I'm looking at a zoom lens on Ebay that has a scratch on the outer part of the front element. The seller mentioned that it's been filled in with a black pen or something like that. How badly, if at all will this affect picture quality? Harlee
It's very difficult not to say impossible to make a serious assessment without actually testing the lens with film. Filling the scratch with a black pen is the standard practice to "cure" clear-cut scratches (it prevents most of the additional flare caused by the scratch) and normally it works well, but the proof is in the pudding.
Harlee, the magic of ebay (and I rarely buy there these days due to the high cost) is that another lens will be up for sale next week. Don't get in a hurry. Wait for a good one.
