Worried about dust in your lens?

[glsammy]

If your worried about dust trapped inside any of your lens or even front element damage; have a look at this link which shows just how bad things need to be before you lose image quality.

LensRentals.com - Front Element Scratches

[Jonners]

Graham, that is amazing! My mouth fell open when I saw the state of the lens. However, I still intend to take very good care of mine

[pitre]

Amazing it's hard to believe !!

Peter

[Ollie]

Very interesting Graham. Certainly shows that the bit of dust we all get shouldn't make any significant impact on the image.

[Boddie]

Great article. Thanks for sharing it Graham

[MJM]

Wow! That lens is even worse than some of mine!
When you think about it, every lens has its minimum focusing distance and objects inside this distance will not be in focus. Therefore dust in a lens or scratches on the lens will never be in focus. A large amount of dust can reduce the contrast and scratches can cause flare if you shoot towards the light source.
Many years ago, when I used to sell photo equipment, all the salesmen were instructed to recommend a filter "to protect the lens". Although it is true that a filter will offer some protection to the front element, I know the main reason for selling the filter was to increase the profit margin substantially!

[glsammy]

Thought you'd like it!
I've always been neurotic about dust in my Bigma, I've cleaned it four times so far. Not so sure I'll bother in future!

[david156]

Now I can't use dust as an excuse for a poor image.

[colincurry]

I went into a local shop to enquire about a small amount of dust in my 100-400. The helpful and honest person i spoke said that it would cost around £100 to have the lens serviced but that I should not bother. He likened it to the situation where you have squashed insects on a car windscreen or headlamps when these are ignored with no effect on the overall image in our eyes.

I took his advice.

Colin

[DavyG]

Originally Posted by glsammy

Thought you'd like it!
I've always been neurotic about dust in my Bigma, I've cleaned it four times so far. Not so sure I'll bother in future!

Did you clean your Bigma yourself Graham or did you have someone do it for you?

If you did it yourself, how difficult was it?

Dave