Scratched the front of the lense on a S5

[eman]

A friend has a S5 and she scratched the front of the lense, just a tiny spot, but on certain light conditions it create a flare in the pictures. Is it worth while to get it repair or the camera is a write off?

[nism]

if they have to replace the lens (the whole thing, not just the front element) which is usually the case, i would expect it to cost about $350 AUD

[JTL]

Adapter tube and UV filter...live and learn...

[eman]

I guess she'll need to buy a new camera with a UV filter this time.

[Rock Lobster]

That reminds me of the time I was attempting to take a close up macro shot of a pretty crystaline structure on a rocky area in Arizona with my S3IS.
I misjudged how close I was, and slipped slightly as I was lining up the shot, the screeching sound as the front lens scraped on the rock made me cringe inside and I hardly dared turn the camera around to take a look at the damage, as you can imagine, there was a nice deep inch long gouge in the front element that no amount of rubbing with a lens cloth and wishing it would magicaly dissapear was ever gonna fix.

[eman]

That reminds me of the time I was attempting to take a close up macro shot of a pretty crystaline structure on a rocky area in Arizona with my S3IS.
I misjudged how close I was, and slipped slightly as I was lining up the shot, the screeching sound as the front lens scraped on the rock made me cringe inside and I hardly dared turn the camera around to take a look at the damage, as you can imagine, there was a nice deep inch long gouge in the front element that no amount of rubbing with a lens cloth and wishing it would magicaly dissapear was ever gonna fix.

My guess is you got a new camera instead of sending it in for repair?

[Rock Lobster]

Yes I bought it from Circuit City and thankfully the sales guy there persuaded me to buy insurance at the time. I took the damaged camera in there to show them and they gave me a replacement right there.

[eman]

That was lucky for you to have insurance, I would of never go for it, but I will get a UV filter from now on!

[TenD]

A scratch in the front element will rarely show up in the photo. It will, however, cause flare in certain lighting situations. An old trick people use for this condition is to carefully blacken the scratch out with a sharpie, this will reduce the flare. I would hardly ditch the camera for a small scratch.

[eman]

Thx for the suggestion, I'll tell my friend.

[bascom]

Adapter tube and UV filter...live and learn...
Is an adapter tube the same as a Conversion lens adapter?

[JTL]

Is an adapter tube the same as a Conversion lens adapter?Yepperoonies...

[bascom]

Is the idea to leave the adapter tube and filter on the p&S camera all the time, or do you put it on only when needed? When you zoom in and out, does the filter move with the lens? I am having trouble picturing this on a motorized lens.

[JTL]

Is the idea to leave the adapter tube and filter on the p&S camera all the time, or do you put it on only when needed? When you zoom in and out, does the filter move with the lens? I am having trouble picturing this on a motorized lens.The camera's lens moves back and forth inside the tube. It is fine to leave it on permenantly if so desired.