scratched lens on A1?
 

Well I took my A1 out today, first day away from home with it. When I pulled the lens cover off, I thought I noticed a smudge in about a half cm from the edge of the lens. I got my lens cleaner out and lightly cleaned the lens, but to no avail. It appears to be a very light scratch..one you cannot feel, but you can see it. It doesn't appear to show up in any video, but it is driving me nuts! Is there anything that I can use that will get a little more aggressive with removing this alien from my camera? Just your thoughts. I have no idea if it was on there when I got it or if I have done it..I have not had the camera for two weeks. J

Danger! Danger!

I wouldn't go any further than the lens cleaner...which you have already tried. Anything else you try would probably damage the coatings on the glass.

Since you've had it for such a short time, I think you should call Canon and tell them about it. Maybe it's a flaw that was on the lens when you received it.

good point. I think I will. I have shot another 10 minutes or so of footage using my Letus and without the Letus and I cannot see it at all in the shots. Apparently it is just in the coating, Nevertheless, I will call canon and take it from there. Thanks. J

if there was a scratch in the lens that was visable...how much would it cost to repair it? Just curious..

FWIW: The front glass on the Canon VAP-equipped lenses is often a piece of protective glass, not a focusing element. Because it is pretty far out in front of the focusing section, stuff on it can appear in the image thanks to the depth of field and close focusing capability of the camcorder.

Woah, that's not good. I keep a clear UV filter on mine at all times for protection. Highly recommended.

Same here--the protective filter is your friend.

I've used nothing but Tiffen filters for many years, but I read some good reviews about Hoya's 3mm thin clear glass filter, so I got that one. It was about $75 at a local dealer, about the same price on line and cheaper than the Tiffen equivalent. Because it's the super thin one there are not front threads, so you can't stack another filter on top.