What do you think...?

[Blighty]

A question;
A friend of mine recently acquired a Nikon 35~70mm f2.8 AF zoom (the earlier version, not the AFS type). Anyway, noticing that his pics weren't as clear and sharp as they should be, he examined the lens and noticed that one of the inner elements appeared 'cloudy'. I checked it over myself and it does indeed look like some kind of crap uniformly covering one of the elements. I suggested that he send it away for a CLA, which he did. When he spoke to the repair bloke, he was told that this was a not uncommon fault with this particular lens and that the element in question had 'deteriorated' (sic). I don't want to impugn this guys reputation without first asking you lads 'n lasses what you think. To me, it sounds a bit odd. I could understand this on a really old lens, but this one isn't that old. Are Nikon pro lenses (or any pro lens for that matter) subject to this kind of failure? As ever, your opinions are greatly valued. Regards, B.

 

[Ian Grant]

It is possible, it happens with some types of optical glass, a few (a small number) of Zeiss and Leitz lenses go cloudy as they age. I've no idea if it's the same with certain with Nikkors.

However you said you observed this yourself, so the repair guy could well be right. Why don't you search the web - there should be others with the lens and similar problems.

Ian

 

[Christopher Walrath]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9000/4.6.0.167 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102 UP.Link/6.3.0.0.0)

Get a second 'tech' opinion. And when that technician says they can work on it then send it to them instead.

 

[GeorgeDexter]

It's probably the cement between to elements that has 'deteriorated' as glass is pretty much ageless. There are, however, also certain fungi that seem to enjoy living on the compounds used as lens coatings. If it's been stored in a damp environment it's not uncommon for even a fairly new lens to have this problem. I have seen one other 35-70mm f2.8 Nikkor with this same problem myself, so maybe there is a particular issue with one of the cements or coatings.