Artefact on negatives

[c41]

I've sold a lens and received these images from the buyer showing 'an issue' with the lens (a brand new 35mm lens)
(The red circles are the buyer's, not mine)

Anyone have any notion what the issue might be from these images? Not much to go on I know, but all I have currently.

My first thought is that they look like something in front of the lens, not in/behind it. Any thoughts? Anything obvious? Thank you.

 

[MattKing]

My first thought is that they look like something in front of the lens, not in/behind it. Any thoughts?

You are probably correct.
A problem with the lens itself wouldn't look like that.
Which lens model is it?

 

[c41]

Voigtlander Nokton, the most recent version in M mount.

I also find it hard to see what could possibly cause a lens in new condition to return these results. They look suspiciously like a pinkie to me but I am now waiting for the buyer to take further 'test rolls'.

I'll share what I receive. I suspect it will be damning evidence requiring a partial refund or full return but I live in hope that there is some good in the universe!

 

[koraks]

They look suspiciously like a pinkie to me

Definitely. And if not a pinkie, perhaps an index...

 

[Tel]

My first thought was "that's somebody's thumb!". But definitely an errant digit. As an engineer friend used to say: operator error, no problem found.

 

[pentaxuser]

If you need to, the key question to ask the buyer is: Are these the only "marks" out of the whole roll. If there are, then it something that has caused them to appear outside of any internal lens problem

Hopefully this will make sense to the buyer and satisfy him/her that it is not the lens. You'd hope that the buyer isn't deliberately "trying it on" but if he/she is then this will hopefully dissuade him/her from continuing

pentaxuser

 

[Sirius Glass]

A finger, thumb, pinkie ... this looks like [time for a technical term, get ready for it] Operator Assisted Failure aka OAF. Usage: the oaf stuck his or her finger in front of the lens.

 

[Don_ih]

Get them to send a picture of the lens, through the barrel, with the aperture open. That will show whether or not anything is there.

Something behind the lens would show up dark in a photo. The photos show something light - likely a camera strap or finger.

 

[Patrick Robert James]

That is a finger. They probably focus with their hand over the lens instead of under so they suffer from the flying pinkie syndrome.

 

[Tel]

That is a finger. They probably focus with their hand over the lens instead of under so they suffer from the flying pinkie syndrome.

I like "flying pinkie syndrome". Has a nice ring to it.

 

[AgX]

That is a finger. They probably focus with their hand over the lens instead of under so they suffer from the flying pinkie syndrome.

My first idea was a finger too.
However I do not see... how "hand over the lens instead of under" is prone to this artefact.

 

[beemermark]

My first thought was finger. Buyer a 1st time RF user?

 

[Down Under]

Was the sale on Ebay??If yes, this may be another case of Buyer's Remorse - the buyer is looking for a reason to either return the lens or get a part refund on it. Nowadays this happens much too often for anyone's liking, and was the mainreason for my decision to no longer sell anything on that site.

It does look to be a "finger situation". Even as a long-time, very experienced photographer, every now and then I still find a finger poking into the corners of my negatives. (I use Contax G1s.)

Poster #8 has given the best advice. By asking for an image of the lens with the aperture fully open, you will have taken the best course of action. To protect yourself, be sure to keep Ebay informed of all discussions between buyer and seller.

 

[Don_ih]

Was the sale on Ebay?

If it's on ebay, say you'll accept a return. It's not worth the trouble to try to argue. There is nothing that a buyer can't return on ebay, no matter what any seller says.

 

[Sirius Glass]

If it's on ebay, say you'll accept a return. It's not worth the trouble to try to argue. There is nothing that a buyer can't return on ebay, no matter what any seller says.

Does eBay have replacement fingers one can buy?

 

[c41]

Thanks for the responses everyone, it is great to get some reassurance on what seemed to clearly be the case, plus I am enjoying the robust debate on 'which little finger' it actually is (or even a thumb!)

It is indeed an eBay sale. I suspected some kind of scam attempt or just buyers remorse when I first received their message but perhaps it simply is operator error.

I've responded to them in a way that I hope gives them plenty of room to quietly back down and get back to their 'digit'al photography lol.

For now I'm hoping that's the end of it and the buyer now has the problem in hand.