removed from the top sheet, but sometimes migrates and remains on the underside.

Have you ever smelled a brand new book? There is usually a sweet smell that we think is the ink, but it's really residue from this corn starch powder. Does the box your lens came in have any sweet smell to it?

[fotomarc]

Looks more like a mold to me. But whatever it is shouldn't be on a new, sealed lens.

Yeah, my first impression of the first lens (based on the pattern of the dust) was that the dust had come from some liquid that had dried on the rear cap.

If it were me, I'd document it really well then get the dust off the lens by wiping and using tape to go around the seal area so that the tape adhesive lifts the dust off the seal.

That's a good suggestion if I decide to try cleaning off the lens.

The dust and scuff marks are not what I would expect on a new lens. The lens should have been in a tape-sealed plastic bag.

BTW...who is the vendor (if not Amazon)?

I suspect the scuff marks may just be marks in the layer of dust and not actually scuffs of the rear cap plastic (but I'm not sure).

The lens was wrapped in a bubble wrap bag. The bag was not taped, but I'm not sure if they normally tape them. There was nothing about how the lens was packed that made think it was an open-box item (although the box for the first lens did have a fair number of nicks on the outside).

Th original lens was ordered as a "Ships from and sold by Amazon" item, however I've read that Amazon may commingle their own inventory with "Fulfilled By Amazon" inventory that's supplied by marketplace sellers. If so, then there may be no way for me to know where the inventory actually came from (and maybe Amazon wouldn't know either).

Was the fine powder under and inside the rear lens cap? If not, then I'm thinking it's corn starch.

I don't see any evidence of dust inside the box (even if I turn it upside down and tap on it), so I suspect this was not the cause.

I've had items arrive with torn silica gel packs and the result is small clear beads all over the place and not dust. So I would rule out the gel packs.

My current thinking is that the silica gel packets are defective. Perhaps some of the beads got pulverized during manufacturing and that dust was sealed inside the packets, but the fabric of the packet is too porous to keep the very fine dust from migrating out of the packet (perhaps due to vibrations while in transit). As I noted, I am able to make dust slowly come out of the packet (by holding the sides and sort of gently squashing and unsquashing it).

(Another possibility that occurred to my suspicious mind is that maybe the lenses came from a marketplace seller and they had replaced the original gel packets (with ones that happened to be lower-quality) because the lenses had been exposed to excessive humidity (e.g. from an area with flooding ). This doesn't seem that likely, though.)

I think I'll get in touch with Ricoh and ask if they've had any other reports of this problem.

[fotomarc]

Thanks, all, for the feedback.

I dug out a bunch of boxes from other Pentax lenses that I had bought new in the past and the silica gel packets that were still in them looked quite different from the leaky packet that I described above. The older packets did not appear porous at all to the unaided eye (and they were also name-brand packets). See the crops below from a single photo showing the leaky packet first followed by examples of the two brands of packets I found from my older lens purchases.

I sent a detailed message off to Ricoh and they said they were forwarding the info to their management team and they'd get back to me soon.

[zapp]

return to sender

get another one

[fotomarc]

Ricoh did get back to me (promptly -- I've just been slow in reacting). They asked me to send the lens to Precision Camera for evaluation under the warranty (and they said they'd expedite that).

I'm just about out of time to return the lens to Amazon, so my options seem to be:

1) Return the lens to Amazon for replacement again and hope that the new replacement is good. This would preserve discount that I got. (The total cost was $85 (or 17%) less than it would cost me now from B&H.)

2) Return the lens to Amazon for a refund, lose the discount, and buy the lens elsewhere (e.g. B&H) or wait (perhaps quite a while) for another sale.

3) Send the lens to Precision Camera, preserving the discount that I got (minus the cost of shipping to Precision Camera), and hope that they clean it off well and determine that it's fine. A possible drawback to doing this is that since I haven't cleaned off the lens and mounted it on a camera to test it, I don't know if the lens could have other issues (e.g. decentering or autofocus calibration not being a good match for my K-1, or the K-1 shutter shake issue that some have reported as affecting this lens more than others).

Any thoughts on these (or other) options?

I don't have any experience with Precision Camera. I do have some concern about doing too many returns to Amazon, since I've read that they sometimes permanently close people's accounts without warning for what they deem to be excessive returns. (It was my girlfriend's Amazon account, since she was eligible for the discount, and she'd be very unhappy if they closed her account. Also, I'm wondering if the fact that she was the purchaser will complicate the warranty service if I were to send the lens to Precision Camera.)

[awscreo]

Well, sending the lens to precision (plus insuring the package) would cost some as well. I guess still less than what you got discounted but still..

My copy came with clean new looking caps. Same with my other Pentax lenses.

[Ex Finn.]

After all that, if it was me, I would send it back for a refund and order one from B&H and be done with it.
Dust and scuff marks on the rear cap on a new lens, have not seen that before.

[caliscouser]

Seem like an easy one to me, refund and buy from somewhere else.