Dirt or scratch? can it be removed from lens?

[mo]

Hi
I bought this OM komura lens,it was sold as had 2 scratches but when I look at it it looks more like something trapped.It was a cheap lens.can it be saved...it is right in the middle of the focal point

[Farside]

Fill the scratch with black ink from a felt tip pen. It will stop light scattering from the scratch and you won't even know it's there.

[mo]

How do I get to it as it looks internal?

[Farside]

You'd have to remove the front element, in that case. Try it out before doing anything, many front element scratches don't show up at all.

[mo]

Thank you,I have not opened a lens yet so I will see what happens on the film.

[SkedAddled]

If on an internal surface, I would suspect it's a foreign object, which somehow made its way to the glass.

I'd do as Dave suggests, and try using the lens first.
If no ill effects, then enjoy.

[alex]

If you're worried about the effect on performance of such a tiny little mark, have a look at this for reassurance :-

http://www.certo6.com/gallery/planar.html

[mo]

You are kidding!

[Attila]

Those scratches not impact picture quality. I have several lens with huge scratches only impact selling price nothing else. People are silly they always want MINT lenses even if well used copy same or many times better.

[larsr]

Yup, also check this out.

I just got an Nikkor Micro 55/2.8 for about 100EUR which was near perfect, but with a miniscule hairline scratch on the rear element that you can see only by looking at it in the right angle. Rear element damage is usually worse than front element damage, but at least I can't see any loss in IQ.

I'm with Attila here - it's silly how people panic and go crazy over really minor damage. It affects the resale value, but if you sell it to a good home, ie. to someone who's knows what the lens can do and what it's worth, you can still get a good price for it.

[supahmario]

for me it doesn't look like a scratch! and even it would be one, i am with the previous speakers. such a tiny scratch has no impact on IQ. you will find no human eye that detects a scratch of that size (or even bigger ones) in the final image.

so, be happy about your purchase and have fun using it!

[cooltouch]

Yeah, that looks like some sort of foreign object inside the lens. Is the second object shown in the photo a shadow or reflection?

+2 or 3 or whatever about scratches. I own a Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 that would have a low value because of a couple of scratches on the front element. But they make absolutely no difference in the photos. Years ago, I bought a Nikkor 180mm f/2.8 ED that actually had a chip out of the front element. Got it for a great price as a result. That lens was one of the sharpest, contrastiest lenses I've ever owned.

If it's really bugging you, dismantle the lens and remove it. Otherwise, fuggedaboudit!

[mo]

2nd object is the shadow,and yes I am not worried after seeing what some "scratches" look like.Although I still think it's an object

[hinnerker]

[SkedAddled]

HERE is another example of how much a front element can be
buggered and still produce decent results.