Dust in scope (1 Viewer)

Hi everyone,
If a scope that is manufactured to be waterproof is for sale as used and being described as having dust in it, is that scope definitely not waterproof?
Has the dust got in after manufacture or could it have been there since before the scope was factory sealed?
Is there any way of telling?
Is dust in the scope a big issue? It is described as not effecting the view.
😀

Two things really: if the dust has got in since purchase, the seals aren't good, so it's unlikely to be waterproof either.
If it was already in the scope when bought new, it calls into question the QC process of whoever made it.
I suppose the question would be is the scope good enough/cheap enough to make it worth buying and getting re-sealed/purged and cleaned up?
Of course, the dust may have scratched some of the optical surfaces internally.

I think i'd give it a miss, all things considered.

I have several scopes for which i have interchangeable lenses so the ingression of dust particles is inevitable. I have a tin of ‘air’ spray c/w a thin straw thingy for poking into the scopes. This tends to do the trick although i only carry out this process when i notice something thru the eyepiece - same with changing lenses on my DSLR’s.

You can use a small compresser and or just blow with your lips but both run the risk of introducing moisture into the prism area which could then condense so i don’t:t:

Laurie -

Hi,

in 99% of cases dust in optics is a cosmetic problem - it has to be in the focal plane (or very close) to actually impair the view. If it is outside of the focal plane, you will only see it when peering into the objective with a flashlight - so just don't do that.

If the price is right, it could be a great deal.

Joachim

Boogieshrew said:

Hi everyone,
If a scope that is manufactured to be waterproof is for sale as used and being described as having dust in it, is that scope definitely not waterproof?
Has the dust got in after manufacture or could it have been there since before the scope was factory sealed?
Is there any way of telling?
Is dust in the scope a big issue? It is described as not effecting the view.
😀

Click to expand...

Yes it is definitely a huge issue and you should steer clear of it and N Norfolk if it is the scope that I am thinking of.

Well a mixture of views here. I’ll find out for myself soon enough. I’ve ordered the dusty item because I can pick it up and return it in person so it won’t cost me postage if I don’t like it. I'll post how it pans out (tripod pun intended �&#56832 after the weekend.

Boogieshrew said:

Well a mixture of views here. I’ll find out for myself soon enough. I’ve ordered the dusty item because I can pick it up and return it in person so it won’t cost me postage if I don’t like it. I'll post how it pans out (tripod pun intended ��) after the weekend.

Click to expand...

Good luck and let us know how it went - pictures welcome ;-)

Joachim

Thanks Joachim.

dipped said:

Yes it is definitely a huge issue and you should steer clear of it and N Norfolk if it is the scope that I am thinking of.

Click to expand...

That’s a bit too cryptic for me , dipped. What do you mean?

Which scope are you thinking of?

pm me if you don’t want to say it out loud 😁

You got me over thinking things now. You’ve got the right county, are we talking about the same scope.

Cheers.

Well, as dipped has gone silent, I’ll spill the beans.

The scope is a Nikon EDG 85 with 20-60x zoom.

I can see a couple of dust specs from the objective end but no effect when looking down the eyepiece. After a first use Iam very happy with the view.

I took the EDG birding yesterday evening. I decided that would be when to see it at it’s best as the air is cooling and there is almost no heat haze. I was right. It was amazing in its clarity and crisp image. And I really like the focusser. It is huge and that makes it very easy to use and to find best focus quickly. I was not expecting to like it so much as I had a Swarovski ATM in the past and sold it because I didn’t like the barrel focuser. The EDG has a much nicer feel and I really like it. Come to think of it, I had a Nikon 82 ED years ago which I sold because of the focuser.

I use fixed mag e/ps as a rule but as zooms go, I am beginning to get on with it. some new spectacles that sit nearer my face would make it easier to use possibly. I have never found a zoom that has enough e/r for me.

I am awaiting a fixed 20x for which I have high hopes. I may keep the zoom for distant birds or buy a 30x. Time will tell.

The downside is the weight, as often mentioned before by others. Having said that I carried it on a three mile round trip ok.

Happy viewing all.

Hi,

congratulations to your new scope! I would have been astonished if the dust had actually impaired the view...
With astro scopes people have been using primary mirrors with multiple large holes (>1cm) in the mirroring and the effect was not really visible. Ok, this was on a mirror above 10" diameter, but in relation it was still quite a bit more missing surface than a few dust specks.

Joachim