Should this Z600pf be returned?

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steigw

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Just got my z600pf f6.3 and noticed there is a seam on the top left and right of the lens. The seam on the right is particularly noticeable. Think this could result in problems in the future where the material pulls apart?

I’m contemplating returning it and requesting a new copy. Purchased direct from Nikon USA.

Has anyone seen this sort of seam before? Think it would be considered a construction defect?
 

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steigw said:
Just got my z600pf f6.3 and noticed there is a seam on the top left and right of the lens. The seam on the right is particularly noticeable. Think this could result in problems in the future where the material pulls apart?

I’m contemplating returning it and requesting a new copy. Purchased direct from Nikon USA.

Has anyone seen this sort of seam before? Think it would be considered a construction defect?
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Mine has seems in the same location but they are not visible. I could barely feel them by touch using your photos as a guide for location.
 
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steigw said:
Just got my z600pf f6.3 and noticed there is a seam on the top left and right of the lens. The seam on the right is particularly noticeable. Think this could result in problems in the future where the material pulls apart?

I’m contemplating returning it and requesting a new copy. Purchased direct from Nikon USA.

Has anyone seen this sort of seam before? Think it would be considered a construction defect?
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It's not really a seam. It's where 1/2 of the casting mold meets the other half. Mine is barely visible but it's there and in the same place. It's not a construction defect just a tiny tolerance issue with the mold.
 
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Geoff_G said:
It's not really a seam. It's where 1/2 of the casting mold meets the other half. Mine is barely visible but it's there and in the same place. It's not a construction defect just a tiny tolerance issue with the mold.
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I wonder why they wouldn’t have the mold come together on the underside of the lens instead of a highly visible location. I also wonder why the mold isn’t consistent from copy to copy.
 
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steigw said:
I wonder why they wouldn’t have the mold come together on the underside of the lens instead of a highly visible location. I also wonder why the mold isn’t consistent from copy to copy.
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Can’t speak for the tooling design and where the mold seams were placed but all manufacturing tooling including dies, molds, machined parts and the like have tolerances and unit to unit variation. If you make a thousand, ten thousand or twenty thousand units off the assembly line you’ll get measurable and visibly noticeable differences across production runs. As long as each unit meets the tolerance specs and doesn’t impact performance all is fine.

I’ve specc’d tooling for consumer and commercial products and those specs have always included acceptance criteria for individual units as well as tooling tolerances that determine when tooling needs to be replaced. I suspect your lens barrel is within tolerance even if it doesn’t look exactly like another copy of the lens that came off the assembly line on a different date.

I highly doubt there’s any problem with the lens body and personally wouldn’t return it if it delivers satisfactory images.
 
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I wouldn’t be concerned, it is only cosmetic.....indeed not desirable on a high end lens.
The lines cause by moulding flash where a small amount of plastic ( or metal as the case may be) forces its way between the split line of the mold. Flash free molds are available but are insanely expensive to produce and maintain.
This article summarises it well.
waykenrm.com

What Causes & How to Avoid Flash in Injection Molding Process - WayKen

Injection molding flash is a common defect. The article is about what is flash in injection molding, the causes, and ways to fix it once it has happened.
waykenrm.com waykenrm.com
 
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I don't have the lens in my hand so I cannot make a definitive comment. It looks like parting line on the mold which is common in any manufacturing that depends on molding. If that were not machined out on the inside of the lens barrel, it could be a problem but I don't think we can see that without a full disassembly of the lens. Depending on the manufacturing process, these parting lines would be machined out or filled in.

It is most likely cosmetic where the paint/primer didn't fill the lines as much as they should and is probably within the +/- Standard Deviations from the mean (someone mentioned Dr. Demming above) and within the tolerances established by the manufacturer.

On the other hand, if it is something that bothers you and is going to raise doubts about the lens, I'd say contact Nikon customer service and ask about an exchange or at least an opinion about if this is within specs or not.

Hope you get it straightened out.
Jeff
 
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DRwyoming said:
Can’t speak for the tooling design and where the mold seams were placed but all manufacturing tooling including dies, molds, machined parts and the like have tolerances and unit to unit variation. If you make a thousand, ten thousand or twenty thousand units off the assembly line you’ll get measurable and visibly noticeable differences across production runs. As long as each unit meets the tolerance specs and doesn’t impact performance all is fine.

I’ve specc’d tooling for consumer and commercial products and those specs have always included acceptance criteria for individual units as well as tooling tolerances that determine when tooling needs to be replaced. I suspect your lens barrel is within tolerance even if it doesn’t look exactly like another copy of the lens that came off the assembly line on a different date.

I highly doubt there’s any problem with the lens body and personally wouldn’t return it if it delivers satisfactory images.
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Bingo!
 
If it bugs you personally and you have the opportunity to get a new one then I'd go For it. Nikon wants you as a happy repeat customer. Besides, the next time you get a less than perfect shot you will be having that nag you in the back of your mind, "If only it didn't have that seam."
 
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Mal Paso said:
I would take pictures with it and check the image quality. The mold marks aren't significant.
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I might suggest that the lines from the molding flash were there before the lens was assembled and checked before being passed.
They will not affect image quality, only the lens elements and their alignment will do that.
 
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Lots of good points here already... I'd also be concerned with how this could affect second-hand sale value in the future, many people do everything possible to prevent scuffs on the lens body with skins or neoprene wraps. The cost of the plastic part in question can't be more than a few dollars, if that, so it's annoying that they didn't just scrap it at an earlier QA stage. It should've never made it's way into an assembled lens.
 
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My only thought is if there is a noticeable gap no matter how miniscule, could compromise the weather sealing. Lighting can play a bit of tricks, but if it's just the seam that's noticable but no real gap of any kind, then i would not give it much thought.

Plus if you plan to put a coat of some sort like a RolanPro lens cover, you'll never even see it anyway.
 
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Larry S. said:
Here’s mine…. It’s a manufacturing seam on the tube. Yours appears more pronounced.
View attachment 77020View attachment 77021
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Thanks for posting your pictures. Would you mind doing it again with the light at a cross angle so I can see how that compares? there are no camera shops where I live and I don't know anybody with this lens. I didn't even notice the marks until I was out on Sunday morning shooting eagles along the Snake River and the light must have been just right to make is really pop. I'd only used the lens once before, just the day before. I've looked for other pictures of the lens on the internet and they are all taken at angles that it appeared their lenses didn't have these marks at all. I think my lens is taking OK pictures, but I was thinking of resale value. I also expected more perfection for a lens of this price. But maybe many others are the same way. I'd really appreciate it.
 
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