OP here - yup, I see I'm in the wrong thread - I apologize. Feel free to beat me up.
I did see the 'digital' thread - however I considered this had to do with a lens - and that a lens wasn't digital hardware exactly (not a digital camera/artifact). My (incorrect) assumption was a lens was the 'the same' sub-type regardless of the analog/digital device it was placed on. I also thought you guys would have more input / experience.
I totally misconstrued 'medium format'.. meh.
My father was a professional (old school) photographer that always show with a Mamiya M645 - and unfortunately I never took the opportunity to learn from him - so yes. I'm using iPhone X - ('the best camera is the one you have on you'). I've traveled through 100+ countries and I gave up on proper cameras years ago. I used to pick up the low end (around $500) Canons - but after a series of 'e16 lens errors' on several cameras while traveling, and death-by-rain that bricked all cameras - I just had enough with it.
Recently (2 years) I turned to Moment lenses as they offer a alight optical zoom, and the 18mm a wider shot. However, I'm unhappy with it due to the shallow depth of field, rounding / distortion etc. While iPhone may not offer professional photos - I'm of the mind that what (might) matter more is the guy on the other side of the camera.. I'm NOT a very good photographer (surely not my father).
Again - my bad.
I always look at better cameras - right now looking at the Leica CL Street Kit -
http://us.leica-camera.com/Photography/Leica-APS-C/Leica-CL
Again, sure this will make some eyes roll - a novice looking at a Leica of all brands (sigh).. But - I've always admired the build, design (I own a design company), and yeah a sucker for the brand/history. I wonder however, if I'd really see a difference. I get the feeling that (as a inadequate photographer) that my iPhone snaps (which I just save for posterity) already are 80% of what I'll get from the Leica (i.e. I'll see the mountains outside St. Moritz, or my girlfriend learning to ice skate). Is that 20% of taking it to the next level really worth lugging a camera around every single day of travel, not to mention theft issues, mechanical upkeep, and additional notice I'd receive etc. Dunno. People holding up a mobile phone are almost invisible these days, in a way that a proper camera is not.
The Moment Lens
I sent photos to the company two days ago - no response other than the auto-instant one.. (figures).
Sure, I gave up on the lens - I came to the assumption I damaged the lens, maybe through rubbing against my clothes (as someone else pointed out), or contact of some kind. I eventually tried the toothpaste trick - assuming that either:
1. I could rub off the rest of the coating and (maybe) at least be able to get through the rest of the trip without the dark spots
2. Ruin it completely (and not suffer the nagging suspicion I could somehow salvage it)
In fact, it did absolutely nothing.- over an hour (while watching Netflix) using a toothpaste with a bit of grit it didn't rub the coating off to any significant level (if at all). Which is more confounding - if it's so easy to rub it off within a week against my clothes, why with serious effort and a grit toothpaste does it stay on?
Anyway, appreciate the responses. Lens will be replaced when I get home. Or I'll be switching to a proper camera.
Thanks.