Hmm, opinions please.

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About a month ago I had a nasty mishap with my Sigma 150mm macro lens and some superglue fumes! The end result was this - serious damage to the coating on the front element:

My_poor_Sigam_150mm_by_HairyToes.jpg


This put me in such a bad mood I haven't taken any photos since! However yesterday i finally stopped sulking and took the lens out to see if it as still useable. The pics below were taken using it in its damaged state. I was going to try some sort of standardised testing, but in the end decided to just try it in the field.

Basically, I'm trying to decide whether to send it to Sigma for a (probably expensive!) repair. It still seems to be producing ok images, but I can't help but feel they're a little short on what they could be.

All images have been resized and had a moderate amount of USM:

Shades_of_brown_by_HairyToes.jpg


Lunch_by_HairyToes.jpg


Hopper_by_HairyToes.jpg


Head_in_the_clouds_by_HairyToes.jpg
 
aha
were you trying to photograph fingerprints a la CSI?

seriously though, I believe that you can remove superglue with meths
so...
I suggest to recreate the damage on an old filter then try and remove it with meths

if that works - it might be worth a go on the lens

or if you're a scaredy-cat (like me I must admit) then it's worth getting a pro to take a look

fixation are supposed to be pretty good
 
Firstly, there is no real way to tell what kind of quality the lens is producing just from tiny web images. It's got to be full size to really be able to judge.

You could get hundreds of opinions telling you it looks Ok but the only one that matters is yours. If you're happy with what it's producing, you've had a luck escape. If it's going to just annoy you then it's got to be worth getting a quote at least.

My take would be the front element is f... I mean ruined anyway, so what's to be lost taking to it with a variety of liquids.
 
The superglue has been removed using acetone, but whilst it was on the lens its obviously reacted with/corroded the lens coating.

Dazz, good point about the image size - if I had any web hosting I'd upload some fullsize for people to view but sadly I don't.

If money wasn't seriously tight at the minute I'd get it repaired in a jiffy, but I'm going to be living on brass tacks for at least the next 12 months.
 
Well if you want folks here to see full resolution stuff, how about taking a couple of shots with the point of focus moved around the frame and then crop out 800pixel segments to post.

That way we can see the quality of detail your getting all across the frame and you can keep the files small. :)

Although, if you're stuck with what you've got for the time being, is it not better just to forget this thread and carry on as if nothings happend. ;)
 
dazz speaks sense :) As a matter of interest what do A4 prints look like?
 
The superglue has been removed using acetone,

So you got superglue on the lens not just fumes? and you have wiped the lens with acetone?

Not got any suggestions just trying to be clear on what happened.

I thought the coatings were to control colour fringing and inter reflections. If the pictures are OK why worry about it?
 
May not be of any use but they look great to me. I think what I would do is make a couple of prints from photobox or something to see how they come out and if you're happy with the results, don't bother getting it repaired.

Just my 2 grapefruit worth.
 
So you got superglue on the lens not just fumes? and you have wiped the lens with acetone?

Not got any suggestions just trying to be clear on what happened.

I thought the coatings were to control colour fringing and inter reflections. If the pictures are OK why worry about it?

Sorry, I should have been clearer.

I superglued a filter-type ring to an old olympus 50mm (for the ever-popular reverse mounted prime trick for extra magnification). Left the glue to dry (but obviously not long enough!). Had a bit of a play with the 50mm reverse-mounted on the 150mm, and left it attached.

Next time i came to use the 150mm, the superglue fumes had built up in the sealed gap between the two lenses, leaving a fine layer of gluey-stuff over everthing. I then cleaned that off using acetone, but the fumes/glue had reacted with the lens coating leaving it all black and purple.

It seems to be performing ok, so I think I may leave it as-is for the time being, or until its demonstrably reducing image quality. I'll try getting some larger prints done and see how they fare.
 
Ahh right. I use PVC electrical tape myself - just have to remember to take it off straight afterwards before the adhesive gets gooey :)
 
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