Looking through your lenses

[aim54x]

I was just wondering when was the last time you have looked through your own lenses (checking for dust and fungus etc). I know I will do so for other peoples lenes, but I have never really done so with mine since buying them.

For some reason I decided to do so with my Nikkor AF-D 50mm f/1.8 and my Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8 and was surprised to find that both had sizable specks in them. Both these lenses have been used heavily for the last two years but have had filters on them their whole life and were clean when I purchased them new. Neither lens's image quality is compromised, but I was shocked to find specks in them (and a fibre in the 24-70).

The 24-70 is a zoom (therefore sucking in particles) but the 50 is a prime, how would a speck get into there?

I wont worry too much about these specks unless they start to show up in images....

Anyone else checked their lenses lately?

[Reschsmooth]

I understand that, with movement of the various bits of plastic through focusing and zooming (where applicable), bits of plastic 'shave' off. These bits would be very small.

I hypothesise that, not being airtight (I imagine), foreign particles could get in to the unit.

It is not at all impossible that I could be wrong.

[biggerry]

Anyone else checked their lenses lately?

All my lens, excluding the recent 11-16mm f2.8 purchase have dust to a varying degree.

The 17-55mm which is a secondhand one has very little and seems to be the best in terms of sealing, the 55mm micro, also secondhad has plenty of dust including a whopping big yellow bit (see pictures below), this is not surprising since its an ex-hire one

18-200 has plenty of dust, this is not surprising and fairly common, my 50mm 1.8 is spotless, the 105mm f2.5 has only a few specks...

I am a firm believer that dust will be sweet FA difference, bad composition and a dirty filter will do far more degradation to an image

but the 50 is a prime, how would a speck get into there?

the front elements are sealed, ie glued in place, however the rear element(s) which provides the focusing moves hence this is where the dust will get in.

click for larger

[ATJ]

I don't regularly check my lenses for dust, etc. but just went and checked the 4 that I use most often. They were all clean (at least as much as my old eyes can tell - I was wearing my reading glasses) with the exception of my newest acquisition, my 200mm f/4D. It has a CL polariser on it and the filter is filthy. The rest of the lens is fine.

Interestingly, my oldest lens in current use, my 60mm f.2.8D, purchased in 1996, is very clean despite me putting a dirty great thumbprint on the rear element a year or so ago.

[Matt. K]

It's easy to become paranoid about lens dust. Some of the best professionals I knew had filthy, battered dust covered lenses and battered camera bodies that they threw into the back of their cars as if they were junk. They took the most amazing photographs. I'm not sure what the message is ...perhaps focus on the subject and not your equipment...but don't get too concerned with a little dust.

[aim54x]

It's easy to become paranoid about lens dust. Some of the best professionals I knew had filthy, battered dust covered lenses and battered camera bodies that they threw into the back of their cars as if they were junk. They took the most amazing photographs. I'm not sure what the message is ...perhaps focus on the subject and not your equipment...but don't get too concerned with a little dust.

Good point Matt....have you had a look at yours?

[ATJ]

It's easy to become paranoid about lens dust. Some of the best professionals I knew had filthy, battered dust covered lenses and battered camera bodies that they threw into the back of their cars as if they were junk. They took the most amazing photographs. I'm not sure what the message is ...perhaps focus on the subject and not your equipment...but don't get too concerned with a little dust.

Good point Matt....have you had a look at yours?

Of course he has. That's what prompted the comment.

[surenj]

Because of recurrent dust on the front elements when I leave the camera and lens lying around the place, I have now developed the habit of keeping the camera in the bag with the lens cap on.

Just make sure you clean your lenses and sensor before a sunrise type of flare situation.

[aim54x]

Of course he has. That's what prompted the comment.

of course how can I have been so silly.....

I just received my new Nikkor AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8G (from BH Photo Video via a good friend who has just returned from the USA) and was shocked to see how much dust was in the lens......so I checked the lens off the camera and it struck me that the dust that i was seeing in all my lenses was so similar....most of the dust I was seeing was actually in the camera body (mirror and focus panel). So the condition of my glass is much better than I originally thought so.