18-70mm Kit Lens: Smear markings within the front element!

[sammy888]

This has never happend to all my lens before all this years. Have this happened to anyone else?

I just found this afternoon when I took out my D70 to go shoot the Subaru Contest and low and behold!.. I saw two thin irregular line like oil smear on the lens but what surprise me was these stains are found on the front element FROM INSIDE!!. How the heck did that happen. Something loose going in there and smeared itself on it? I recall I took out the lens from the D70 and just use the rubber air pump to clear it out after I have use a lint cloth to clean the edges. Shaking it and turning the lens down to see if any foreign object might settle on the middle of the lens but nothing.

Would this be coverd under warranty for the clearing of the smear or is this going to be a $50 -100 job I have to PAY Nikon to clean it?

anyone had this happen to any of their lens? I have had many lens for the past 20 yrs but I never has a situation like this...weird.

[ericp]

Instead of asking the members of this forum, most of who probably don't work for Nikon , why not bring it to Nikon's service center at Chang Charn Rd & get a straight answer ? I'm guessing from your mini tirade that it's under local warranty, so just go over there, talk to someone, and get the skinny on what can be done next.

Unless, of course, you prefer to get it sorted out in this forum ...

[sammy888]

Originally Posted by ericp Instead of asking the members of this forum, most of who probably don't work for Nikon , why not bring it to Nikon's service center at Chang Charn Rd & get a straight answer ? I'm guessing from your mini tirade that it's under local warranty, so just go over there, talk to someone, and get the skinny on what can be done next. Unless, of course, you prefer to get it sorted out in this forum ...

Nah..I am not getting my "panties in a bunch" over it but it just caught me by surprise. If this is production lapse. It will go to the shop on Monday for sure. I am just wondering if my using the rubber blower to clear out the back end before I pop it back into the D70 was what could have shot enough air into the tiny openings that some stuff made it into the inner chambers of the lens. I have opening and service my older manual focus lens but this are new stuff and looks delicate..

Just thought I bring this up to see if anyone had faced this....and of course once I get the skinny on the servicing or whatever..I will report back here for those who might be interest to know.

Cheers

[espn]

It's 'lo and behold'...

Anyway sounds like fungal to me.

[sammy888]

Originally Posted by espn It's 'lo and behold'... Anyway sounds like fungal to me.

Yes yes...typo... thanks

But you might also need to take note...that I saw the lens clear 2 days ago when I took it out of the dry box. Oly took it out a day later to blow it out after I open it to just give it a clean which I normally do before I use it. And check the equipments over before I go shooting. Also..this lens is only 50 days old

So how can it be fungal heh....it is just simply oil smear which I have seen lots of time..you know the type...very thin almost like a crack and it has that rainbow halo tints.

[espn]

Hmmm might be the air was too dry and caused the coating to crack? Send in to Nikon for checking.

[sammy888]

Originally Posted by espn Hmmm might be the air was too dry and caused the coating to crack? Send in to Nikon for checking.

Not a crack lah!!! heheheh....chey. If it was a crack I will know it is a crack. I have had cracked lens before. This are smears stains ( 3 of them ) I use a magnifier to look at it.

I suspect some kind of hair or thin object that might have got log on the light oil or grease that might be coating the gearing of the AFS motor or focus ring and then coated with some of this lubricate it got loose and fell on the front element and pass on the oil smear to it. No big deal but it just surprise me that QC could be that bad or are these newer lens really not as well sealed as the older Nikkors lens I had. This is the first time I had this. Dust I can understand especially some of the longer zooms I had which can suck dust particle very easy when you work the push/pull zooms and you can spot some of them very smalls bits here and there within certain elements of the lens.

[espn]

I'm saying the coating cracked, not the lens cracked.

[ericp]

It is a bit worrying for a new lens ... and unfortunately (or rather, fortunately for me ) I can't help you, as mine's still in good condition. Though I hardly ever use the blower on the back element ... the only times I need to clean there is when I'm careless in changing lens, and it's a fingerprint smudge that needs to be removed with Eclipse.

Anyway, I hope you get it sorted out ... it's a pain having to make the trek (perhaps twice) to Nikon Service, but at least you know that it'll get fixed in the end. My experience with them (all the way from Shriro days) is that they're pretty good at what they do, and importantly, customer service oriented.

[F5user]

helloooo....

ok.. honestly, i don't own this lense, but many of my colleagues have this one, and this is a common occurance with the kit lense as mentioned above.

Solution:
I'm based within the states, but here's what we did there:
Bring it down to nikon, and let them have a look. They will obviously check the lense for impact damage, and ESPECIALLY for excessive cleaning damage (ie: too kaypo and free, and just sit there the whole day cleaning the lense with excessive pressure.)
Normally, if it's fungus, or perhaps a coating smear, they'll clean/change it for u free of charge, taking 3 - 5 working days at most. Usually no charge.. not too sure how shiroro works here though. =)

Causes:
Ok.. this is the part that SUCKS!!!
Talked to a few of the techs working down at nikon as my company deals with them often for photo equpmt. Ok.. the Kit lenses, esp the dx ones with the d70s are mostly from china/thailand with the RARE RARE RARE earlier ones from japan.. now.. sadly i think most of the ones within the kits here in sunny singapore are thailand/china ones as the unless u're lucky enough to get the first few kit d70s that are around 1/1/2 years old.
Anyway, the technician at nikon said that it's a common fault due to the qc of the lenses and that they're having heaps of problems with this. Apparantly, the seals are not as good as the gd ol non dx lenses, or those higher end dx lenses out there ie: 12-24.

Nothing much we can do here i guess, but to send in the lense, sit back and wait.. and hope and pray that nikon makes its consumer end dx lenses like their good ol non digi lenses: back in japan.

sigh....

[sammy888]

Originally Posted by espn I'm saying the coating cracked, not the lens cracked.

yes I saw that..heheh..same thing. crack lens or crack whatever....never heard of a crack coating from nikkor lens. So if it was a crack coating that will really be out of this world for a nikkor lens...especially an ED lens? ( the front element) Beside I have yet to crack coating on my previous lens and that is from years of use and some of them I even did not place in dry boxes. Have taken them from a cold air con room and into the warm air and begin shooting.

I did not feel the need to correct my posting ( after I press submit) when I saw you mean coating as...generally whatever crack it is...I am just saying I have seen them all and I know it is not a crack or a damage on the coating. This lens have yet to be abuse by me. It has never seen rain and super hot days like my other non digital stuff.

[sammy888]

Originally Posted by F5user helloooo.... ok.. honestly, i don't own this lense, but many of my colleagues have this one, and this is a common occurance with the kit lense as mentioned above. Solution: I'm based within the states, but here's what we did there: Bring it down to nikon, and let them have a look. They will obviously check the lense for impact damage, and ESPECIALLY for excessive cleaning damage (ie: too kaypo and free, and just sit there the whole day cleaning the lense with excessive pressure.) Normally, if it's fungus, or perhaps a coating smear, they'll clean/change it for u free of charge, taking 3 - 5 working days at most. Usually no charge.. not too sure how shiroro works here though. =) Causes: Ok.. this is the part that SUCKS!!! Talked to a few of the techs working down at nikon as my company deals with them often for photo equpmt. Ok.. the Kit lenses, esp the dx ones with the d70s are mostly from china/thailand with the RARE RARE RARE earlier ones from japan.. now.. sadly i think most of the ones within the kits here in sunny singapore are thailand/china ones as the unless u're lucky enough to get the first few kit d70s that are around 1/1/2 years old. Anyway, the technician at nikon said that it's a common fault due to the qc of the lenses and that they're having heaps of problems with this. Apparantly, the seals are not as good as the gd ol non dx lenses, or those higher end dx lenses out there ie: 12-24. Nothing much we can do here i guess, but to send in the lense, sit back and wait.. and hope and pray that nikon makes its consumer end dx lenses like their good ol non digi lenses: back in japan. sigh....

Thanks for the contribution. I guess as much. I have no problem with it being made in China or Thailand actually. A lens is a lens..and that means the glasses. And I am willing to get what I pay for but even the E class lens 20 yrs ago or some of those earlier "plastic body" lens made in Thailand or China was still better made. I woul dhave expected a DX or one with the "AFS" to be alot better. Guess I am wrong heheh...oh well. Let's see what happens once I get it back. Let's hope we don't have to mentioned this anymore and treat that as part and parcel of lens production quality these days for the so called "general public" range. Really pity though..I have been using Nikon since the day I started my hobby with the Nikon EM.

[justarius]

Some of Nikon lenses used to have a problem with the lubricant in the lens leaking, the most infamous of which is probably the 35mm f2, which can result in the aperture blades sticking in some cases. An oily smear on the inside sounds like a lubricant leak to me (though I'm NOT a Nikon tech) Your best move is probably to take it to Nikon and see what they say, as advised by all the other brothers and sisters here.

good luck!

[sammy888]

Originally Posted by ericp It is a bit worrying for a new lens ... and unfortunately (or rather, fortunately for me ) I can't help you, as mine's still in good condition. Though I hardly ever use the blower on the back element ... the only times I need to clean there is when I'm careless in changing lens, and it's a fingerprint smudge that needs to be removed with Eclipse. Anyway, I hope you get it sorted out ... it's a pain having to make the trek (perhaps twice) to Nikon Service, but at least you know that it'll get fixed in the end. My experience with them (all the way from Shriro days) is that they're pretty good at what they do, and importantly, customer service oriented.

Thanks anyway...same goes for ESPN lah hehe. Yes Shriro is fine with the services. Just that I need to use the camera on Wednesday to do some product shoot. Guess I have to shot it tomorrow...@#$ a trip back to my office on Sunday. Shriro is not too far from my office lah....I am at Delta House so the trip there is short and not a big deal.

I clean the back end of the lens of late few times because I managed to find some dust on the CCD. So after I blow the CCD out...I was worry if some of the dust particle might still be inside the CCD chamber. So worry some of the dust might travel to the lens' rear...thus I have puff it out a few times.

Well lesson learn. Let's see what Shriro can find inside my lens hehe...it would be interesting to know what that object is.

Just check my pictures I shot today...it did not effect the shots.

[ykgen]

hey sammy888, very weird lah... u make me nervous... can u post a pic of the 'oil stain' on your lens u mentioned? i'm using the kit lens as well... thanks

[photogene]

Originally Posted by ykgen hey sammy888, very weird lah... u make me nervous... can u post a pic of the 'oil stain' on your lens u mentioned? i'm using the kit lens as well... thanks

No need to be nervous, this is just an isolated case. If this makes you nervous, then we should also be nervous of everything in life such as road accident, lightning strike, terrorism etc... take it easy. Enjoy our photography while we are still alive.

[sammy888]

Originally Posted by ykgen hey sammy888, very weird lah... u make me nervous... can u post a pic of the 'oil stain' on your lens u mentioned? i'm using the kit lens as well... thanks

hehe..no need to get nervous lah. I am 99% sure it is a oil or some lubricating streak. I suspect that the rubber blower I use to try to clear the dust from the rear might have been powerful enough to blow and dislogge some of this lubricate or some stray object to land on the rear portion of my first element and when it drop off it left the two set of marking there.

Beside..I have gone 100 digital SLR...all my other film SLRs are sold heh..and also no micro lens. My other digital P&S cameras can't zoom in close enough. No need to get nervous lah. Even if it was something really bad..I know I did not do anything that will screw up my warranty on it and thus I am certain I could get a replacement for free. And since someone mentioned that QC is not that good on this kit lens I guess I do not even have to pay for the cleaning.