Olympus 35mm f/2 lens w Scratch on Front Element

Just received my order from KEH including a BGN condition Olympus 35mm f/2 lens that I got to go with my OM-4T Body. The lens arrived with a obvious scratch on the front element, (see pic below). Not sure if this will affect picture quality but I only have 14 days to return it, and it usually takes more than 2 weeks turnaround for my film processing since I usually send to NCPS or Precision Camera. I guess I could try the local Walgreens? Would you send it back? I have ordered lots of items from KEH and have always found them to be in better-than -described condition. Here's what KEH states about their grading system:

BGN :
"Bargain" 70-79% of original condition. Shows more than average wear for the age of the item. May have dents, dings and/or brassing and finish loss. Glass may have marks, anomalies and/or blemishes that should not affect picture quality.*

I don't mind the cosmetic properties of the lens, just concerned about the image quality?

Kent

I would call them. Ask for replacement and send this one back.

If they called it BGN only because the scratch, and the rest of the lens is better than BGN then you got a good deal; I'd keep it. If it has the scratch and the focus is stiff and aperture has oil and cosmetics are poor and the filter ring is dinged etc. you got what you paid for.

According to the laws of optics all portions of a lens contribute to all portions of the image. I remember reading an account where a famous photographer on assignment in some out of the way location who dropped his camera and BROKE the front element. He had no other option except to finish the assignment with the damaged lens. No one was able to tell which pictures were taken after the camera was dropped.

ic-racer said:

If they called it BGN only because the scratch, and the rest of the lens is better than BGN then you got a good deal; I'd keep it. If it has the scratch and the focus is stiff and aperture has oil and cosmetics are poor and the filter ring is dinged etc. you got what you paid for.

Click to expand...

Yes, that scratch won't do any harm to speak of. Fill it with black ink, and forget about it.

KEH's Response:

I called KEH today and spoke with Grecco. He was very helpful and thought the front element scratch would not affect image quality. They offered to take it back but don't have another one in inventory. He made a note of this issue with the order and stated that KEH would extend the return period until I have had plenty of time to test out the lens and get the film processed and returned, and I was very satisfied with their customer service. This has definitely restored my confidence in KEH!


Kent

That's very good client service from KEH! Just to add to the others' voices, one of my all-time favourite lenses is a Mamiya Sekor-C 65mm f/4.5. This lens does not have one or two scratches, it is badly scratched with many, many scratches of all sizes. I got it because somebody basically threw it away. It looks rough.

It is one of the highest-performance lenses I own, and it is particularly resistant to flare or ghosting, better than even my mint, modern Schneider-Kreuznach APO-Symmar 150mm f/5.6 that I use on a Linhof 4x5in. I can point it straight into bright sunlight:


In short, don't worry about it. The zuiko 35/2 is also particularly flare-resistance, when tested in the late 1970s it beat every single Leica lens for flare-resistance. I really liked mine:


Enjoy!

KEH's "BGN" grade does not include scratches on the glass. That's for their "UG" rating. I think from personal experience that they've had "rating creep" over the last year or so. I'd definitely return it. Even if it doesn't effect your images, it'll surely effect its resale value.