Always thought that lenses lasts well if treated gently but maybe it is not true.

Am now worried about my Leica M lenses !

Was looking at my Nikon AF zoom lens 70-210 mm and discovered that the inner lens element has cracked ! Very big crack right across the inner lens. This was seldom used, treated gently when in use and stored in a dry box in a cool place. It seems to have cracked by itself ! Anybody else experienced this ? Why does it happen ? All things must die ? The nikon lens was about 10 years old but hardly used.

-- Yip (koklok@krdl.org.sg), August 13, 2001

Answers

I friend of mine (professional photographer) experienced exactly the same and it was with a zoom Nikon lens. The crack occurred all around the edge of the front lens element. He told me that he never hit or dropped the lens and he never abuses of his gear, most of his photography is always indoors.

-- Javier (elrebeco@hotmail.com), August 13, 2001.

In the early 80s I was photographing for the military and had a Tamron zoom (at that time supposedly very good and very expensive, too) cracked when a recoiless rifle I was photographing fired off (OK, I was about 2 meters away, by the side). But that was the only time any lens I have cracked on me. Touch wood! I am sorry for your loss.

-- Steven Fong (steven@ima.org.sg), August 13, 2001.

Unfortunately, you've discovered one of the reasons many of us are willing to spend exhorbitant amounts of money on Leica lenses. I'm not saying this *can't* happen to Leica lenses but Leica construction quality makes this sort of problem very unlikely.

-- Doug Herr (telyt@earthlink.net), August 13, 2001.

Egads! I better check that Tamron zoom, I was out with some friends shooting yesterday and those guys had some big guns! I wouldn't worry about the Leica lenses, you're talking about a rare occurance and even then it happened to a lesser quality lens.

-- D Doyle (ddoyleis@home.com), August 13, 2001.

Have been involved in the photographic industry for 25 years, much of it dealing with repairs, both amatuer and pro and have never seen an elemnet just crack. I'd say it is very unlikely thing to have happen and I know I wouldn't worry unduly about it. But of course never say never. As with anything (new car, computer, refrigerator), there's always the likelyhood that something was not right during manufacture that shows up months or years l

-- Bob Todrick (bobtodrick@yahoo.com), August 13, 2001.

A while back I was surprised to find a crack across the top of my N2000 Nikon back up body. Where did that come from? I certainly would have remembered dropping my camera, I thought. Then I remembered that while it was in a small padded case, it had fallen off the table on to the carpet. That was enough to crack the top "plate" (if you can call plastic a plate). What I'm getting at is that some equipment is not very durable, and it doesn't take much for it to get damaged.

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), August 13, 2001.

I call that "Defective", which can happen to anything manufactured.

-- Godfrey (ramarren@bayarea.net), August 13, 2001.

Cracks are interesting things which can propagate over time, sometimes very rapidly after a long period of apparent dormance. It may be there was some unresolved stress or a micro-crack in the element which just took a long time to get going. It wouldn't have needed a knock for this to happen. I should think it would be as likely to happen with any make of lens, but it must be an extremely rare occurrence.

-- rob (rob@robertappleby.com), August 13, 2001.

I have seen a battered Hasselblad lens,250mm f5.6,with a good third of rear element missing! Pictures were fine.....All glass can crack. Most lenses are really soft and should'nt happen easily. Now why am I worrying? Darn people like You making the rest of nervous!

-- jason gold (leeu72@hotmail.com), August 13, 2001.

Thanks for all your responses so far.

I suppose I can now say my cracked Nikon lens is one of the "sharpest" lens I had, so sharp it can literally cut !!!

Actually I won a photo contest organised by American Express with that lens years ago that got me a 4 day Phuket holiday for 2 so I am sorry to see it die. Need a holiday soon you see......

Did I really make you fear about your leica lenses ? Really sharp lenses them Leica glass, sharper than Nikon !

-- Yip (koklok@krdl.org.sg), August 13, 2001.

Maybe the damage was the result of too much lens bending. Seriously, I'm still waiting for someone to explain what that means, after it came up the other day.

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), August 14, 2001.