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Leica 10x50BA -Lens Blemish (1 Viewer)

Peaky-B
If one is at all worried then I would not use anything without consulting the maker.

However, Minox might not know themselves as I think the firm has changed hands and maybe don't make any binoculars themselves.
If they do still manufacture then ask the head of optics.

Leica should know as they make binoculars themselves.
So would Zeiss or Swarovski.

I always try to go straight to the top when asking these questions as sales personnel may not know.

Modern coatings are supposedly harder than the glass that is coated.
Usually the outer glasses are harder than inner glass elements.
However, the modern extra coatings that repel water may not be so forgiving.
It may be this is why alcohol is suspect.
I don't know what nanocoating is, so cannot comment.


Thanks Binastro I'll make contact with Minox
 
A friend of my had a bubble like spot "appear" on his 10x50SLC's and at first glance looked like a small chip/scratch on the right objective, less than 2mm in size. We used lens cleaner just to make sure it wasn't something on the glass and concluded that he might have to send it to Swarovski for repair. The day he brought his binocular in to work in order to ship it, we took a careful look with a 10x loupe with some good lighting. The spot looked like a protrusion from the glass not a removal of coatings or a chip. We masked off the objective glass except for the area where the spot was. We soaked it with some alcohol but and dabbed it with a cotton swab. As the alcohol dried the cotton swab started to stick and pull some cotton fibers from the swab. This was our first indication that something sticky was on the glass but the alcohol wasn't taking it off. We debated about using some diluted citrus cleaner and it seemed to start breaking down the substance. We then used some straight citrus cleaner and along with the cotton swab and the substance came off! We took the masking tape off of the objective, took it out in the sun and cleaned everything up with lens cleaner and a microfiber cloth and the glass was beautiful and flawless again! After some review of the cotton swab, there was a distinct pine smell and our best guess is that it was pine pitch that probably got on the glass weeks before and was allowed to harden.

In any case, it was a good lesson for us. Prior to that, we felt that we were proficient at lens care, both having decades of camera and sporting optic experience and could easily identify/rectify any type grime on our optics. It almost fooled us both.

I suppose that the OP is dealing with something more serious as Leica have investigated but his experience reminded me of mine. It would be nice to know if Leica Portugal was able to fix his Trinovid.
 
Peaky-B
If one is at all worried then I would not use anything without consulting the maker.

However, Minox might not know themselves as I think the firm has changed hands and maybe don't make any binoculars themselves.
If they do still manufacture then ask the head of optics.

Leica should know as they make binoculars themselves.
So would Zeiss or Swarovski.

I always try to go straight to the top when asking these questions as sales personnel may not know.

Modern coatings are supposedly harder than the glass that is coated.
Usually the outer glasses are harder than inner glass elements.
However, the modern extra coatings that repel water may not be so forgiving.
It may be this is why alcohol is suspect.
I don't know what nanocoating is, so cannot comment.

Just an update......someone from Minox technical department in Wetzlar Germany has got back to me to advise that there is a delay in respondng and that they will respond as soon as possible with my query. :t:
 
I got a response back today from Minox in Wetzlar Germany re my query......this is what they had to say.

Hi Gary,

thank you for your below email which has been passed on to me. My name is Tilman Taube and I am product manager for the binoculars at MINOX.

Concerning lens cleaning, what we normally recommend is fresh water in combination with a lens cleaning cloth.
In most cases this is fully sufficient.

I do not personally know the cleaner from Baader that you are mentioning but I happen to know the company and they are very reputable and experienced in the optical field. Therefore I would have no hesitation at all using their cleaning fluid.

Greetings from Wetzlar and all the best

Tilman Taube


Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Best regards

Tilman Taube
 
I got a response back today from Minox in Wetzlar Germany re my query......this is what they had to say.

Hi Gary,

thank you for your below email which has been passed on to me. My name is Tilman Taube and I am product manager for the binoculars at MINOX.

Concerning lens cleaning, what we normally recommend is fresh water in combination with a lens cleaning cloth.
In most cases this is fully sufficient.

I do not personally know the cleaner from Baader that you are mentioning but I happen to know the company and they are very reputable and experienced in the optical field. Therefore I would have no hesitation at all using their cleaning fluid.

Greetings from Wetzlar and all the best

Tilman Taube


Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Best regards

Tilman Taube



I think therefore I will give Baaders cleaning fluid a try.
 
I use Baader Optical Wonder fluid, I think from First Light Optics £11.50?
Follow the instructions given.

However, if I had a binocular with a water resisting coating I would ask an optical expert, as the fluid may remove this coating.
Perhaps someone could advise.
Perhaps FLO can advise, but they told me a new Pentax 8x25 would be far superior to my old 8x24/25?
The new one was Chinese junk. Awful. The old one is as good as any top binocular of the time but has fungus in it as it was not waterproof.
So I have a healthy disregard for what some people tell me.

Unfortunately the Baader Optical Fluid is not I think available in the U.S.A. or Canada, although I suppose a University lab could get it if they tried hard enough.

B.
 
20 years ago, camera repairers told me they employ a mixture of ether and alcohol for cleaning, but first use a brush to get rid of grit.

The advantage of making your own is usually that you know what goes in it and you can't get a bad batch or make a mistake. The disadvantage is that you need to be informed so you don't make a mistake :)



Edmund
 
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