• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Scratched ocular lenses? Advice needed please (1 Viewer)

E

edkcso

Member
Greetings everyone. I'm a newcomer to the forum and a newbie in birdwatching from Hong Kong. I've got a pair of used Zeiss Dialyt 7x42 T* P* supposedly in "excellent used condition" with "defect free lenses" and "intact coating" according to the seller. Much to my surprise, I found the ocular lenses in the condition as seen in the attached photos.

The seller claimed "they were sent to me used with no visible signs of scratches or damage to the lenses" and that "these so called scratches do not affect the imaging".

But these appear to me as scratches or marks that were caused by improper or aggressive cleaning of the lenses over time... :h?: And not something that could just happen overnight?

I am wondering what these scratches really are and if the coating or the lens is damaged?

Thank you very much for your help in advance.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_6983.JPG
    IMG_6983.JPG
    407.3 KB · Views: 270
  • IMG_6984.JPG
    IMG_6984.JPG
    373.2 KB · Views: 191
  • IMG_6985.JPG
    IMG_6985.JPG
    387.7 KB · Views: 166
  • 7c4a6f3b-8457-4370-9e9d-35daa509557d.JPG
    7c4a6f3b-8457-4370-9e9d-35daa509557d.JPG
    88.1 KB · Views: 266
  • c9b76472-44cd-435a-9e95-b2ce18b7f670.JPG
    c9b76472-44cd-435a-9e95-b2ce18b7f670.JPG
    89.5 KB · Views: 162
Did you try cleaning them with some Zeiss lens cleaning wipes to make sure it is not something that can be removed? If they can't be removed they are scratches. If it is Ebay I would file a not as described dispute to get your money back. Obviously the seller is not going to admit any wrongdoing. You will get your money back.
 
These are cleaning scratched.

They will affect the image quality and the binocular needs to have new eye lenses fitted.
 
I would want my money back and return the Zeiss binocular! Unless you are ok with this, or they drop the price way down and view is not that bad.
 
Thanks a lot for your valuable comments, guys! Much appreciated. I have already requested a return but based upon my conversation with the seller so far, eBay resolution will likely be required. Seller kept saying that before shipment the bins were in excellent used condition with no scratches on the lenses and perfect imaging. He also said the so called scratches do not affect imaging... and he questioned if they were caused by improper cleaning, why the objectives were not scratched? So it’s quite a frustrating situation. I hope eBay will make a fair judgement. I will keep you all posted. Thank you again for your help.
 
Hi,

They are without doubt cleaning scratches.

In my experience repairing these in 95% of cases it will be the eye lenses that get scratched because they are the ones that people clean more often and if they are using a cloth which is not clean tiny particles of grit, sand etc. will scratch the glass.

If I had a penny for every person I have seen out in the field cleaning their eye lenses on their shirt !!!!!!

The scratches on your binocular are due to years of cleaning and have not just appeared overnight.

They will reduce image contrast, reduce light transmission and affect the sharpness of the image.

Gary.
 
I got a 10x40 T*P*supposedly new from Germany with cleaning scratches on the oculars. Not as bad as the one shown above but certainly not new or as new.

Another 10x40 was a write off probably cleaned with sand from a beach area. The right ocular was worse, maybe because he was right handed.

Scratches on objectives are less harmful, but still not nice.

Gary is the official Zeiss repairer.

I don't think that I have ever scratched optics, although sometimes I got fingerprints on them.

The 7x42 above is bad and should be returned or have new eye lenses fitted by Zeiss.
The seller is not being truthful.

A classified ad selller sold me a camera as new but it had a scratch on the front lens. He made sure he got his money before shipping. I couldn't be bothered to do anything.
He was just plain dishonest.

Most selllers in the U.K. are honest, but some aren't.

I was also sold something by a camera club member claiming it to be as new, but again just dishonest. I never had anything to do with him again.

Another fellow claimed to be selling an antique box telescope. These are new maybe made in India or somewhere further east. They are fakes.
He would not, could not, accept that it was fake.
There are numerous fake binoculars also on sale.
 
Hello guys,

Again thank you all so much for the input. They are very helpful and educating.

I might have been lucky as this is my first less than pleasant experience buying online.

A question to Gary... how much approximately it would cost to have new ocular lenses fitted?

Thanks!

Best Regards,
Ed
 
I completely agree with Gary. The scratches have been caused over a long time by rubbing the lenses with a cloth without first removing dust or grit.
I was the General Service Manager for Fuji Photo in the UK for over 11 years and have run my own repair workshop for over 30 years. I suspect that between Gary and me, we have seen many hundreds of binoculars affected by incorrect cleaning resulting in lenses as in your photographs.
 
richard866945 said:
I completely agree with Gary. The scratches have been caused over a long time by rubbing the lenses with a cloth without first removing dust or grit.
I was the General Service Manager for Fuji Photo in the UK for over 11 years and have run my own repair workshop for over 30 years. I suspect that between Gary and me, we have seen many hundreds of binoculars affected by incorrect cleaning resulting in lenses as in your photographs.
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot for your help, Richard.

Best Regards,
Ed
 
garymh said:
These are cleaning scratched.

They will affect the image quality and the binocular needs to have new eye lenses fitted.
Click to expand...

Gary said the bino needed to have new lenses fitted. I would like to add a small wrinkle to amplify, but certainly not deny. IF only the AR coatings are affected, replacement is not necessary. But that option is probably more cost effective. Gary failed to say WHY that option might be the all-around best.

If the scratches are in the glass, the lenses would need to be GROUND and polished to remove the scratch's deleterious, light scattering effects before being recoated.

Grinding and buffing would change the prescription of the lenses. Many people have wanted me to "just buff out the scratches" on their binocular lenses without understanding what that would entail. Changing a lens thickness, curvature, or spacing by a tiny amount could change its performance by a large amount. :cat:

Just a thought.

Bill
 
WJC said:
Gary said the bino needed to have new lenses fitted. I would like to add a small wrinkle to amplify, but certainly not deny. IF only the AR coatings are affected, replacement is not necessary. But that option is probably more cost effective. Gary failed to say WHY that option might be the all-around best.

If the scratches are in the glass, the lenses would need to be GROUND and polished to remove the scratch's deleterious, light scattering effects before being recoated.

Grinding and buffing would change the prescription of the lenses. Many people have wanted me to "just buff out the scratches" on their binocular lenses without understanding what that would entail. Changing a lens thickness, curvature, or spacing by a tiny amount could change its performance by a large amount. :cat:

Just a thought.

Bill
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot for your input, Mr. Cook. I got your book from Amazon last month and have enjoyed reading it. |=)| Nice to e-meet you so to speak.

Best Regards, -Ed
 
edkcso said:
Thanks a lot for your input, Mr. Cook. I got your book from Amazon last month and have enjoyed reading it. |=)| Nice to e-meet you so to speak.

Best Regards, -Ed
Click to expand...

Hi, Ed:

Well, if that's so ... knock off this "Mr. Cook" stuff. I'm just Bill; "Mr. Cook" was my father! Even when I started writing, I was just Bill Cook. Then, a publisher told me I should embellish a little. He said, "Bill Cook" sounded like a tire salesman or a gasoline station attendant and had no literary appeal. By the time I came to realize how stuffy it was--making me seem to be who a few think I am--I had to keep the handle for the sake of consistency in promotion. :cat:

Bill

PS Thanks for buying the book. I hope it serves you well.
 
WJC said:
Hi, Ed:

Well, if that's so ... knock off this "Mr. Cook" stuff. I'm just Bill; "Mr. Cook" was my father! Even when I started writing, I was just Bill Cook. Then, a publisher told me I should embellish a little. He said, "Bill Cook" sounded like a tire salesman or a gasoline station attendant and had no literary appeal. By the time I came to realize how stuffy it was--making me seem to be who a few think I am--I had to keep the handle for the sake of consistency in promotion. :cat:

Bill

PS Thanks for buying the book. I hope it serves you well.
Click to expand...

You are welcome, Bill. I found the book very informative. :t:

Best, -Ed
 
Hello there, an update on this incident just FYI.

eBay ruled in my favour shortly after I filed an item not as described case.

The problem, however, is since I have already taken the bins to Hong Kong and I won't be in the UK until a few months later, I will need to pay the freight, duty, and VAT for the return, which is estimated to be at least 30% of the price. In retrospect, I should have just shipped them all the way to HK... the seller then would have to take care of the return freight and tax. But then again, the seller also gave me a "friendly reminder" in one of the many messages we exchanged that he would have 6 days to examine the bins after they got returned and would appeal to eBay had he found the bins been tampered with... and he also added that even though the eBay decision went my way, it didn't mean that he agreed with it. He seems to be quite a strong minded person LOL. |8.|

I tried to negotiate a partial refund but the best the seller offered was a "goodwill" refund of about 4.5% of the price paid. I rejected it and left my candid feedback... I guess I will just have to keep them and not get any compensation... and learn the lesson. |:(|

Thank you all again for your valuable advice.

Best Regards, -Ed
 
Hi Ed, I am sorry for your pain. I say pain because you seem to be stuck with this scratched lens binocular that you will probably notice the lens every time you try to use it.:-C
 
Warning! This thread is more than 6 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Similar threads

J
Swarovski CL 8x25 vs Zeiss Terra ED 8x25: one more comparison
2
Replies
38
Views
8K
Elkhornsun
E
R
Leica Trinovid 10x42 BA (999xxx) light reflections when looking through in daylight
2
Replies
32
Views
4K
dries1
dries1
M
Eight 8X reverse porros compared
Replies
0
Views
2K
MarylandUSA
M
Q
Trinovid BN 8x50s
Replies
14
Views
2K
quincy88
Q
J
My First Experience Purchasing Birding Binoculars
Replies
11
Views
2K
tenex
tenex

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top