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  #1  
Old 1st November 2012, 04:38 PM
big paul big paul is offline
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Default lens service

as older camera lenses seem to be going up in price is it time to take our in need of a service lenses out of the cupboard and have them services .
I have a couple of lenses that have got sticky oily iris, that I took to a camera repairer some years ago and was told they were not worth repairing because the second hand market was full of cheep good condition lenses ,I don't know how much a service cost these days .
I have two nikkor AI a 28mm 3.5 as new and a 43~86 3.5 zoom not bad I am wondering if there worth a service and if anybody has had a lens service and clean how much did it cost
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Old 2nd November 2012, 09:19 PM
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Ever thought of servicing them yourself? I used to be a bit scared of dismantling a lens but I'm now quite happy doing so. Once you've done a few you start to get a feel for how they come apart and, more importantly, go back together. There's a lot of help online for this sort of thing and the tools needed are cheap. One thing I wouldn't touch, though, is a zoom. Tried it once with a mint but fungus-riddled 65-200 Zuiko. A couple of frustrating days later I threw it into the bin in a million pieces. Never again!


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Old 3rd November 2012, 06:04 PM
peterlg peterlg is offline
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I have an Elmar 5cm 3.5 (around 1950) which is now rather stuffed inside. It looks like dust but not being an expert I can't tell if there some fungus with it. The lens produces soft, pretty flat negatives and not sure they are all that sharp. From what I've heard it is basically a very fine piece of optics although the softness is part of its characteristics. I'm wondering whether it's worth while giving it an overhaul (but not by myself). Does anybody have an idea if such an operation would pay off?
Peter
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Old 3rd November 2012, 11:50 PM
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Hi Peter,

I had a look at what Ken Rockwell thought of the Elmar on his website. He said, "Even uncoated, it gives sharp, colorful, contrasty images. Shooting this made-in-1934 sample makes me wonder why so many people worry so much about their lenses. It works fine today."

If you're getting low contrast, unsharp pictures, I'd say your lens needs some attention - at least going by what Ken says. I've never dismantled an Elmar so I can't say if it's a do-able DIY project but it might be possible to find some information about this online. If you don't fancy doing it yourself then the question of whether you should get it cleaned or not is one only you can answer. I'm guessing that it might cost around £100 for a professional clean-up. Does that sound worth it to you?




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Old 4th November 2012, 08:40 PM
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Hi Bruce and Peter - the Elmar is a sterling lens but it all depends on what you use it for. It seems to excel as a 'people' lens in the 3 to 10/12 feet range - over that and it can be quite soft. Even in its favoured range, it isn't what you would call ragingly crisp, but it does render detail well and has wonderful out of focus qualities. I actually really love mine.
I finally got one Bruce - a 1934 uncoated! I would say though with the glass on a 50's Elmar 'softer' than the pre-war ones, it is a job for a professional. Mine has very slight haze, so I think the flatness could be a characteristic. You can overcome it by making your negatives a bit denser - it does improve things.
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Old 4th November 2012, 09:44 PM
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Hi Phil,

I was just thinking today that I should ask you how you're getting on with your Leica. I keep thinking of getting a IIIC but I'm worried the viewfinder is just too wee and squinty to be of much use. I was looking today at the cost of an M2 and 40mm f1.4 Nokton but I'd need to sell quite a lot of stuff to raise the cash.

The Elmar sounds interesting and your point about the glass being soft isn't something I'd considered but I still think that, provided access to the elements is easy enough, it would be possible to clean it with care.




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Old 4th November 2012, 10:38 PM
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in the past I've benefited from the good services of Paepke Fototechnik in Düsseldorf. I'll send them my Elmar and ask for their opinion. They are very correct dealers, once sent them a lens they replied they could not repair it and sent it back to me, didn't charge me anything not even the return postage.
Peter
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Old 4th November 2012, 11:39 PM
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Sounds like a good idea, Peter. It might come back a completely different lens


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Old 5th November 2012, 12:46 AM
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I'd seriously consider servicing a lens which you'd be prepared to bugger up Paul.
If you do give it a go my advice would be to purchase quality lens tools and not from auction sites. Oh, and to never use the same swab/wipe twice
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Old 5th November 2012, 09:28 AM
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That was basically my approach, Gavin. I started with a 50mm f1.7 Pentax lens with a bad case of fungus. As its value was effectively zero, there was nothing to lose in having a go. I couldn't rescue it but I still use the 50mm body minus its lens elements as the basis for my wee experiments, slotting single lens elements in place instead for some different effects.


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