Monarch M7 8x42 - pinhole-like bright spots on eyepiece coatings (1 Viewer)

[mikey95]

Hi all.

Got a pair of M7's (8x42) recently, and noticed that they have a few (2-4+) pinhole-sized spots on the coatings that don't go away with cleaning using Zeiss lens cleaning liquid, nor 99% isopropyl alcohol. Breathing and wiping off doesn't help either.

If these are indeed removed coatings (which they seem like, as when I shine my flash light through an objective, these spots are significantly brighter than any actual dust, they light up like tiny stars at night), would they affect the viewing experience? My worry is twofold: image quality degradation (flares?), and potential for more coating damage when they inevitably need to be cleaned again. This doesn't seem to happen on the objective lenses, just the eyepiece ones.

Thanks for any insights.

 

[Ratal]

Send them back - that will absolutely get hit with light and cause image degradation - Talking from personal experience on a pair of very high end binoculars - caused all manner of weird light artifacts in the view.

 

[mikey95]

Send them back - that will absolutely get hit with light and cause image degradation - Talking from personal experience on a pair of very high end binoculars - caused all manner of weird light artifacts in the view.

Were your coating issues the same as mine, or did you have coatings that were peeling off on larger areas, though? What kinds of artifacts did you see? These pinholes are really small and only visible when I directly shine light (ceiling lamp/flash light) onto them, and hit at a certain angle.

 

[albie...]

I have a pair of Astrophysics 15x70 (Kunming BA8) that I bought used from a CN member about 12 years ago . When I actually took the time to take a good look at them I discovered some pinhole sized dots on the objectives . Tried to clean them off but discovered they were on the coatings . They don't seem to affect the views and for the price I payed I just hung on to the binoculars rather then go through the hassle of sending them back across the border . Not sure how it wouold affect the view if the dots were on the ep's .

 

[Binastro]

Slight coating faults.

They don't usually get bigger, and have about zero effect on the view.

They could start fungus growth, but usually don't.

If the binocular is good optically and mechanically, personally I would do nothing.

Bur some chase perfection.

Many older binoculars had no coating on the rear eye lens surface, as coatings were not very hard, and wore off with use.

Regards,
B.

 

[Scott98]

Are they new binos? I'd probably try to send them back for another pair. If they're used, I would ignore it. The marks are tiny. If it's just an area of scraped-off coating I doubt you'll be able to see it when looking through the binos.

Someone probably dinged something metal off the lens at some point. When I'm carrying a dog leash I always have to keep the metals part away from binoculars.

btw sometimes stubborn spots of organic things like tree sap will not come off with the usual cleaners and solvents. You could try saliva on your fingertip & gently rub it on the spot to see if it comes off. Then clean off the resulting streaks with the alcohol. Sometimes the organic enzymes will get the stuff off. Congealed tree sap usually will not respond to alcohol solvents.

 

[mikey95]

There are new binos. I exchanged them for another pair. The coatings there seem fine. Generally, I'm disappointed with Nikon's QC with this model. Just some issues with the 4 different pairs I had:

• Pinhole spots in coatings
• Mobile dust inside the bino
• Excessive glare in one objective

The current pair seems fine, overall. Some small dust specks inside, but otherwise looks decent. I'll likely keep that one.