Anyone know what this circle on my lens is?

DirtySocks85 · Jan 1, 2013, 11:21 PM

So I'm very new to the world of DSLRs. I was wiping down one of my lenses with a microfiber cloth to clear some dust off today when I noticed something unusual on the front element. A tiny little circle. At first I thought it was some sort of stuck on bit of filth, but upon closer inspection I realized that it was uniformly oval/circular, and looked to be metallic/reflective. Anyone know what it is or why it's there?

(click to enlarge)

scottgoh · Jan 2, 2013, 12:06 AM

can it be a water stain? rain drop stain?

DirtySocks85 · Jan 2, 2013, 12:19 AM

That's what I thought at first, but it almost appears to be a small metallic ring embedded in the lens or something. It's very shiny at the edges, but not different from the rest of the lens on the interior. Obviously with it's size and placement it's not going to affect IQ, so this is mainly out of curiosity that I ask.

Kebabselector · Jan 2, 2013, 04:12 AM

Maybe it's a bubble in the lens coating, it's on the edge so shouldn't effect the image quality.

wolfpuppies3 · Jan 3, 2013, 12:03 PM

Send it back to Canon for repair.

snberk103 · Jan 3, 2013, 12:33 PM

Before you actually do anything with the lense, check with the camera store you bought it from. And if you bought it online, check with Canon... maybe post this on there support forums if they exist. It may be a normal part of the manufacturing.

I say this because.... just yesterday my wife took off her glasses to clean them... and noticed very small, practically invisible, circles on the edge of her lenses (one on each lense). In her case there is also etched a very small number. It is obviously something that is part of the lense making process, though we are going to check with the optometrist to see if it is normal for a pair in use to have them.

The photo you took looks a lot like those circles. So check with Canon. It may be normal, though it may not be normal for it to actually be apparent.

I'd love to know what Canon says... so please update us!

DirtySocks85 · Jan 3, 2013, 05:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snberk103

Before you actually do anything with the lense, check with the camera store you bought it from. And if you bought it online, check with Canon... maybe post this on there support forums if they exist. It may be a normal part of the manufacturing.

I say this because.... just yesterday my wife took off her glasses to clean them... and noticed very small, practically invisible, circles on the edge of her lenses (one on each lense). In her case there is also etched a very small number. It is obviously something that is part of the lense making process, though we are going to check with the optometrist to see if it is normal for a pair in use to have them.

The photo you took looks a lot like those circles. So check with Canon. It may be normal, though it may not be normal for it to actually be apparent.

I'd love to know what Canon says... so please update us!

I'm pretty sure that all of the other spots are just regular dirt and dust (I stopped in the middle of cleaning it to take this pic). As far as purchase, I bought it online from B&H, so I'll try checking with them and/or Canon and see if I can get an answer. I suspect that this is normal and supposed to be there, and as pointed out above, seems unlikely to affect image quality due to the location at the edge of the lens, but it probably won't hurt to ask, and if something is off with it I can get it replaced.

Larry-K · Jan 3, 2013, 08:16 PM

Looks like a bubble in the glass. This stuff was molten at one time, you know.

Laird Knox · Jan 3, 2013, 11:57 PM

Ringworm?

Caliber26 · Jan 4, 2013, 03:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laird Knox

Ringworm?

You literally made me laugh out loud and that doesn't happen too often. Thanks.

Jan 1, 2013, 11:21 PM	#1
DirtySocks85 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Wichita, KS	Anyone know what this circle on my lens is? So I'm very new to the world of DSLRs. I was wiping down one of my lenses with a microfiber cloth to clear some dust off today when I noticed something unusual on the front element. A tiny little circle. At first I thought it was some sort of stuck on bit of filth, but upon closer inspection I realized that it was uniformly oval/circular, and looked to be metallic/reflective. Anyone know what it is or why it's there? (click to enlarge) __________________ Current: 13"MacBook Pro (mid 2010) iPhone 5 32GB Black/Slate iPod Classic 80GB • Canon EOS Rebel T3i • Nexus 7
	0

Jan 2, 2013, 12:06 AM	#2
scottgoh macrumors member Join Date: Oct 2012	can it be a water stain? rain drop stain? __________________ Website, Blog South Australia Wedding and Newborn Photographer, iMac27" 2012
	0

Jan 2, 2013, 12:19 AM	#3
DirtySocks85 Thread Starter macrumors 6502a Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Wichita, KS	That's what I thought at first, but it almost appears to be a small metallic ring embedded in the lens or something. It's very shiny at the edges, but not different from the rest of the lens on the interior. Obviously with it's size and placement it's not going to affect IQ, so this is mainly out of curiosity that I ask. __________________ Current: 13"MacBook Pro (mid 2010) iPhone 5 32GB Black/Slate iPod Classic 80GB • Canon EOS Rebel T3i • Nexus 7
	0

Jan 2, 2013, 04:12 AM	#4
Kebabselector macrumors 68000 Join Date: May 2007 Location: Birmingham, UK	Maybe it's a bubble in the lens coating, it's on the edge so shouldn't effect the image quality. __________________ Mac Mini 1.66Ghz/2gb - 2.4ghz/C2D/8gb - 2.3/i5/8gb - MacBook 2.0Ghz/2gb iPhone 4 S⃣ 32gb - iPad Mini 16gb wifi Others: Canon Eos Stuff - Passat - Smeg - Firewire devices - Prefers Matte
	0

Jan 3, 2013, 12:03 PM	#5
wolfpuppies3 macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Virginia, USA	Send it back to Canon for repair. __________________ 2012 MBA 13, 2 Ghz i7, 8 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD; 2011 MBA 11, 1.8 Ghz i7, 4 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD; 2010 MB Pro 15, 2.66 Ghz i7, 8 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD; two iPad 3s and a mini, two iPhones and a bunch of iPods
	0

Jan 3, 2013, 12:33 PM	#6
snberk103 macrumors 601 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: An Island in the Salish Sea	Before you actually do anything with the lense, check with the camera store you bought it from. And if you bought it online, check with Canon... maybe post this on there support forums if they exist. It may be a normal part of the manufacturing. I say this because.... just yesterday my wife took off her glasses to clean them... and noticed very small, practically invisible, circles on the edge of her lenses (one on each lense). In her case there is also etched a very small number. It is obviously something that is part of the lense making process, though we are going to check with the optometrist to see if it is normal for a pair in use to have them. The photo you took looks a lot like those circles. So check with Canon. It may be normal, though it may not be normal for it to actually be apparent. I'd love to know what Canon says... so please update us! __________________ My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world. - Jack Layton
	0

Jan 3, 2013, 08:16 PM	#8
Larry-K macrumors regular Join Date: Jun 2011	Looks like a bubble in the glass. This stuff was molten at one time, you know.
	1

Jan 3, 2013, 11:57 PM	#9
Laird Knox macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jun 2010	Ringworm?
	5


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