well i just landed in singapore yesterday, and based on my foolishness, decided to TRUST a reputed seller's pm-ed description of
so since the seller was a doctor by profession maybe, and that he might have had a busy schedule, i grabbed a cab down and transacted near his place and cabbed back w/o checking the lens, on the grounds of my belief in the integrity and honesty of the seller, with the jet lag of 17hrs in flight etc, it added to my naiveness. ($24 cab fare btw)
came back and to my horror i found fungal halos on the front element, a few of them in fact, and light hazing in the centre of the front element.
well it was $900 for a summicron R 90, not too worth it for a fungussed version, i wouldnt have minded paying a couple hundred or more for a clean specimen anyway. well i m still cool over the deal, but sometimes, the integrity & honesty of others, is only worth that much.
so reminder to all, new or seasoned photographers
1) Dont judge the book by the cover, professionals in the industry etc may have a professional job etc, but that doesnt mean integrity and honesty is always up to the mark
2) Check all purchases thoroughly!!!
- open camera to maximum aperture, look through light
- tilt the lens and glance at the glass from an angle, thats when defects are more visible
- insist on a short warranty, at least people selling lemons would be less inclined to give one
coating in mint condition, I dont sell scrach or fungus lens, dust also quite free. no worries.
so since the seller was a doctor by profession maybe, and that he might have had a busy schedule, i grabbed a cab down and transacted near his place and cabbed back w/o checking the lens, on the grounds of my belief in the integrity and honesty of the seller, with the jet lag of 17hrs in flight etc, it added to my naiveness. ($24 cab fare btw)
came back and to my horror i found fungal halos on the front element, a few of them in fact, and light hazing in the centre of the front element.
well it was $900 for a summicron R 90, not too worth it for a fungussed version, i wouldnt have minded paying a couple hundred or more for a clean specimen anyway. well i m still cool over the deal, but sometimes, the integrity & honesty of others, is only worth that much.
so reminder to all, new or seasoned photographers
1) Dont judge the book by the cover, professionals in the industry etc may have a professional job etc, but that doesnt mean integrity and honesty is always up to the mark
2) Check all purchases thoroughly!!!
- open camera to maximum aperture, look through light
- tilt the lens and glance at the glass from an angle, thats when defects are more visible
- insist on a short warranty, at least people selling lemons would be less inclined to give one