Quality control of GFX lenses...

You are not the only one. My first 110 was terrible. The replacement I got has a small speck of something in it but I can live with it. Yours I would also send back. My other two lens are clean.

Laci55 wrote:

It is the second time I got GFX lens with visible and quite big dust particle or some kind of filament behind the from element.

My 80/1,7 was changed and the second copy was OK.

It is the 32-64 lens now...

Here is the picture...

I am wondering... Is it just me who o is unlucky or the quality control on GFX lenses are plain bad...

The lens is new so I hope I can get an exchange but of course it is not so sure... Waiting for the service for a long time is a very bad alternative.

I do know that the picture quality is not influenced by this spec but the resale value if I should do it could be influenced... I do not want to have a new lens in this condition!

Have anybody similar experiences with the GFX lenses or I am just very unlucky???

Hi Laci,

EU laws are very consumer friendly if you acquired the lens on post order. It is just to send back within 14 days.

On the other hand dust and fud in lenses is common. Could be possible that Fujifilm does not assemble and test equipment in a clean room environment.

But, some dust or foreign objects will probably not affect image quality.
Being anecdotal, my understanding is that QA standards in lens manufacturing may be quite lax. It seems that Sigma applies decent protocols on their lenses, including individual MTF test, but they inspect at low frequencies.
Roger Ciala has indicated that they are working on metrology with some vendors and I may guess Sigma is one of them. 
It also seems that Canon may be a leader in manufacturing consistency.
In the end, rational production requires exacting tolerances. A few years ago Canon talked about automated production of some lens lines, the first one being the 16-35/4L. At that time, they indicated that tolerances were about 1/3 of conventional assembly.
Achieving consistent quality starts with doing all things right, from the beginning to the end.
Best regards

Erik

Erik is correct that a bit of stuff near the front will not affect image quality.

Nonetheless, that's a big filament! I'd be sending that lens back simply because some people won't believe it doesn't affect image quality, and will want a huge discount if I ever sell it.

Laci55 wrote:

Hi Erik,

Thank You so much for the answer! Yes, I know that it is not a problem for the image quality but I am very much surprised that this lens passed the quality control if it is existing...Have a nice day! The lens will go back...

Hi,

The dust particle you have detected was almost certainly inside the lens during inspection. But it may have been outside the optical path. It may also be that it was present during scrutineering, but ignored as it wouldn't affect image quality.

If dust and particles are more frequent than normal in GF lenses, it may indicate that assembly conditions may be not as clean as customers may expect.

I understand your feeling...
Have a nice day!

Best regards

Erik

Laci55 wrote:

Wow! That was a very bad news!!!!! Is this a lens design problem then???

I don’t think so. My 32-64 is clean. It probably depends on how much wind was blowing through the barn the day they were assembled.

I know these things don’t affect the image but I find it amazing and unacceptable that an expensive lens gets shipped out like this. You should have seen my 110 f2. I looked in the front and there was a small dust bunny that I thought was acceptable. Then I pull the rear cap off and there was what looked like a 4-5mm piece of ribbon cable right there in the middle of the lens. I should have taken a photo of it but was so upset I just stuck it back in the box.

Laci55 wrote:

Thank You for this info! The "wind" was a lovely guess...lol...

I do hope that my next lens will be just as fine as Yours is now. I do hope Your second 110 is pristine... Mine is absolutely OK...

Have a nice day! I am waiting for the Monday with excitement ! How will the shop handle this problem...

Must have been a hefty wind, moving that cable. I would guess that a cable may affect image quality,

Just to say, I did have a small scratch on a UV filter, and that was clearly visible under some conditions. So, I was glad I had that filter on.

BTW, sad to hear about bad experiences. I would guess your Hasselblad lenses were all OK?

In essence, I have been quite lucky with gear. But, I would guess that some lenses having issues may have passed.

I used to have a lens that was quite bad, but I didn't realise that for a year or so. After that I sent it for repair, but the repair shop sad it was OK. My guess may be that I have higher requirements than the repair shop.

Best regards

Erik

Laci55 wrote:

Thank You for this info! The "wind" was a lovely guess...lol...

I do hope that my next lens will be just as fine as Yours is now. I do hope Your second 110 is pristine... Mine is absolutely OK...

Have a nice day! I am waiting for the Monday with excitement ! How will the shop handle this problem...

Good luck. Yes my replacement 110 only has a small spec of dust visible only if I look for it. I have three now with the 23 also being clean. All three are stellar performers.