------------------------- TINY BUBBLES >After purchasing the new Nikon 80-200 AF-S Silent Wave lens, I have made an >observation. Upon close examination of the lens elements by holding the lens >up to a light source and looking through, I am seeing excessive dust/lint on >the internal elements and also what appears to be a tiny bubble on one of the >elements. When I got my lens I checked it over very close. The demo model the store was using already had brass appearing on the mounting ring. Theu brought out another, and it has a scrathc in the FRONT element! Then out came the only two other lenses they had, one had a LOT of dust and another had a teensy bubble in the glass. I grabbed the one with the teeny buble. Why? A lot of folks do not know how lenses are made, nor what the bubbles mean. In the olden days the glass would cure as it was formed, and any bubbles appearing would be signs of perfection, showing that the lens has been cured and is it the top of perfection. Some old Leica owners would ONLY buy lenses with one or two bubbles in them! After a bit bubbles became passe, so a person would be hired to pop the bubbles, their only job in the manufacturing process. A couple teeny bubbles are fine, and wil have NO effect on the final image. Mine has one small bubble. I am more concerned about the rear element primarily, then the front element, then lens feel and noise, then dust. Bubbles are no concern unless they are in the center of the lens and you can still see then when stopped down to f/8 or more. My 80-200AFS is so fun I shoot at aperture priority and shoot wide open to get the most out of it! Robert in Redlands
