Leica LTM Small checked cracks in lens coating. Help

[kknox]

Hi I have a LTM collapsible Summicron lens fron 1953 that has very small checked cracks in the lens coating in the front element. You can see them looking thru the lens from back to front in the light. The lens has no haze or oil inside, will this show up in my photos? Should the lens be recoated or just use it? or can I take the coating off. Thank's

 

[Melvin]

You should test the lens. First, try it as a loupe/magnifying glass. I had a lens with separated elements, and when I used it as a loupe the separated area was blurry. Also, put the camera on a tripod and shoot some Velvia 50. Take some close ups of something with lots of detail, and some various other shots of the type you would normally take. When you get the Velvia back it will show if the lens is soft or flarey or not(you can use the lens as a loupe to look at the slides). You need to make perfect exposures, though, Velvia's not very forgiving.

 

[payasam]

I had, for a brief period, a collapsible Summicron in M mount with the same problem. There are no re-coating facilities in India, so far as I know, so I just sold the lens. It gave soft pictures, which may not have been a consequence only of the coating's degeneration.