Dust in lenses

<p>How bad is it and what can be done about it?</p>

 

<p>Depends on how much. There are a variety of measures to clean it if needed...depends on the issues it causes in your shots, how much you either know about opening up and cleaning lenses or want to spend to have somebody else do it. Generally, unless it is really bad, I wouldn't worry about it....fungus, mold, haze and lens element separation are usually much bigger issues.</p>

<p>It's quite common among the modern zooms.<br>

My friend's 6 years old Nikon 18-70 has a a lot of dust on the back side of the front element, but nothing is visible in the image.<br>

First front element is the most likely to collect dust, and it's also the most easily removable one. It takes less than 20 minutes to clean it up if you know how to do it. </p>

<p>All lenses accumulate dust when they're used. Often brand new, high-end lenses ship out from the factory with pre-installed Japanese dust. It's nothing to worry about, unless it looks like the far recesses of my desk.</p>

<p>Unfortunately as a lens' internal parts move forward and back to focus and zoom, it sucks air in and out too. This is how I've always suspected that most internal dust gets inside? I've seen people use small nozzled vacuum cleaners on a lens' exterior. This in an attempt to suck out internal dust. As stupid as it seems, I've seen this work.</p>

<p>That said. Most dust has little effect on the image , or so says conventional wisdom. In the cine world. A complex zoom off say a Panavision camera , will be sent for an internal cleaning if a speck of foreign stuff (dust) is seen.</p>

<p>I suspect that if identical lenses were test shot. One clean, one with some dust. That there wouldn't be any discernible or measurable differences. Like most small important things in life, lens dust is best not worried about.</p>

<p>I've put my time in worrying about it but don't bother anymore. Flecks on the rear elements are supposed to matter more than the front but in truth wherever they are they don't make any visible difference. The only time it does matter is in resale because even though we all know it's not that important we all still do mind a little.</p>