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Will this chip be a problem on the a900?
Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 6:06 am
by lattiboy
So I bought this lens
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 2761.l1259
just now and am wondering if this chip will be an issue on FF. I wouldn't normally buy something like this, but it's over $300 less than any other 85mm I could find.
Re: Will this chip be a problem on the a900?
Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 6:18 am
by jcoffin
lattiboy wrote:So I bought this lens
[ ... ]
just now and am wondering if this chip will be an issue on FF. I wouldn't normally buy something like this, but it's over $300 less than any other 85mm I could find.
In theory, it probably reduces the contrast and resolution a bit. Realistically, that "bit" is probably so small you'll probably never know the difference. The real danger (to the extent there is one) is that whatever caused the chip also caused other damage at the same time.
Re: Will this chip be a problem on the a900?
Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 6:19 am
by pakodominguez
I won't pay 550 US for that lens. I bought mine, a couple of years ago, for 600 US$, like new...
Re: Will this chip be a problem on the a900?
Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 6:20 am
by KevinBarrett
Obviously you expect it won't because you didn't ask us about it until after you won!
I wouldn't worry about the chip if that were all, but I'd have to consider what must have happened to produce the chip. Is any other part of its performance compromised by the injury that produced this chip?
Re: Will this chip be a problem on the a900?
Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 6:34 am
by lattiboy
Yeah, I suppose the "how did it get chipped" question is prudent, but this seller is excellent and he claims the lens is functionally perfect. I'm going for function, not a collectors item, so the chip (to me) isn't worth $200-400.
I also thought that I'd be shooting at f/2 90% of the time, so that would eliminate any weirdness that close to the edge. I could well be incorrect in my assumptions
Re: Will this chip be a problem on the a900?
Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 6:51 am
by KevinBarrett
Who knows? You could have a signature "Q" shaped bokeh! Awesome!
Re: Will this chip be a problem on the a900?
Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 7:08 am
by lattiboy
KevinBarrett wrote:Who knows? You could have a signature "Q" shaped bokeh! Awesome!
That would be great. I'll put in dyxum review raving about that "classic q-shaped Minolta bokeh" and get endless PMs about how to achieve such a thing.
Re: Will this chip be a problem on the a900?
Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 9:48 am
by 01af
The chip at the edge of the front element won't affect optical performance in any perceivable way, not even at full aperture.
Still I wouldn't buy the lens. At that price (or only slightly more) you should be able to find one with flawless glass. While the chip itself won't hurt, I'd be concerned about other damages that might have happened to the lens. Obviously the front element got chipped while being disassembled from the lens. Someone took the lens apart ... and that person definitely was no skilled technician.
-- Olaf