Is this Haze, Condensation, or Coating damage?

[ItsReallyDarren]

Hope somebody can shed some light with what I'm seeing here. Its very visible with the sun shining through, less so when looking straight at it away from the sun. The effects also look like its behind the front element. There are some light cleaning marks on the surface but the markings in question appear to be on the inside.

 

[tlitody]

could be condensation drying marks. Could be accumulated dirt and dust. Could be fungus that has died. Either way it looks like it could do with a good cleaning.

Try standing it in strong sunlight for a few hours and see if that makes a difference. It will kill off any fungus but it will come back if thats what it is and the conditions are right (dark and humid ) because the lens will be full of spores.

 

[t.s.k.]

Looks like schneideritis to me.

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

It's always hard to be sure looking at a pic, but it does appear to be similar to the coating deterioration I've seen on a couple of other examples of the 2.8 Xenotar lens.

I'd never heard of the term "schneideritis" before, but it's true these lenses are known for developing coating problems as they age. At least the Xenotar 2.8 has a front element comprised of a single piece of glass, not a bonded pair. So the possibility of having the glass re-coated if the damage is confined to the coating (if indeed that is what it is) may be a viable solution?
Regards,
Brett

 

[Vincent.G]

I don't think this affects picture taking unless you shoot into bright lights. Nonetheless if you don't use the camera often then I say part with it for a while and send it to a repairman.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

It looks like haze to me, hard to tell from a picture. The only way to know is take the element out and try the clean it with lens cleaning solution.

 

[krötenblender]

+1 for guessing Schneideritis. I had a very similar looking lens and got the problem solved. Have a look at this thread:
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=101359

Update: Sorry, I was to fast typing... Not Schneideritis, but defects on the coating. The Schneiderits on my lens was the big spots on the edges. Your spots may have a minor impact on the contrast of your images, but not too much.