Rant: Wasted $350 on a lens cleaning service that trashed my glass

I sent a vintage 50mm f/1.4 off to a shop called CleanShot Optics in Chicago six months ago. The guy claimed he'd ultrasonic clean it and remove all the haze. Got it back and there were fine scratches all over the rear element, plus a hairline crack in the retaining ring. He blamed it on "pre-existing wear" but I had photos of the lens before shipping. No way that was there. Tried to get a refund, he ghosted me after three emails. Learned my lesson the hard way. Now I only do my own cleaning with a basic lens spanner and some Pec Pads. Anyone else get burned by a so-called pro repair service?

2 comments

2 Comments

joel_young1mo ago

Scratches on a lens ain't the end of the world.

the_blair1mo agoMost Upvoted

Honestly, I think people say that because they've never actually had a scratch right in the middle of their shot. Tbh, even a tiny hairline mark can mess with contrast and softness in ways you can't just edit out. Ngl, it's not the end of the world, but it's definitely not nothing either.