Recommended profession glass cleaning?

stevebrot · 07-07-2016, 07:45 AM - **1 Like**

The general rule regarding paying for lens repair and cleaning is that it is usually not cost-effective.

The general rule regarding buying damaged or fungus-infected lenses is that unless the lens has high intrinsic value and you got it for free (or nearly so) and you have the tools/expertise to do the work yourself, it is best to not purchase.

The availability of modestly-priced quality vintage lens in good working condition (no fungus, scratches, haze) is good, particularly in the U.S. and Western Europe. There is no need to scrounge around the "junk yard" looking for glass.

Steve

pkokity · 07-07-2016, 02:55 PM

Originally posted by stevebrot

The general rule regarding paying for lens repair and cleaning is that it is usually not cost-effective.

The general rule regarding buying damaged or fungus-infected lenses is that unless the lens has high intrinsic value and you got it for free (or nearly so) and you have the tools/expertise to do the work yourself, it is best to not purchase.

The availability of modestly-priced quality vintage lens in good working condition (no fungus, scratches, haze) is good, particularly in the U.S. and Western Europe. There is no need to scrounge around the "junk yard" looking for glass.

Steve

Steve,
I am not talking about stockpiling messed up lenses and definitely nothing along the line of a K/M/A 50/1.4 that can be found for under $150. I am talking about lenses that were only produced for a couple of years, PK Zeisses, and 85/1.4s that can go for $1000+ (please don't nit-pick this $). At the time I posted this, there was an 85/1.4 listed for $600 that claimed to have a little fungus along the edge of one of the elements that did not affect picture quality and they posted a few pics to prove it. The other lenses available were over $1K. So I am//was contemplating if it would be worth while to buy the lens and save some money after spending $100-200 to clean it up. The 85 sold pretty quick so I did not get a chance to buy it anyway.

Instead of getting that lens, I found another very comparable lens that is claimed to be externally/mechanically excellent with the exact same issue. 'Excellent' available options seem to be $600-800. This one = $325. So, I described the situation to one of the recommended repairers and they made it sound like it should be an easy fix that would be a normal part of a CLA job. They said this particular lens is easy to service and should only cost me about $50+return shipping. For older lenses, they recommend getting a CLA done, which I would probably want to do on a 30yo lens anyway, so it is not like it is a huge additional expense.

Based off of what people have said here, and me doing some further research, I have eliminated hazed lenses from the realm of possibility so no need to educate me on haze.

**UncleVanya** · 07-07-2016, 03:37 PM

Just remember that you can place a fairly large obstruction on the lens and still get quality photos. The degradation will only show up if you compare two images made with the affected lens and an unaffected lens. It is also important to recall that fungus can etch coatings and lenses. This can result in lost contrast or flare that would not be present in a way that you could see without a lot of shooting in varied circumstances.

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07-07-2016, 07:45 AM - 1 Like	#16
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	The general rule regarding paying for lens repair and cleaning is that it is usually not cost-effective. The general rule regarding buying damaged or fungus-infected lenses is that unless the lens has high intrinsic value and you got it for free (or nearly so) and you have the tools/expertise to do the work yourself, it is best to not purchase. The availability of modestly-priced quality vintage lens in good working condition (no fungus, scratches, haze) is good, particularly in the U.S. and Western Europe. There is no need to scrounge around the "junk yard" looking for glass. Steve

07-07-2016, 02:55 PM	#17
pkokity New Member Join Date: May 2016 Location: Chicagoland Posts: 16 Original Poster	Originally posted by stevebrot The general rule regarding paying for lens repair and cleaning is that it is usually not cost-effective. The general rule regarding buying damaged or fungus-infected lenses is that unless the lens has high intrinsic value and you got it for free (or nearly so) and you have the tools/expertise to do the work yourself, it is best to not purchase. The availability of modestly-priced quality vintage lens in good working condition (no fungus, scratches, haze) is good, particularly in the U.S. and Western Europe. There is no need to scrounge around the "junk yard" looking for glass. Steve Steve, I am not talking about stockpiling messed up lenses and definitely nothing along the line of a K/M/A 50/1.4 that can be found for under $150. I am talking about lenses that were only produced for a couple of years, PK Zeisses, and 85/1.4s that can go for $1000+ (please don't nit-pick this $). At the time I posted this, there was an 85/1.4 listed for $600 that claimed to have a little fungus along the edge of one of the elements that did not affect picture quality and they posted a few pics to prove it. The other lenses available were over $1K. So I am//was contemplating if it would be worth while to buy the lens and save some money after spending $100-200 to clean it up. The 85 sold pretty quick so I did not get a chance to buy it anyway. Instead of getting that lens, I found another very comparable lens that is claimed to be externally/mechanically excellent with the exact same issue. 'Excellent' available options seem to be $600-800. This one = $325. So, I described the situation to one of the recommended repairers and they made it sound like it should be an easy fix that would be a normal part of a CLA job. They said this particular lens is easy to service and should only cost me about $50+return shipping. For older lenses, they recommend getting a CLA done, which I would probably want to do on a 30yo lens anyway, so it is not like it is a huge additional expense. Based off of what people have said here, and me doing some further research, I have eliminated hazed lenses from the realm of possibility so no need to educate me on haze.

07-07-2016, 03:37 PM	#18
UncleVanya Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2014 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 28,445	Just remember that you can place a fairly large obstruction on the lens and still get quality photos. The degradation will only show up if you compare two images made with the affected lens and an unaffected lens. It is also important to recall that fungus can etch coatings and lenses. This can result in lost contrast or flare that would not be present in a way that you could see without a lot of shooting in varied circumstances.