Re: [Rollei] Re: German Glass

[FortunkoC <FortunkoC >]

Rolleinuts,

This discussion about "soft" glass is  a little silly. It reminds me of the
endless discussions on the sister (Leica) group, which appears to be dominated
by collectors. Like Richard Knoppow, I have never scratched a lens. However, I
have seen and owned older Leica lenses with a lot of small scratches on the
surface. I attribute these to the fact that Leitz coating processes were
initially not as advanced as those at Zeiss'. My newer Leica lenses appear to
have very tough coatings. Also, I use the new cloths to clean the lenses.

My feeling is that the newer coatings are generally tougher than the glass
they are deposited on. All of my SL66 lenses (from Zeiss) have great surfaces,
even though the appearance of the barrels indicates that they have been used
quite a bit.

This business about using filters to protect the lens is interesting. I adhere
to the Leica/Leitz school on this subject.  - Do not use filters unless you
have to, for example, to protect the lens surface from dust or sea spray!
Refraction is a real phenomenon that causes ray displacement and other
undesirable effects. Also, coatings may introduce unwanted effects. Yes, I use
filters, but very sparingly. The R1.5 is useful here in Colorado, because the
sky is very blue most of the year, and I have two of them. Most of the time,
they serve to protect my lenses during travel. I bought them used for less
than a new Rollei front cap. (In fact, I prefer the older Zeiss front cap
design, because it is more secure. However, these are very hard to find.)

So, best of light,

Chris

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