Voigtlander/Zeiss/Leica M/LTM lenses
- Thread starter firestorm
- Start date
topoxforddoc
pfm Member
I'm not selling, but don't worry about scratches, unless they're on the rear element. A mark on the rear element will affect image quality. However, you can just cover up a front element mark with a sharpie (yes!). You can even take pics with a smashed front element.
http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2008/10/front-element-scratches
thank you for the link doc - interesting, so minor scratches on the front element shouldn't be too obvious. I presume it'll be more susceptible to sun flare. The only downside is the negative impact on resale value, but if you account for that when you're buying, then you should be ok.
neilmack
pfm Member
One way of understanding how little impact a front element scratch has is to think about catadioptric lenses and telescopes : the obstructions in these can be immense, commonly equivalent to 30% of the diameter of the front element, yet the lens remains perfectly functional. In the unlikely event a scratch were to prove troublesome - a source of flare for instance - filling it with some black material would do the trick, and the loss of light transmission would be negligible.
It's all a question of how cheaply a scratched lens is priced!
It's all a question of how cheaply a scratched lens is priced!