peterkp

Hi, for those interested, I did eventually get onto Nikon support. After harping on about the fact that I don't use a lens hood for this lens, I asked why they had no other suggestions and if they had seen this before. They then seemed to think it does look like there's a problem with the lens. Maybe with the coatings. They didn't suggest if it was damage or a problem in the manufacturing process.

I did take a series of shots, and told them, of the sky at different angles to the sun at all stops - f22 to f1.8 - and the fringing was evident at all f stops. I can't replicate the problem with other lenses I have when used without a hood. I was a bit annoyed that they initially offered no other suggestions and implied it was my fault for not using a hood. I thought this was nonsense. Don't know what you guys think about that.

Anyway, happy shooting.

Peter P.

Question : Are you using a lenshood ? And if not could you try again in similar circumstances if a lenshood helps reducing thuis effect ?

no, I don't use a lens hood for this lens as the front element is well recessed.. I use one for all other lenses. I'll see if I can find one locally and try.

thanks again to everyone for their thoughts. I've had a look at the image in photoshop (don't use LR) and playing with the amount and midpoint in the "Custom" "Lens Correction" sort of helps. "amount" just turns the purple to white after a point, but midpoint helps as well. I had the vignette control on "normal" on the camera. It's off now and I'll see how I go.

Peter P.

Mine has quite a bit of fringing wide open, but it goes away quickly a stop or two down. Is near wide open where you are experiencing this? The solution is, I guess, to stop down or get a better lens?

thanks Michael. But the image was shot at f8 and 1/500. I'll pay some more attention to f-stop and see how/if it varies.

thanks for the comments and suggestions. I'll play with vignetting controls.

Peter p.

Thanks hapien and rodeo_joe|1.

 

I'll have another close look at the lens. No, no polarizer used. I called it CA, for want of a better description, because as you say CA is normally around edge detail. I'll see if I can get a response from Nikon.

 

It's only a problem when I shoot something like this, but then it's a big problem.

Hi All, thanks for the replies. I've managed to upload a sky that I shot with the lens and my D800E (and yes, I know there's some dust spots). When I'm in ACR or photoshop, the tick boxes seem to do very little, if anything, to reduce the CA. When I look at tutorials online to reduce fringing they seem to deal with very narrow fringing on edges, not the large amount I have. Maybe rodeo_joe's right, I have a dud lens? Quite like it otherwise.

Peter P.

 

Hi, does anybody else have horrendous CA or fringing on their 50mm 1.8d? And how do you fix it? I can't seem to find anything mentioned in comparisons etc. I've tried to upload an image but the site won't let me.

Thanks,

Peter P.

<p>Just to close this off (again): after being deflected a few times by Nikon USA about the performance of their Authroized Repair Station (ARS), I sent them Shun's link which said CRIS was an ARS and demanded to deal with a manager and got put onto a Senior Customer Relations person.<br>

She seemed more interested and asked that I send the camera to them. I did and Nikon USA confirmed that the sensor had a "mark that could not be removed" and in the interest of "good relations" they replaced the sensor. They also couriered the camera back to Australia. <br>

So a good outcome for me, finally. I think what may have concerned Nikon USA as much as anything was that one of their ARS' said the camera had an irreparable problem (soft spots) and sent the customer away. Their actions suggested dishonesty and/or incompetence but definitely unacceptably poor service.<br>

Nikon USA are diplomatic of course but I was told that a Manager had been made aware of the situation.<br>

Peter P. </p>

<p>Sorry, I did reply Edward but it didn't go through for some reason. Thanks for your time and suggestions. I will definitely be cleaning my own sensors when I return to Australia. <br>

I have had a "form letter" response from Nikon USA and no satisfaction on my questions. They said "...only technicians in LA and NY can repair the D800E...". I have forwarded Shun's link to them.<br>

This could drag out....</p>

<p>Epilogue:</p>

<ul>

<li>I've learned a few things out of all of this like the "breathing" of zoom lenses (Les).</li>

<li>Rick Chen, anyone can make a mistake? Sure, but you cop it. Everything Steve did was "... gosh we screwed up here let's give him his money and push him out the door and hope he goes away - he's not local anyway". One of the reasons, I think, we contribute to forums is to help others find reputable businesses to get work done - or places to avoid. Hope he doesn't scratch your sensor. </li>

</ul>

<p>ok, closing this off because I don't think I'll get anywhere with CRIS and I have to move on.<br>

I got my second opinion from Tempe Camera. They cleaned the sensor (better but not perfect) and said the sensor has a scratch.<br>

So I have a report from CRIS saying the sensor was cleaned, no mention of any issues. I have a report from Tempe Camera, 24 hrs and half a dozed shutter actuations later, saying the sensor is scratched.<br>

Remember that CRIS "cleaned" the sensor and gave me a report saying they had cleaned it and mentioned no issues. It was immediately after that first clean that I brought the camera back to them and they acknowledged problems.<br>

Spoke with "Steve" from CRIS. He thought the mark on the sensor, which he acknowledged on the image I sent to him after his efforts, was not a scratch (he confirmed that the metadata showed him that image I sent him was from the same camera and only a few shutter actuations later). He doesn't know what it is. He has no explanation for how it may have got there. <br>

He has no explanation for why the sensor was so dirty after two attempts by CRIS to clean it, one by him. He has no explanation for why CRIS, an authorized Nikon service centre, could offer no resolution to the problems he could see and acknowledged ("soft spots" etc previously mentioned).<br>

I did not think he was competent or confident in his explanation of the of where the dust was causing the soft spots. He said there was a piece of glass in front of the sensor (comments anyone?) and the dust was between that and the sensor. But Tempe Camera got most of it off. <br>

All this from a man who has been in the business 24 years.<br>

I told him I didn't think he had been honest with me in any of his dealings. He "didn't think he had been dishonest". Carefully chosen words.<br>

One of those situation - Steve is either a liar or incompetent. He would not commit to rectifying the problem (new sensor) if I gave the camera back to him.<br>

Thanks to all for your comments.<br>

Peter P.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Shun, I sent an email to them yesterday after I took the attached image at my friend's place. See who responds. The image is what really set me off. Not only were there plenty of spots (worse than it went in I think) but at 100% you can see the horizontal smear near the right edge about 3/4 of the way down.<br>

I just didn't understand how an authorized service centre could send me away saying nothing could be done. Looks like it's time to start cleaning my own lenses.<br>

Just as a bit of background, I'm a travel/stock photographer (Getty Images, Alamy) so I'm always looking at my images at 100%. I know where the spots are. That's why I took the camera in. <br>

Peter P.</p>

<p>Thanks for your responses. Unfortunately, I had the same suspicion as Shun - that they did some other damage to the camera and were keen to get me out the door. I'll be taking test shots this morning. <br>

Yes, I plan to inform Nikon as nothing they said held together for me. They also told me that just having a zoom lens introduces dust because the action of the lens extending and retracting (zooming) results in the need for air to be expelled and introduced - ie: can't have a sealed unit. Rubbish of course - the back of my 24-70 f2.8 does not move in and out with zooming.<br>

So I suggested to them that even if you use a prime lens there's always the likelihood of dust because the camera is not sealed. They said this is correct. This is when I decided I did not want them to touch my camera again.<br>

The company is called C.R.I.S. (criscam.com) and they say they are an authorized Nikon, Canon, etc service center. They're in Chandler (Phoenix AZ). They're a professional looking place with nice staff but I think I was fed a load of crap.<br>

Thanks again.<br>

Peter P.</p>

<p>I'm travelling in the US and took my D800E to an authorized Nikon repair/service place to get my sensor cleaned. Picked up the camera but before getting in the car I took a photo of the sky and could clearly see spots on the playback screen. Took the camera back into the service center, minutes after picking it up, and they acknowledged there was a problem even though they had just given me a printout showing the a perfectly clean image produced by the camera. A technician had another look, came out and told me the sensor had "soft spots" - dust behind a screen/glass in front of the sensor, which could not be cleaned. They refunded my money and sent me on my way.<br>

At the place I'm staying, I took another picture of the sky (f22) and pulled it up on the computer at 100%. The dust was as bad as when I gave the camera to them but, worse, there is a now a horizontal smear which I assume is the result of a poor attempt at cleaning.<br>

My query is, has anybody heard of such "soft spots" which cannot be rectified? Am I being told a story? I just hope there's no permanent damage to the sensor.<br>

Peter P.</p>

<p>yep, just bought one (was looking for a fixed 10 stop but they showed me this new variable 2 to 8 stop). My pattern however is not as pronounced as Erik's - more of a smudged X. And other funny things happen at the highest density end. My Nikon won't hold the shutter open long enough for a correct exposure. It under exposes. Shooting on Aperture priority with my 24-70 f2.8 on my D300s. More of a learning curve here than I thought. </p>