Opticallimits

Full Version: How bad can you possibly make what should be a decent lens?
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davidmanze

  OK just a quick one.....I found a S/H copy of the AF-S 50mm F1.4G for good price....and the guy offered to come to my boat for the transaction.

 

   Here's the result in all it's glory!! 

 

    Needless to say I didn't buy it. I took ten shots or so.

 

   It took some time before the guy realized how bad the lens was, as he had used it little and only stopped down, eventually after realizing that I wasn't trying to have one over on him, it dawned that the guarantee was well past and he had effectively a useless lens on his hands.

 

   The motto is check those lenses as soon as they arrive!

   

   Probably the worst lens I've ever tried....which is a pity because it was a good price at €200!

 

   PS. taken at F1.4. Even stopped down to F8 still gave poor edges and torn corners.

What's the problem? There's a litte sharp spot in the middle. You just need to compose carefully  :lol:

 

Dave, forget that crappy 50/1.4 G, it's worth no money. I would reject it even as a gift.

davidmanze

 I just wanted an upgrade from the F 50mm F1.8D......with a budget of ~€200! 

 

   Ant ideas at that price?

Allow me to say that I had worst lenses that are now in mint condition, all you need is an experienced repair guy,  for once you should be happy if you hear noise when shaking the lens, this means a loose screw or a problem with lens barrel very easy to fix.

if you have the skills to repair lenses this can be an easy job

 

my 100 macro got worst than that, it had a tiny screw missing, repairs time 15 minutes, cost 20$

 

my EFS 17-55 had that to a lesser extent : needed just calibration, he replaced the rear mount with a special rear mount (found only at Canon repairs not sold on the market) using live view projected to TV he played with a few and screws  till the image of the chart he was shooting became sharp with clear edges. He told me before live view they used a mount that projected a chart via the lens to a wall (or screen )same adjustments were made till image became sharp, total time to repair 30 minutes, cost 40$

 

A friend's 10-18 was totally decentered sent to repairs: one of the screws on the lens barrel was misplaced, repaired in ten minutes, total cost 20$.

Maybe I am lucky to have a good repairs guy close by.

I would suggest if the guy accepts to give it a try and attempt repair usually with such a severe decentering the  problem should be quite obvious and easy to repair.

 

What I do before buying such gear: I tell seller I am ok to pay that price for the lens repaired, he takes it there either he repairs and keeps when he finds his lens is good again, or I buy it in mint condition with three months repair warranty.

That's how I got efs 10-18 fir a friend for 180$

Quote: I just wanted an upgrade from the F 50mm F1.8D......with a budget of ~€200! 

 

   Ant ideas at that price?
bring this lens here you will have a mint 50f1.4 for 220 till 300EUR depending on extent of damage, in your case I don't suspect a broken barrel so should be less than 50$ repairs

davidmanze

   Thanks for the concern toni! 

 

    .....except for having the advantage of a faulty lens for a knock down price, I'm not looking for more lens strip downs, especially when it is hopelessly de-centered on a hardly used lens........ they can be found new for €360 new (grey market of course)

 

    I'll just have to be patient for another.......one that just works!

Quote: I just wanted an upgrade from the F 50mm F1.8D......with a budget of ~€200! 

 

   Ant ideas at that price?
AF-S 50mm f1.8 G?
Would be the better choice of the two nikon 50s anyway  ^_^

 

Toni-a, the term "mint condition" for a bad and then repaired lens is simply an attempt to betray and very misleading. Also, buying a lens which first has to go to a repair shop? That's opposite of "bon-marchè".

davidmanze

Quote:AF-S 50mm f1.8 G?
    I paid out money for the lens and never received it.......I just don't seem to get to actually own either the F1.4 or the 1.8G versions......at least a working version. 

davidmanze

Quote:Would be the better choice of the two nikon 50s anyway  ^_^

 

Toni-a, the term "mint condition" for a bad and then repaired lens is simply an attempt to betray and very misleading. Also, buying a lens which first has to go to a repair shop? That's opposite of "bon-marchè".
 

     My mindset when I said goodbye to the seller was.............

 

                    .......thank God I didn't end up with that lens!

 

   I think people underrate the difficulty of repairing a de-centered lens... the idea that something has come adrift inside and just needs popping back in place is the "common misconception", most times it isn't that. From the lenses that I have tried to repair, there has been  nothing visibly wrong to the eye......you hope to find a displaced/dislodged element or something simple, however, amongst the lenses I've tried to correct, so far I've not found that......and the semi bodge packing under the bayonet is the most one can achieve without having access to replacement elements.

   Often the fault is couplets poorly aligned when glued.......so you have a lens which looks fine to the eye when taken apart, but without different glass element replacements there's is little that can be done with it.  In the case of the 1.4G there is only one couplet in seven groups, normally that represents a low risk, so I was surprised to find such a poor performance.

    So maybe toni could have been right..........it could have been something simple....but if it wasn't?

   Had the "nice man" proposed the lens for half price or €50.....my bargain hunting style might have kicked in....but to buy a dud lens for the price of a good one is frankly foolish. 

 

    Correcting optical misalignments is about as difficult as it can get for the home "bricoleur".......

 

     .........it's all about light.......but you are working in the dark!

 

   

   

  

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