PBPM thats around the price range I was figuring as well on such as repair. Keep us posted on the actual cost Nikon quotes you ronadair and hopefully its reasonable for you.

Or maybe it's engineer versus artist Skinty - that would also explain why my photos are not as good as most here! :-)

Head versus heart spraynpray ........heart every time!

I once took a 50mm f1.4 back to Olympus in the UK. It had three air bubbles in between two lenses in the front group. They repaired it right in front of me F.O.C. saying the bubbles (which were not dead centre just about 1/4" out) would not affect the image but they shouldn't be there anyway. My reason for posting this is that I doubt the tiny nicks in the middle will affect the performance and the larger one near the outside definitely will not.

Why not wait until you are about to sell the lens so that any other nicks it picks up can be repaired at the same time? I know, I know, you are very careful, but we all have accidents....

JForhan said:
I would see which repair center is closest to you. They do top notch work from my limited experience. They will not quote anything on the phone or in person. They do a complete diagnosis and call you.

That's how it works in the UK also.

Although it's not the 70-200, I paid $350 to replace the front element of my 300mm F4 (AF-S). Via Nikon Canada. I'm betting the 70-200 shouldn't be too much more, since the front glass is almost the same size.

Thanks JForhan and kanuck for your answers. The lens has two marks near the middle of the glass that are very minute (but deep enough to breach the top coatings and cut into the glass itself). We're talking nearly microscopic here. However, there is a larger and more significant ( around a millimeter wide and just over 1/2 inch long) marking on the glass near the outside edge. This blemish appears to be restricted to the lens coating.

So far the lens seems to be fairly clean, but I purchased it second-hand and the seller and I agreed to discuss any price adjustment based on what Nikon would charge to replace that element. Whether or not the damage affects image quality, it certainly affects the value of the lens, and I try very hard to keep all of my glass in pristine shape when I use them and make sure they're clean if/when I resell them.

I'll take it in to a local shop (the only authorized Nikon repair facility in the state), and see what they quote. I may send it in to Nikon as well to see if there is any noteworthy difference in price or assessment.

I'm expecting to be NPS soon. I may wait until then simply to reduce the downtime of getting it serviced. Either way, I'll post back when I have more info. Thanks again for your input!

Its actually an option for this kind of expensive lens. In South Korea here you would expect to pay anywhere from $200-$500 at the Nikon after service center in Seoul. We are lucky in that there are two such centers in Seoul and Japan is only an hour an half away. Parts are the main price, labor is cheap and of course there is no shipping cost for me. In North American I would budget between $600-$800. In 2008 I replaced the front element of a crappy 18-200mm VR1 for just $110 USD, but again I was in Seoul then as well. Let us know what you do, and how much it costs. Elements do of course get damaged, and there are a lot of people on here who would like to know what it cost you.

Having had a few lenses repaired I can offer my own experience.

Best advice, use only an authorized repair center listed on Nikon's site. You can send it directly to Nikon but my bet is they will not quote you anything over the phone and without inspecting the lens either.

I would see which repair center is closest to you. Mine happen to be Sanford Camer Repair in Arlington MA. They have repaired 3 lenses so far (I have two back and one I just dropped off). They do top notch work from my limited experience. They will not quote anything on the phone or in person. They do a complete diagnosis and call you.

Now you might get lucky and have someone that will quote you a CLA (This will be done if they have to take apart the lens) and the cost of the element and labor. There may be more damaged inside that you cannot see or detect.

Bottom line is if you think the lens is worth repairing and you like the lens, send it in for repair. It will be less than the cost of a new lens and anything that needs to be fixed/replaced will be.

Are the scratches affecting the pictures you take or is it just cosmetic and bothering you to see?

Later,
Jeff

I am wondering if any of you know what I might expect to pay to have a front element for a 70-200 VR II re-polished or replaced by Nikon Service? There are a few small nicks in a lens I just purchased, and I need to get some estimates on authorized service costs.

Thanks!