Is this something to worry about?

5

57005

New member
I'm new and just acquiring some equipment. I bought a used Nikkor AF-S 28-300mm VR ED on eBay. The seller represented it as mint condition. He posted 4 pictures of the lens, but none of the pics were straight on from the front. When I got the lens today, I noticed that the metal ring that surrounds the front element is bent. It looks like someone tried to pry out the metal ring with a screwdriver, leaving an area about 3-4 millimeters wide that is separated from the rubber by a millimeter or so. I have looked at several sites trying to find a straight on photo of a 28-300 for comparison. I can't find one that shows a similarly bent ring so I believe this is not bent this way at the factory. I'm concerned that the gap will allow dust and moisture to enter the lens when it zooms. Otherwise, the lens looks like new and seems to function correctly. Can anyone tell me if this bent ring will cause me problems in the future? I'm trying to decide whether to keep the lens or send it back. I posted an iPhone snapshot of the damage in My Photos. The bent area is at 3 o'clock. (Ignore the fingerprints. They were on the lens when I unpacked it, but they cleaned off fine.)

image.jpeg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
P

pforsell

Senior Member
Looks like some kind of damage. Either from an impact or some fool has tried some DIY repairs. The question is: what's there to repair?

These plastic lenses don't tolerate much abuse anyway, so I'd be suspicious.
 
5

57005

New member
Good point! The problem is I don't know enough to to even know if I should be worried. Does anyone what the function of the metal ring is? If it's merely cosmetic then I shouldn't be worried.
 
D

Don Kuykendall_RIP

RIP :(
It really looks to neat to be damage though. I am wondering if it is there for a reason from the factory. Could not find a photo of the front element online anywhere to check. Does anyone else here have that lens and could take a look?
 
Fred Kingston_RIP

Fred Kingston_RIP

Senior Member
The ring holds the lens elements together... The real question is, why someone did that??? At this point it's more cosmetic than functional...but that doesn't answer why someone who didn't know what they were doing, was trying to take the lens apart...
 
M

mikew_RIP

Senior Member
Welcome to the forum,afraid it would be going back if it was me,apart from the bent ring any camera owner who can first get the front element in that condition and second sell it like that is not safe to deal with IMO.
 
B

Blacktop

Senior Member
Another thing is, anyone that packs up a lens to be shipped to a customer and not clean it up before shipping should be ashamed of themselves.
That lens looks like a disaster, and I would be totally pissed if I got it like that.:mad:

Hell, if I sold you a lens just for parts I would still try and make it look the best I could.
 
B

Blacktop

Senior Member
mikew said:
Welcome to the forum,afraid it would be going back if it was me,apart from the bent ring any camera owner who can first get the front element in that condition and second sell it like that is not safe to deal with IMO.
Click to expand...

You beat me to it. I was typing while you were posting.
 
D

Don Kuykendall_RIP

RIP :(
Blacktop said:
Another thing is, anyone that packs up a lens to be shipped to a customer and not clean it up before shipping should be ashamed of themselves.
That lens looks like a disaster, and I would be totally pissed if I got it like that.:mad:

Hell, if I sold you a lens just for parts I would still try and make it look the best I could.
Click to expand...

We will see tomorrow how good you clean up lenses. LOL. I will have to photograph it if it is not sparkling. LOL
 
5

57005

New member
Thanks for all the advice. I'll admit that when I unpacked this lens, I went from excited to angry in about 2 seconds when I saw the fingerprints all over the front element and the damage to the ring. I took some test shots to check functionality and found no functional problems so I negotiated a partial refund with the seller to reflect the unknown risk and kept the lens. I was going to attach a sample photo I took this morning with the lens using the only model that was available (my daughter's cat), but I get a message that says the photo is too large for posting. I guess I need to learn more about photography AND posting to this site :)
 
Dawg Pics

Dawg Pics

Senior Member
Glad you were able to negotiate a partial refund.

I would be really angry to receive that lens when it was described as "Mint".
I don't know why the term was adopted for good condition used items when it really should be referring to unused items. I could get into a whole thing about how it should only be used for coins, but that is my problem. :rolleyes:
 
Last edited:
D

Don Kuykendall_RIP

RIP :(
57005 said:
Thanks for all the advice. I'll admit that when I unpacked this lens, I went from excited to angry in about 2 seconds when I saw the fingerprints all over the front element and the damage to the ring. I took some test shots to check functionality and found no functional problems so I negotiated a partial refund with the seller to reflect the unknown risk and kept the lens. I was going to attach a sample photo I took this morning with the lens using the only model that was available (my daughter's cat), but I get a message that says the photo is too large for posting. I guess I need to learn more about photography AND posting to this site :)
Click to expand...

Guidelines to adding a photo to your post.

1. Resize photo to 1000px on the long side.
2. Resolution set to 72ppi (Pixels Per Inch)

These guidelines will be good for viewing on a computer but will not be good for printing. This will help safeguard your copyright.







 
Top