This is the response from Nikon Norway to a nikongear forum member. I have the feeling the official response from Nikon will not be much different:
“There are no error or defect in your lens.
What you see inside the lens from the front are not threads, but a flange that prevents light reflection inside the lens. In the flange there are some very small holes, closest to the “pores” that occurs natulig during a casting process because of the fine print of the foam used in molding the forms. This does not affect the lens performance in any way. There is nothing to peel off from these small holes. They also look bigger than they really are, due to the magnification of the front lens element.
Nikon will publish an official response during this week as soon as it is available from Nikon centrally.”
