Just notice my two newer lenses a 35/2 preasph and a 28/2.8 third gen. has some bubbles pathers in some of the midle elements, is this normal?, why none of my older lenses has any thing like that?, and how this afect contrast or resolution?

-- r watson (al1231234@hotmail.com), July 24, 2001

Answers

Response to bubbles?

Bubbles??? I don't think there should be any bubbles in newer Leica glass. However, separation often looks like small bubbles towards the outer perimiter of (usually) the front or rear elements.

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), July 24, 2001.

Response to bubbles?

Hi Roberto,

Normally bubbles appear in older lenses like the 50mm summarit. In fact, a friend and I where having coffee this morning and he was showing me a Summarit that was just cleaned by DAG and it had bubbles in it. I will ask around and see if it can be seen in newer lenses. According to DAG this shouldn't effect performance. Are the bubbles in the center or outer areas of the glass?

Your friend Tom G.

Your friend Tom G.

-- Tom Gallagher (tgallagher10@yahoo.com), July 24, 2001.

Response to bubbles?

Roberto,

In my 1972 Leica book, "THE LEICA AND LEICAFLEX WAY" by Andrew Matheson, he has a small section in the lens chapter about bubbles. He says that occasionally they will appear, forming during the smelting process. They have been attributed to be a sign of high quality glass, but Matheson denies this. He says that it is incidental, because of the process, and in no way effects performance or speed.

-- Al Smith (smith58@msn.com), July 24, 2001.

Response to bubbles?

I had a Hasseblad with a 40mm FLE which had bubbles in one of the elements. I took the lens to Hasseblad repain here in So. Cal and was informed that they do appear in lenses and in no way affects the image quality. I have to admit I never noticed any image problems.

-- Don M (maldos@home.com), July 24, 2001.

Response to bubbles?

Thankīs fellows for your fast answers;

Tom, this bubbles are in the center of some of the inner lenses, now I wish those are really bubbles and no a decementing problem.

Quality of image, well I canīt tell since I have had this for not so long, and my maximum print size have been 5x7.

-- r watson (AL1231234@HOTMAIL.COM), July 24, 2001.

Response to bubbles?

Roberto,

You will know if they are bubbles because that's exactly what they look like. If it's in the middle it sounds like bubbles in the glass instead of cement problems which probably won't have any visible affect on film.

Best TG

-- Tom Gallagher (tgallagher10@yahoo.com), July 24, 2001.

Response to bubbles?

Bubbles . . . Tiny bubbles . . .

Because they are tiny, they occupy some even tinier percentage of the lens area, like a small fraction of one percent. It wouldn't be correct to say they have no effect. Hell, they're in the light path, so they can't refract light as the rest of the lens does, as the designer intented. So that's BS. But you could say they have a negligible effect.

Bubbles mean that it's high quality glass? More BS, methinks. It reminds me of the ad that assures us that the barbed-wire scars in our leathergoods are our assurance that we have purchased the finest in high-quality leather goods, and thank you for buying Zibalowbowitz.

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), July 24, 2001.

Response to bubbles?

If there must be bubble, let it be as far from the center of lens as possible, the center of lens is the sharpest part, like the macular of eyes.

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), July 25, 2001.

Response to bubbles?

Believe it or not. Lens made in former East Germany all have bubbles. I own some Zeiss Jena lens (made in East Germany many years ago). They all have large amount of bubbles. Likewise, it may be normal for the recent Leica having bubbles (I am not sure whether Solm is in East Germany or not). High quality lens are all prone to have bubbles. Have you ever noted any of those in the Japan made lens?

-- W Andrew (andrew_photo@sinaman.com), July 25, 2001.

Response to bubbles?

Well I havenīt look so closed to my Japan lenses.

Yes, they look like bubbles, very tiny ones, I couldnīt count them, could be around fithy the size of a hair.

And both of this lenses are made in Canada.

This path of bubbles concentrate in the center of the element, like a constelation.

I first thougth it was some dust, then fungus, but looking with another lens, I discovered they were bubbles.

I will feel easy if they are bubbles, because I know this problem will not develop further, and so long the quality satisfice me.

But now that you ask I will look in my other lenses, something that I donīt funcy much, because I always find something.

Have a good day!!

-- r watson (al1231234@hotmail.com), July 25, 2001.

Response to bubbles?

I actually have a Nikkor 105/2.5 AIS w. a bubble, I guess the japanese made at least one high quality lens, but probably not as good as a Zeiss Jena Lens w. many bubbles!?
-Lens haze is high quality glass sweating, bubbles are signs of quality; what other things should I look for when shopping for my next quality lens? ;-)

-R. Watson, It is nice to outrule fungus -its a pain. A few tiny bubbles are unlikely to matter. Theoretical: Yes, in pratical use: No.

-- Niels H. S. Nielsen (nhsn@ruc.dk), July 25, 2001.

Response to bubbles?

The lenses with bubbles were made after Oktoberfest

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), July 25, 2001.