Quaking Aspen Loc: Cottage Grove, OR

I have a Sony RX10 and I discovwered to my chagrin that it has a large scratch
on its primary lens. does anyone know if this scratch might interfer with the autofocus?
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Who would know that better than you ?

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Wouldn't the answer be in the focus accuracy and image quality?
Is it discernible?

RichKenn Loc: Merritt Island, FL

I once scratched a very good lens and carefully painted over the scratch so it just blocked light rather than detracting it. I used the lens for years. All you can do is test the lens yourself.

plumbbob1

I've never had a scratch on a lens.
I am interested in what this discussion reveals.

Quaking Aspen Loc: Cottage Grove, OR

Thanks for the replies. I will definitely put a clear filter on any future lenses. I think that this camera will become my walkabout camera and another that I haven't decided on will become my closer tohome . M

Which brings me to the question of full frame vs cheaper crop sensor and mirrorless vs non mirrorless (???). budget around 3k

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

The scratch should not affect the cameras auto focus and may not even affect the photos. It's your camera, use it and let us know.

Scruples Loc: Brooklyn, New York

I believe this camera doesn’t have an exchangeable lens.
Although i shoot Canon, the auto focus capability is dependent to some degree on the the length of the scratch and it’s approximate location. The best route I think would be to work the camera and lens. If the focus is thrown off, the lens and camera may become a very expensive paperweight. The cost to repair the lens versus the cost to replace the camera may exceed one’s expectations. The best choice might be to be relegated to the shelf.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Depends on what, if any, effect the scratch has on images.
If it turns out to be simply aesthetic......
Which we have absolutely no idea of any effect, just making recommendations on suppositions.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

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Its easy enuf to actually try it for yourself and let us all know how that works out ...

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

Scratches, even many scratches, generally do not noticeably degrade the image. Much worse is lens haze, which covers a much greater part of the lens' surface area

f8lee Loc: New Mexico

I have to say, I discovered quite by accident that small flaws on a lens optic do not make that much difference.

In October 2020 I was out taking moonrise photos (over the Organ mountains in New Mexico). Now just for laughs I took a photo of a small T-Rex toy I carry around (kind of like a "Flat Stanley" for those who get the reference) where I placed the toy in the lens hood (and sent that photo to friends explaining how "T" was helping me). Then it started to get dark and I took the shots - it was only after I was done that I discovered I had not removed the toy! So here you see one of those shots taken, with the T-Rex positioned inside the lens hood - the second shot obviously of the toy setup itself that I had used for the joke shot). My point is, if that 1"+ tall toy didn't make any kind of obvious difference, I don't think a small scratch will.

Of course, I know that wide angle lenses have much great DOF so objects close to the lens will be in better focus, but then again it's doubtful a scratch will be 1/4 of the diameter of the front element of the lens.

Oh, that's a 200MM f2 Fuji lens that I used with a 2X teleconverter, shot at f4 - so DOF was quite minimized. But again - not very noticeable in the final shot...

The moonrise of the Organs shot...


Shot after the above image was taken-T-Rex standing right there...

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

And nice shot!

f8lee Loc: New Mexico

Thank you, but note how T-Rex standing in the lens hood did not detract...at least as far as I could tell. But boy howdy did I feel like an idiot when I was breaking down and saw I left him there...