Bubbles inside rear lens Nikkor 70-200 VRII Please help me :)

[MartinProsperi]

Hi folks,

I just bought a new lens, a Nikkor AF-S, etc, 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII and found a little row of bubbles in the rear lens of the lens. I have red that bubbles are like a mark of quality, something that I cannot understand why, but I think a row of bubbles, also visible without a loupe is not actually good but I have my doubts before returning it. I believe in my head those bubbles will distort the light and produce undesired results on pictures and you all know how demanding landscape photographers are with quality (hope you're not with my poor English ).

Here are 2 pictures of this row of bubbles. One pic is the full JPEG at 1600 ISO and a 100% crop. The image isn't in perfect focus because the low light and the uncomfortable position of my body in order to take the shot but well... they're quite noticeable.

Full Image:

100% Crop:

I would need a quick answer for this because, if I have to change the lens, I should go as soon as possible to the Nikon Shop in order to perform the change.

Thanks a lot in advance!

Ø3

[PeterAit]

Bubbles are NOT a sign of quality - well, low quality maybe! I doubt very much that this will cause any measurable effect on your photos, but still I would exchange it just in case.

[Scott O.]

Are the bubbles in the glass or inside the lens?  Imperfections inside the barrel were common with this lens when it came out.  No matter whether it effects picture quality or not I would exchange it.  Any lens problem could potentially effect resale value, and at the cost of this lens you shouldn't have to deal with such problems.

[MartinProsperi]

Are the bubbles in the glass or inside the lens?  Imperfections inside the barrel were common with this lens when it came out.  No matter whether it effects picture quality or not I would exchange it.  Any lens problem could potentially effect resale value, and at the cost of this lens you shouldn't have to deal with such problems.

Yes, the bubbles are inside the barrel. Just next to the rear glass.

Will make some shots in order to see if the bubbles are annoying or not. There are no more lenses in stock in the Nikon Shop and waiting for a new one could take a month

Thanks for the replies, pals!

Ø3

[Scott O.]

With the earthquake related issues in Japan, I would suspect your wait for another will be considerably longer than a month.  Too bad there are no more in stock.

[MartinProsperi]

With the earthquake related issues in Japan, I would suspect your wait for another will be considerably longer than a month.  Too bad there are no more in stock.

You're right, pal... Been doing some shots and nothing strange happened with the bubbles, so I think that's not something really bad at the end... All my other lenses also have some bubbles too... Also been cleaning the sensor... such a hard task to do! It seemed the more I cleaned, the more dust! But finally swapped out all of it

[schrodingerscat]

In the early days of photography, a few small bubbles in the glass was indeed considered a sign of quality. Not today, though you will see some lenses that have small bubbles where the element is cemented to the lens tube or holder. Usually not a problem unless shooting into the light source, or if they start 'growing'.

Element separation can also appear as bubbles. In any case, all this would be unacceptable in a new lens, and I would get it back to the manu while still in warranty.