Taking Your Camera Out Can be Expsnsive

[Joanna Carter]

You know how it is; you go somewhere to build up your portfolio but, somehow, you end up losing more than the time it takes to make an image.

There we were, in France, having successfully run the workshop, when we decided to visit Maison Blanche (near Brest). So, I put the 150mm lens on the camera, went back to the bag for the cable release, returned to the camera, knocked into it, and the lens jumped out of the front standard and did a nice double-bounce on the rocky shore! Of course it was my fault; I had put the lens in whilst stood behind the camera and not quite caught the board properly.

Fortunately, the only damage appears to be a couple of flat spots on the back threaded portion of the rear element. It doesn't seem to have affected sharpness or anything but I am one of those folks who don't like working with sub-standard gear. Has anyone any ideas how best to proceed with repairing such damage, if it can be (is worth geting it) repaired? Or is it really worth the expense if all seems OK at the moment?

Oh, and there's also the matter of the lens cap which is now residing somewhere at the bottom of a crevice between some rocks at Ploumanac'h... but that was Helen's fault

[David Evans]

You know how it is; you go somewhere to build up your portfolio but, somehow, you end up losing more than the time it takes to make an image.

There we were, in France, having successfully run the workshop, when we decided to visit Maison Blanche (near Brest). So, I put the 150mm lens on the camera, went back to the bag for the cable release, returned to the camera, knocked into it, and the lens jumped out of the front standard and did a nice double-bounce on the rocky shore! Of course it was my fault; I had put the lens in whilst stood behind the camera and not quite caught the board properly.

Fortunately, the only damage appears to be a couple of flat spots on the back threaded portion of the rear element. It doesn't seem to have affected sharpness or anything but I am one of those folks who don't like working with sub-standard gear. Has anyone any ideas how best to proceed with repairing such damage, if it can be (is worth geting it) repaired? Or is it really worth the expense if all seems OK at the moment?

Oh, and there's also the matter of the lens cap which is now residing somewhere at the bottom of a crevice between some rocks at Ploumanac'h... but that was Helen's fault

Oh dear Joanna! Easily done. If it's a Schneider lens I'd have a word with Mike Walker at Walker Cameras, who is also a Schneider re-seller, and has the contacts to get their lenses repaired.

[dave_whatever]

The question has to be if the repair will cost more than the drop in value. Since its the rear of the lens personallt i'd leave it.

[Dave Dawson]

I have used a lens vice to remove dents in the filter rings on a 90mm Super Angulon, 90mm Sinaron and a 135mm Symmar. The optics haven't been effected in any appreciable way....I would leave it until you do it again

Cheers Dave

[Joanna Carter]

I have used a lens vice to remove dents in the filter rings on a 90mm Super Angulon, 90mm Sinaron and a 135mm Symmar.

Hmmm, so you make a practice of denting lenses, do you? Remind me to avoid those workshops

The optics haven't been effected in any appreciable way....I would leave it until you do it again

You mean this can become habit forming?

[Dave Dawson]

I have never put a dent in a lens in my life! In fact I can't remember EVER dropping one....I just have a 'knack' for buying dented one's

Cheers Dave

[David Rees]

Joanna,

My sympathies -- I've bounced a few valuable camera bits in my time, too. Some survived, some were essentially write-offs.

If the lens is working OK (functionally and image-wise) I'd recommend not doing anything about it. A 150mm f5.6 lens, 2nd-hand, will likely cost £200-400. The repair cost on such a lens could easily come within that band.

You could, of couse, consider claiming on your insurnace, if any. However, I've had to do this once, and found that I paid more for inmsurance thereafter -- so now I'd only claim if I'm out a thousand or more.

I'm no lens expert, but I've read that damage to the rear element is usually more of a worry than to the front, except perhaps for flare. However, lenses seem to work very well even with significant defects -- a couple of small "flat spots" are unlikely to do much, if any, harm to the images.

[PAUL O]

My list of (LF) mishaps:
Dropped and wrote-off a Schneider 120mm f8;
Gust of wind blew over tripod and wrote-off a Silvestri SLV body;

David is correct in that there is a general feeling that rear damage is more of an issue than front end scrapes; however, I've seen some fantastic 6x6 images taken with a Hassie with a 50mm Distagon with a front element that was very badly scratched and pitted - the owner simply filled in the "dents" with India ink!!

[hmvmanuk]

For what it's worth, Joanna, I would say leave it alone if it's working. Time is a great healer - not of the physical damage of course, but of the emotional damage! My first medium format camera was an old Bronica S2A which I bought secondhand. The first day I took it out I put it on a tripod and when I went over to my bag I heard a loud clunk: I hadn't secured one of the tripod legs properly and the whole lot went over on some concrete steps. The camera body suffered some scratches, the viewfinder was bent and the film magazine dented. I felt so annoyed and embarrassed. However, the camera still worked fine, the magazine remained light-tight and I straightened the viewfinder. I used that gear for many more years, eventually got over the embarrassment and just ignored the dents.

Gavin.