Dust in lens, should I return?

[joe_fertitta]

<p>I recently received a 60mm cf distagon lens off ebay that is in near mint condition and has supposedly been CLA'd by Hasselblad last month. The only problem is that there is a tiny thread like piece of dust right inside the rear element. looking at it, it seems to be about 1 mm long and very thin along with a few other little things like that. Would this have any effect on my images? Should I return the item? I did get a good deal for it, about $650.<br>

Thanks</p>

[joe_fertitta]

<p>It was also described as being dust free.</p>

[leicaglow]

<p>Over the years I've had a couple of just CLA's Hasselblad lenses that had more dust inside than when they went in. It doesn't hurt the image quality much, if at all. Dust is pretty common in these lenses. $650 is plenty for this lens. If it is a CF, it would be closer. </p>

[stuart_richardson]

<p>A single piece of dust is not going to have any effect on your images. It is also possible that the piece was dislodged during shipping, and was not visible beforehand. I would just swallow my indignation and shoot a test roll with it. If it performs as expected, then keep it. If not, send it back. </p>

[greg_jones1]

<p>Stuart is correct, it should have absolutely no effect. Being obsessive/compulsive about lens cleanliness, I bought some spanner wrenches to open up my lenses to clean the inside surfaces of each lens group (the surfaces near the shutter). It is easy if you are halfway mechanically inclined. DO NOT disassemble the lens groups, however!!</p>

[mark_walker4]

<p>I think all lenses pick up dust as they cannot be made airtight (waiting for a correction ) and it is often the case that even a brand new lens will not be blemish free - Leica famously manufactured lenses containing air bubbles in the glass that were 'normal'. It takes alot of dust to affect image quality to any noticeable degree, it's just a pyschological thing knowing it is there, thinking a couple of bits might have an effect.</p>

[stuart_richardson]

<p>I would say the likelihood that you are going to reassemble the lens out of the best tolerances is probably orders of magnitude higher than any influence dust inside the lens will have. Unless you have a full optical bench as thorough as the major lens manufacturers and know how to use it, do not attempt to disassemble a lens just to remove dust! Or at least, don't expect performance to be better...the tolerences in high end lenses like Zeiss and Leica are extremely small and every time you crack open the lens for no good reason (like to remove a bit of dust) you are opening yourself up for problems that you probably never would have had otherwise. And if not for your sake, than for whomever is unfortunate enough to have bought the lens from you. If I sound bitter, it is because I have bought a few of these "user-serviced" lenses, several of which were simply not-salvageable. </p>

[andre_noble5]

<p>To take it a step further: If it factory sealed and it has dust in it, keep it. if it has been opened up by an amateur in the past, send it back.</p>

[greg_jones1]

<p>I suppose I should point out that I formerly was a camera repair technician and had received training on these sorts of things, so my advice should probably not have been proffered. Just because it is easy to me does not make it the sensible thing for others to do.</p>