Zeiss ZM Repair Question

Hi,

 

I have a ZM Biogon 2.8/21 and the rear element has a very tiny hairline scratch

on it. I don't know how that got there, maybe accidental contact with the RF

coupler.

 

I would like to have the rear element replaced. I have contacted Zeiss Germany

and they haven't gotten back to me yet.

 

Does anyone know if Zeiss have any service centers in the US? I understand

these lenses are made in Japan but so far it seems Zeiss Germany handles repair

work for them. Anyone here had elements replaced on their Zeiss lenses and can

shed some light on the ball park cost of such a repair?

 

TIA

 

- Daniel

Hi,

 

Daniel..have you shot any pics and really examined closely the results under close scrutiny? you may be very surprised...you might find the (in your own words) 'very tiny' scratch causes no issues with image quality whatsoever.

 

Many shooters get FAR too worked up about marks on optics, many are actually of no significance at all..

 

You could easily be causing youself much cost, gnashing of teeth and complete time wasting for no point at all...

 

cheers Steve.

I recently had a 20mm Nikkor with deep scratches on the rear element. I had always heard that scratches on the rear element of a lens could be problematic, so I popped it onto a DSLR and shot some frames, and was unable to detect any issues with the image quality. Now, of course, the results could have been different given adverse lighting etc. etc. But you would still probably be well advised to evaluate whether what would most likely be a very costly repair is worth it.

I am laughing at your name here on phnet, and maybe in life. Dings are not always bad, do leave it alone until it gives bothersome results.

 

Actually tomorrow is Mayday, the workers' holiday in Germany and much of Europe. This is the day the US would not allow its workers to celebrate (smells of (anti-)communist ideo ...) and so most everyone has a long weekend over there right now, while here we work and get impatient.

 

Zeiss has always answered me quickly and exhaustively, by the way.

Frank, he's probably unhappy that the scratch makes his lens uhlig.

for it to make a diff on your foto it would have to be a gouge in the middle of the rear lens element. hairlines or cleaning marks have virtually no effect.

You can't say there's no effect unless you can have a perfect specimen to compare with.

Hiya,

 

"You can't say there's no effect unless you can have a perfect specimen to compare with"

 

Of course you can! You do not need to compare lenses to establish whether or not a lens is giving you acceptable results.

 

You just need to shoot some shots carefully with a tripod and produce them well and then produce good final copies under whatever conditions suit you, whether it be large prints, slides or whatever. You then scrutinize them closely under whatever means suits you and judge them by standards that you apply. You then decide whether or not the lens is giving you results that are good enough for your needs and requirements.

 

It is quite simple. You certainly do not need to do endless tedious and quite pointless side by side comparison shots with some other alleged 'perfect' sample lens.

 

cheers Steve.

Dear Daniel,

 

In answer to your question, about Zeiss service centers in the US, apparently there aren't. I

checked out the English Zeiss site's "Repairs" page (http://www.zeiss.com/zeissikon) and

thety say send everything to Oberkochen, Germany with a cover letter explaining the

problem. You've done this.

 

If someone has other information or can correct what I've written here please do so.

 

I can a Zeiss 25/2.8 and an Ikon. I naturally assumed they could be serviced in Japan

where they are made (and where I live).

Let me try making a link

 

http://www.zeiss.com/zeissikon

This is the general Zeiss site.

Zeiss has come to a general agreement with Hasselblad for them to provide service for ZI cameras & ZM lenses. However, when I inquired last week, the deal was still not finalized & they don't expect to have things up & running for at least another month - probably later.

 

You can get more details on their plans from Rich Schleuning, who is in charge of their Camera/Lens Division for Zeiss USA. He can be reached at rschleuning@zeiss.com. He is very responsive & helpful. Best of luck with your lens.

Thank you all for your responses.

 

Since this lens is practically new I'd like to get the element replaced if the cost is reasonable. I've seen a post here dating back to 2001 where someone was inquiring replacing a rear element for a Zeiss/Hasselblad lens and was quoted $177 for the part and IIRC ~$50 for labor. For that particular case the rear most element was part of a group and the entire group was replaced. It looks like the rear element of the 21 Biogon is in it's own group.

 

I think if the price is in the same ball park(less than $350) IMO it's still worth it to have it fixed. The scratch is small, however relative the SLR lenses the rear element on the Biogon is tiny and since it's so close to the film plane I'm not sure what the impact might be. It is difficult to test since I do not have a baseline to compare to and I do not have a digital M body.

Just send it to me, I'll do the test, and charge less than $350.

I'll second Bill Marshall's comment and state that Rich Schleuning is The Contact. He gave me

the full scoop on my Planar repair status. As for the scratch, fix it. It will be fixed correctly,

and its not as if you have a long out of production rare model, get it fixed now while the

parts are still commonly available (although I know Zeiss does have parts for older models).

You'll feel better, and have a lens that is worth what you paid for it, and you won't be

*looking* for the flaws. Plus, I swear my Planar came back even better than new, nothing like

Zeiss QC.

Rich Schleuning emailed back within 2 hours! Just like Bill Marshall said Hasselblad USA is currently handling these repairs on behalf of Zeiss and they're just a 10 minute drive from me!

Your hairline scratch has an effect on the value of your lens but NO effect on the image quality , trust me. When pros want a cheap lens without any idea of resale, they buy scratched lenses, hairline will NOT show int the pictures!

Daniel, Hasselblad told me that they are currently sending repairs back to Cosina (in Japan) - some might be going to Germany. If the scratch does not have a noticeable effect on your pictures, you might want to continue to use it until Hasselblad starts doing the repairs themselves in New Jersey, which should be some time within the next couple of months. As long as they can do this repair in NJ, you should get a quicker turn around. Just a thought.