PSA: double check your lens element order after cleaning

I spent three hours last Tuesday trying to figure out why my 50mm f/1.4 was giving me soft corners after a deep clean, only to realize I swapped the front and rear elements by accident has anyone else mixed up their glass order and had to backtrack like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

wren_brown21h ago

Man, I gotta say I don't really see how swapping two pieces of glass is that big a deal. I mean yeah it's annoying you wasted three hours but soft corners on a fast fifty... that's like such a minor thing most people wouldn't even notice unless they pixel peep at f/1.4. Half the time my lenses have dust or smudges that I just leave alone and the photos still look fine. Feels like you got all worked up over something that barely matters in real world shooting.

elizabethhart11h ago

Disagree with you there @wren_brown. I spent good money on that lens, I want it to perform right across the frame. Dust and smudges are one thing, but a design flaw that kills sharpness in the corners is different if you shoot landscapes or anything with a flat field.