FL scratch. (1 Viewer)

Dear all

Had pair of 10x42 FL's for about 9 months and was cleaning the eyepiece with the supplied zeiss cleaning cloth yesterday.

Out of nowhere a scratch appeared in the outer part of the eyepiece, I tried to get rid of it with more gentle cleaning but I found I made it worse.

I'm not new to cleaning optical surfaces and had prepared the surface by blowing away residual dust or particles and then used a fine brush to remove any of the more stubborn bits. Lastly after applying a breath to the surface I began to clean.
I can only think that a small grain of sand or something else was stuck to the cleaning cloth.
Looked at the scratch under a handheld microscope, revealing not a scratch but more of a rupture in the Lotutec surface, like that of a piece of paint rust on a car.
I know it might sound a bit petty but after owning leica, swarovski binoculars, to name a few this has never happened before.

Has this happened to anyone else with the zeiss FL's ?

Tim

ticl2184 said:

Dear all


Has this happened to anyone else with the zeiss FL's ?

Tim

Click to expand...

Hello Tim,

I own two FL's, both without LotuTec, and I have never had such a problem. It seems that it may be rather inconsequential, but the thought of such a blemish, and the consequent loss of resale value, may be far more of an irritant than the actual loss of clarity.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur

I have a pair of FL binoculars and a scope, also both pre-LotuTec and have had no problem. Mine are both in beautiful condition. My binoculars are still perfect after 4 years and that was with someone actually having wiped them with his t-shirt a couple of times. !!!!! This makes me wonder if I should consider one of the on-sale pre-LotuTec binoculars for the 7x42s that I am currently longing for.

As Arthur says, this will very, very likely not impact use at all. Meanwhile, I know I'd be as upset as you if it had happened to me! I am considering buying a second pair of non-lotutec FLs myself. While the hard coating is a nice feature, the optics are keepers, and the potential blemish inconsequential! I have 10x32s and love them. I really haven't examined them for scratches, but probably should.
David

I have to correct something. I'm not sure that my binoculars are FLs. My scope is, however. No problems with either in any case.

It may not be a scratch?

I know that sometimes the breath and wipe technique can leave marks that look like scratches but subsequently can be cleaned off. It's worst at the edges where it can be difficult to get something in to clean. I use surgical triangle 'strolls' used in eye surgery. Work beautifully for lens edges.

May I tease you folks a little bit? Worrying about a minute blemish is similar to a beaufiful woman looking into a mirror and suddenly discovering some "defect" that only she can see. We have all experienced those kinds of obsessions on occasion - I know I have. Perhaps the Lotutec coating is somewhat "softer" than the typical hard coating. Bausch & Lomb binoculars were notorious for soft coatings that showed microscopic scratches over time, but when using them, they were just fine. My Fls show no mars, and I rarely bother to clean them. Interestingly enough, Zeiss's little lens packets for cleaning tend to smear, requiring more pressure to remove. I use pure alcohol and on occasion acetone dabbed on a clean micro weave cloth or optical lens paper for cleaning both lens and prisms (when I break into a pair for repair and cleaning. Zuiko, with your training and experience as a micro surgeon, I suspect your tolerance for imperfection is low. If I going to have surgery, you are the kind of surgeon I want cutting on me. Being exposed to salt spray is where I draw the line in using high quality binoculars. They stay in the, case and I use other "expendable" yet adequate binoculars. John

ticl2184 said:

Dear all

Had pair of 10x42 FL's for about 9 months and was cleaning the eyepiece with the supplied zeiss cleaning cloth yesterday.

Out of nowhere a scratch appeared in the outer part of the eyepiece, I tried to get rid of it with more gentle cleaning but I found I made it worse.

I'm not new to cleaning optical surfaces and had prepared the surface by blowing away residual dust or particles and then used a fine brush to remove any of the more stubborn bits. Lastly after applying a breath to the surface I began to clean.
I can only think that a small grain of sand or something else was stuck to the cleaning cloth.
Looked at the scratch under a handheld microscope, revealing not a scratch but more of a rupture in the Lotutec surface, like that of a piece of paint rust on a car.
I know it might sound a bit petty but after owning leica, swarovski binoculars, to name a few this has never happened before.

Has this happened to anyone else with the zeiss FL's ?

Tim

Click to expand...

Tim, I had exactly the same thing happen with my 8x42 FLs. I've had them about 6 months and clean them in the same manner you describe (blower brush, puff of breath and the supplied Zeiss cleaning cloth). About a week ago I noticed a scratch in the outer edge of the right occular. The scratch follows the curve of the retaining ring around the edge of the glass. While the scratch is visible it does not seem to degrade the view. Its just damn annoying and leaves me a bit concerned about the integrity of the Zeiss coatings. Like you, I have been using and cleaning binoculars & scopes for a long time. I've had all the top brands and some cheapies but have never experienced this kind of "scratch" before. I wonder if Zeiss might correct this issue under warranty?
Tom

brownpelican1 said:

Tim, I had exactly the same thing happen with my 8x42 FLs. I've had them about 6 months and clean them in the same manner you describe (blower brush, puff of breath and the supplied Zeiss cleaning cloth). About a week ago I noticed a scratch in the outer edge of the right occular. The scratch follows the curve of the retaining ring around the edge of the glass. While the scratch is visible it does not seem to degrade the view. Its just damn annoying and leaves me a bit concerned about the integrity of the Zeiss coatings. Like you, I have been using and cleaning binoculars & scopes for a long time. I've had all the top brands and some cheapies but have never experienced this kind of "scratch" before. I wonder if Zeiss might correct this issue under warranty?
Tom

Click to expand...

I am glad I didn't pay extra for the Lotutec version of 7x42 FL's.

Dear All

Many thanks for all your replies.
I can live with the scratch, the point is that I do not expect the optics of a thousand pound pair of binoculars to scratch so easily after taking precautions when cleaning them.
Contacted Zeiss Uk, and was advised to send them in, but will probably take them along to birdfair Uk to let them look at them.
What Jogaba describes as a "scratch following the curve of the retaining ring around the edge of the glass" sounds exactly the same as what has happened to mine.

Regards

Tim