Cost to replace front element of Fujifilm GF 32-64 mm lens?

Hi,

There is a spacing between the cover glass and the sensor on the GFX 50, other models I guess it would be the same.

The reason is probably that increasing the distance reduces the visibility of dust. That means that any dust that is visible in the image would be pretty large.

The spot could move with zooming, as the exit pupil of the lens probably moves.

So, I would remove the lens and see if there is some dust in the lower right corner of the sensor.

Best regards

Erik

Erik Kaffehr said:

Hi,

There is a spacing between the cover glass and the sensor on the GFX 50, other models I guess it would be the same.

The reason is probably that increasing the distance reduces the visibility of dust. That means that any dust that is visible in the image would be pretty large.

The spot could move with zooming, as the exit pupil of the lens probably moves.

So, I would remove the lens and see if there is some dust in the lower right corner of the sensor.

Best regards

Erik

Click to expand...

A spot on the cover glass will not move.

bclaff said:

Erik Kaffehr said:

Hi,

There is a spacing between the cover glass and the sensor on the GFX 50, other models I guess it would be the same.

The reason is probably that increasing the distance reduces the visibility of dust. That means that any dust that is visible in the image would be pretty large.

The spot could move with zooming, as the exit pupil of the lens probably moves.

So, I would remove the lens and see if there is some dust in the lower right corner of the sensor.

Best regards

Erik

Click to expand...

A spot on the cover glass will not move.

Click to expand...

It will, if the distance between the cover glass and the sensor is significant and the dust is off axis and the exit pupil of the lens changes position.

Question is how much.

According to Fujifilm documentation, the cover glass is 9 mm in front of the sensor on the GFX 50S: https://forum.luminous-landscape.com/index.php?topic=116756.0

Best regards

Erik

Erik Kaffehr said:

bclaff said:

Erik Kaffehr said:

Hi,

There is a spacing between the cover glass and the sensor on the GFX 50, other models I guess it would be the same.

The reason is probably that increasing the distance reduces the visibility of dust. That means that any dust that is visible in the image would be pretty large.

The spot could move with zooming, as the exit pupil of the lens probably moves.

So, I would remove the lens and see if there is some dust in the lower right corner of the sensor.

Best regards

Erik

Click to expand...

A spot on the cover glass will not move.

Click to expand...

It will, if the distance between the cover glass and the sensor is significant and the dust is off axis and the exit pupil of the lens changes position.

Question is how much.

According to Fujifilm documentation, the cover glass is 9 mm in front of the sensor on the GFX 50S: https://forum.luminous-landscape.com/index.php?topic=116756.0

Best regards

Erik

Click to expand...

Yeah, I've seen that :



However, there's no good reason for such a large gap and I also have a bunch of optical prescriptions from patents; for example :



This is the OPs lens and the CG is 3.25mm thick and right up against the image plane.

In any case, even at 9mm the spot wouldn't more far and it's quite a coincidence that the only spot on the image seems to correspond to the front element damage; don't you think?

--
Bill ( Your trusted source for independent sensor data at PhotonsToPhotos )

Chris Dodkin said:

That typically covers diagnostic and repair unless it's catastrophic.

They do reserve the right to swap lenses with a certified replacement if it's not economical to fix.

If you're US based, call them for a quote - (800) 659-3854‬ follow phone prompts for Pro Repair

Click to expand...

Thanks for all that information - I will try to find the number for Switzerland (that's where I'm based). I also put in a request at the shop I bought the lens but I have not heard back from them in the last few days...

Thanks again, Dominik

matteroner said:

I wonder if it can be filled like when they fix windshields.

Click to expand...

That came to my mind to / but I don't intend to try that myself...

matteroner said:

Is it possible that some paint from the table was imbedded in the glass? Because usually nicks in the front element will not show up especially lateral like that. But if there was paint then it may be getting magnified

Click to expand...

As close as I can get to the damage with macro (see photo in parent post), I can only see white (I suppose like scattered glass particles). The table's color is anthrazit...

But thanks!

Greg7579 said:

I did this on a Fuji XF lens one time and I shot with the lens for years. Every shot will be different in terms if you notice it or not.

Some you won't notice it and some you will. I bet 90% of the time the spot will come right out with an easy correction in post.

Click to expand...

agreed

Greg7579 said:

Some shots it might ruin. Who knows. Try it for a while. If it bugs you spend the 500 to 600 bucks to fix it.

Click to expand...

given how much money I invested in this system, I am probably willing to spend that amount of money... and I believe, it will bother me, even if it is barely visible in pictures. That's just who I am...

Greg7579 said:

This is a minor mishap.

It happens.

Did I tell you about the time that I dropped the 100-200 and the entire front element just popped off and rolled down the road?

Click to expand...

Seriously...?! Could that be fixed or was the lens to damaged...?

Thanks, Dominik

IainD said:

If the damage annoys you, even if it has no impact on image quality, get it repaired. You spent the big bucks to get the best system you could find, so don’t let a relatively small cost leave you feeling dissatisfied. Just my 2 cents.

Click to expand...

I do agree - I tend to be a perfectionist (which is good, but not always... )...

Hi,

In the end, I just recommend that the user removes the lens and has a look at sensor. Takes a few seconds.

I would also recommend to use the lens hood all the time. It actually protects the lens quite a bit.

According to lens rentals, replacing the front group is usually easy, but I also think they said that front groups on modern lenses are expensive, in part due to use of expensive glass.

Yes, I actually think there is strong evidence that it is not sensor dust. But, I think to look at the sensor still makes a sense.

Best regards

Erik

So - good morning! Thank you All, for your inputs.

I start off at "root level" again - since summarizing findings and inputs of a few threads - I hope that's ok.

As for the dust on the sensor: I cannot see any dust (although I know that there are some small particles, see below). But I believe that it would have to be easily seen by bare eye leaving such a large dark spot in the top left corner.

Also, I did take another set of pictures this morning. There is no dark spot with the GF 23 mm lens, also at f/32.

I did find some more little spots far up in the sky a little to the right of the middle. And those spots do slightly move when zooming in and out. But differently then the dark spot in the top left corner:

1. Dark spot top left corner: it moves from 32 mm to about 44 mm towards the corner, and then from 44 mm to 64 mm it moves back towards the center of the frame. Bluring/fading from 32 mm to 64 mm.
   --> I believe that this ist the ding on the front of the lens.
2. Little spots in the sky, right of the middle: they move from 32 mm to 64 mm regularly towards the center of the frame, without changing direction, nor changing shape/blur/fading, also they are significantly smaller.
   --> I believe that theses are small dust particles on the lens, or rather on the glass about 9 mm in front of the actual sensor (from what I understand from previous posts)

As for the cost of fixing: according to several posts ranges from $400 to $600 / I will post here again, once I get a number for my case.

Thanks again, Dominik.

And here are the pictures - I increased contrast in the sky to make the spots better visible (no intension to post a nice picture ;-)):

View attachment 708cb88df9df46e39ff4fe16e67f0f9e.jpg
GF 23mm @ f/32 - no dark spot top left, small spots up in the sky to the right of center

View attachment 3f7de1b0a8a64c10adcef99f99cf24a0.jpg
GF 32-64mm @ 32mm, f/32

View attachment 11b033d1bbcf469d93aef920a8141d25.jpg
GF 32-64mm @ 37mm, f/32

View attachment 8bd1fde801044792ae6626a7363f9a64.jpg
GF 32-64mm @ 44mm, f/32

View attachment b73b7b64d5fc4b4995d628a0ea7484ad.jpg
GF 32-64mm @ 49mm, f/32

View attachment fbe8a2e534264c979b1d361ec050a208.jpg
GF 32-64mm @ 56mm, f/32

View attachment 7da5680ff14e43edaeb24694358212f2.jpg
GF 32-64mm @ 64mm, f/32

I did read through the article/link you posted above: as far as I can see, all the pictures are taken at f/5.6 - with the conclusion that basically all the dust/dirt/masking tape (;-)) does not have an influence on image quality. There is some mentioning of f/8 but no pictures...

In my case, at f/11, I can see the dark spot if I know it's there. Stopping down to f/8 or lower, I cannot see anything anymore.

So, I totally agree with the conclusion of the article. Except that I mostly take landscape between f/8 and f/16, which might / or might not make it relevant.

Anyway, thanks for the link!

Cheers, Dominik

Schlick33 said:

I did read through the article/link you posted above: as far as I can see, all the pictures are taken at f/5.6 - with the conclusion that basically all the dust/dirt/masking tape (;-)) does not have an influence on image quality. There is some mentioning of f/8 but no pictures...

In my case, at f/11, I can see the dark spot if I know it's there. Stopping down to f/8 or lower, I cannot see anything anymore.

So, I totally agree with the conclusion of the article. Except that I mostly take landscape between f/8 and f/16, which might / or might not make it relevant.

Anyway, thanks for the link!

Cheers, Dominik

Click to expand...

Well, it certainly seems like the problem is not a dust spot on the sensor.

I'm surprised the blemish in the front element is so visible in images. I wonder if just having the tiny area buffed out would suffice. But you probably will want a complete repair. Can't blame you.

To be (not too pedantic):

"In my case, at f/11, I can see the dark spot if I know it's there. Stopping down to f/8 or lower, I cannot see anything anymore."

Changing the diaphragm from f/11 to f/8 or lower numbered settings is "opening up", not "stopping down."

Rich

Rich42 said:

To be (not too pedantic):

"In my case, at f/11, I can see the dark spot if I know it's there. Stopping down to f/8 or lower, I cannot see anything anymore."

Changing the diaphragm from f/11 to f/8 or lower numbered settings is "opening up", not "stopping down."

Rich

Click to expand...

yep - my bad... sorry! ;-)

Schlick33 said:

So - good morning! Thank you All, for your inputs.

I start off at "root level" again - since summarizing findings and inputs of a few threads - I hope that's ok.

...

Click to expand...

Excellent summary.

Good luck!

Applause to that!

Best regards

Erik

Bummer. One idea is to check if you might have an insurance that can cover the cost. Where I live, it is common that the home insurance cover accidents at home. I managed to push the vacuum cleaner down the stairs and it basically bounced on every second step destroying the finish of the steps. Fully covered by the home insurance. I also have valuables covered against freak accidents even when traveling. Worth checking.

In the meantime I'd suggest the following:

I've looked at the GFX 50R with an illuminated loupe and I think there are two "cover" glasses. One is close to the sensor and hermetically seals the package and another spaced some distance away. You can see dust on the outer surface of the second one, it's not visible on images even with a lens stopped down.

I suspect all GFX cameras have similar optical systems otherwise lens corrections wouldn't be valid between models.

The patent, like many probably doesn't tell the whole story.

I'd suggest the OP generates a LCC compensation image for each aperture with a colour neutral opaque sheet of glass or opal acrylic. Use the flat field tool in Lightroom or Capture One etc. to fix the problem. That's assuming there's no image distortion where the dark spot is.

Hope this helps. Bob.

micromundus said:

Bummer. One idea is to check if you might have an insurance that can cover the cost. Where I live, it is common that the home insurance cover accidents at home. I managed to push the vacuum cleaner down the stairs and it basically bounced on every second step destroying the finish of the steps. Fully covered by the home insurance. I also have valuables covered against freak accidents even when traveling. Worth checking.

Click to expand...

I do have insurance that would cover the cost but the deductible is CHF 500 while repairing is less than CHF 300...

But thank you for your advice...!