Schooner24
TPF Noob!
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2024
- Messages
- 2
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- Location
- West Chester, PA. USA
- Can others edit my Photos
- Photos NOT OK to edit
I just purchased a Nikon 200-500 f/5.6 from a major seller of used equipment. It was listed as EX+, meaning it was supposed to be like new. However, when it arrived, it had strange white stuff all around the rubber seal at the front, and there were numerous spots that seems to be like some kind of pitting on the metal under the front element. I cannot determine what the gunk and the spot are. It does not look like fungus. I found I could brush off the gunk using a very soft toothbrush, but the pitting on the metal remains below the glass element. I wrote to the seller, and they offered to take $20 off the purchase price (which was well over $700) or exchange it for another lens with a slightly lower rating. Obviously, I am upset that the seller would send me a lens that it said is like new that clearly is not. However, I hesitate to return or exchange it only because it seems to focus well. I worry that the pitting on the metal might indicate additional corrosion or something inside the lens. Has anybody seen this kind of issue before? I searched the internet and could not find another example of it. I wonder if they used an aggressive cleaner that breached the front element and then failed to clean it off the residue from front of the lens. Is this normal or should I return the lens immediately? Below are a couple of photos to illustrate the issue. Does anybody know what the gunk and the corrosion might be?