Scratched rear element = ruined lens?

[TheFlyingCamera]

And for what the lens looks like:

 

[Horatio]

Are those scratches right in the glass, or just on the coating?

Not sure, as I have not seen it up close. I swiped the photo from an online ad.

 

[awty]

And for what the lens looks like:

What a great shutter, how does it work?

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

What a great shutter, how does it work?

It's a Sinar shutter. It's intended to work with their DB-mount lenses. You set the speed with that hemispheric indicator on the top, and then close the shutter with a lever on the side. When you're ready to trigger it, you use the special cable release that screws into the side (not visible in that photo). The green lever at the top left is to switch the flash sync between X and M. There is a separate flash sync port below the cable release. The range of speeds goes from 1/60th to 8 seconds, plus B. A newer version has an aperture-adustment function for the DB mount lenses so you can make all settings and adjustments from behind the camera.

 

[Kodachromeguy]

This amount of damage will have practically zero effect on image quality

Scratches/marks on the back element? A huge deal. That definitely will cause image degradation.

Well, this is interesting. Paul says minimal effect. Huss claims image degradation, A huge deal. The example from a beat up barrel lens look pretty good to me, but those results may not translate to a wide lens on 35mm.

 

[reddesert]

It's not "ruined." It's devalued. Damage on the rear lens element can be more of a problem than the front, because it more directly corresponds to a spot on the film. Essentially, the rear is usually much closer to the image plane than the front is to the subject plane, so rear spots are more in-focus. However, the effect may depend on the lens design and what apertures it is used at - if a lens is used wide open then it may "average over" a larger area of glass and a damaged spot will be less visible.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

This amount of damage will have practically zero effect on image quality. However, that price is a bit high for a lens with conspicuous damage to one of the surfaces.

if you're buying it, it's a deal breaker;if you're selling it, it has no impact on IQ. funny that.

 

[NB23]

I have stopped using cheap lenses long ago.

Once I understood that each click with a shitty camera/lens was a click not taken with my favorite canera/lens, I understood that ultimately all I was doing was fooling myself.
Something like kissing a girl you don’t like while someone else is kissing the girl you like, while you thought the girl you like was true to only you.

In the end, one is stuck with developing, printing and viewing photos from B-series equipment while actually owning A-series equipment. Totally unimpressive behaviour.

Use the best you can afford, and use it hard.

 

[Huss]

And for what the lens looks like:

What does the back of the lens look like? Damage to the front has much less impact as has already been established.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

What does the back of the lens look like? Damage to the front has much less impact as has already been established.

The damage is very similar on the rear.

 

[awty]

It's a Sinar shutter. It's intended to work with their DB-mount lenses. You set the speed with that hemispheric indicator on the top, and then close the shutter with a lever on the side. When you're ready to trigger it, you use the special cable release that screws into the side (not visible in that photo). The green lever at the top left is to switch the flash sync between X and M. There is a separate flash sync port below the cable release. The range of speeds goes from 1/60th to 8 seconds, plus B. A newer version has an aperture-adustment function for the DB mount lenses so you can make all settings and adjustments from behind the camera.

Very interesting, wish all LF lenses had their dials ontop.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

Very interesting, wish all LF lenses had their dials ontop.

This is an independent shutter - it will work with any lens that has no shutter, whose rear element fits inside the throat of the shutter (75mm diameter). Sinar came up with this DB mount system that puts lenses with apertures only on custom boards. It's an interesting concept, and incredibly useful for working with old odd barrel lenses that have no shutters.

 

[MultiFormat Shooter]

Depending on the Nikkor it may still be able to locate another rear element.

Is lens re-coating still available? I know there used to be a place in Colorado (?), that offered it, but it closed when the owner retired.

 

[GarageBoy]

Recoat? Replace?
This is a few hundred dollar, super common lens
Just spend the extra money and get one that's not as damaged, you'll come out ahead. Camera repair labor costs are not cheap