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Old 21st August 2019, 05:23 PM
anewman anewman is offline
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Default Will marks on enlarger lens front element affect prints?

Lens is a Schneider Componon-S 80mm f4. It appears to be damage to the coating. Difficult to see unless positioned a certain way with direct light. I can't notice any issues with prints, but wondered how much of an effect it is likely to have?

Many thanks
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Old 21st August 2019, 06:55 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
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Hello and welcome to FADU. It would appear to have damage which doesn't seem to be on the outside glass but it is worth a wipe with a lens tissue just in case

Some enlarger lenses can be less than perfect and still not affect the look of the print. If you can see no faults on the print then to all intents and purposes the lens is fine for the purpose of printing. Just be aware that unless you received this lens in that condition so it has been that way for some time then it might indicate a deterioration that might one day affect the look of the prints.

If it does eventually affect the print, check out Secondhand Darkroom Supplies(SDS) or the Imaging Warehouse for a replacement. Certainly SDS keeps a range of secondhand enlarger lenses for sale

Mike
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Old 21st August 2019, 07:51 PM
John King John King is online now
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Default Lens coating

The effect on the performance with one tiny mark will have no appreciable effect on your prints. If you were to conduct scientifically controlled tests under laboratory conditions even then I doubt if anything would show.

Use you Componon with complete confidence, it will give you sterling service for many years.
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Old 21st August 2019, 08:13 PM
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MartyNL MartyNL is offline
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Personally I don't like the look of those marks on the front element so I would definitely replace the lens if I were you.
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Old 21st August 2019, 08:46 PM
big paul big paul is offline
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a lot of us have old lenses with years of dust and crud on the glass elements but they still give us good images ,if it works OK don't worrie about it just use it ..




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Old 21st August 2019, 09:17 PM
alexmuir alexmuir is offline
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It looks like damage caused by inappropriate cleaning methods. Coating damage probably won’t matter too much, but there appear to be some serious scratches in the upper left of the picture. If you’re happy with your prints, carry on using it. Personally, I would like to compare the results with a similar lens in good condition to see if the prints it produces are of comparable quality.
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Old 21st August 2019, 10:04 PM
John King John King is online now
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Default Lens marks

Quote:
Originally Posted by MartyNL View Post
Personally I don't like the look of those marks on the front element so I would definitely replace the lens if I were you.

Those marks are nothing else but discolouration of the coating due to age or atmospheric pollution some time ago. They WILL NOT make any difference that the user will be able to detect.

If, as the author of this thread says he cannot see anything wrong then getting him to buy another more expensive version is just throwing money away. It is down to personal preference. He may as well use it because in PX for another that would bring very little.

I used to own a Leica F2/50mm Summicron from perhaps the early 60's (on an M3 body) and that was far worse and it still made no apparent difference to the contrast/sharpness of the negatives, either colour or B&W.
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Old 21st August 2019, 11:34 PM
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Maris Maris is offline
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It is possible to test an enlarging lens for significant damage by looking at fine (fine!) lines in the image. If the lens is compromised black lines against a light background will come out wider than they should. And white lines against a dark background will come out narrower.
The effect is caused by subtle lens flare that manifests long before actual lens sharpness and resolution start to degrade.
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