For Japanese lenses, you need to know that the screws are not standard Philips ones, but JIS ones. If you want to avoid stripping their heads, you need to buy special JIS screwdrivers. Best to buy Vessel branded ones.
Yes that’s very critical. JIS screwdrivers are designed to seat deeper in the screw. Phillips drivers are designed for Phillips screws where the tip doesn’t seat as deeply. JIS has less gap tolerance.
@@alexblaze8878 Most watch makers screw drivers, the good ones at least, are like the JIS pattern. If for no other reason that Phillips screws don't go that small. JIS in the larger sizes are intended to work in Phillips screws without 'camming-out'. Most motorcycles require JIS drivers rather than Phillips because where they do use a cross-head rather than an Allen, it does not want to come loose. Using the wrong or poor quality screwdriver can damage the screw head when it slips.
My other tips: take lots of photos with your phone at each step of disassembly of a lens, so you know how it all needs to go back together again properly. Also get a lens sucker to lift out lenses and avoid them falling out with the risk you then don’t know which way round it needs to go back! Thirdly, wear latex/surgical gloves when handling and cleaning lenses - otherwise you’ll have grease from your fingers smearing the lens surfaces and creating haze. I use isopropyl alcohol for initial lens cleaning, followed by distilled water to dampen a lens tissue. Buy lots of cotton buds and good quality lens tissues!
Thanks for this vital information. Please what can I use to clean the outside of a lens (zoom ring, aperture ring and focus ring) barrel. Takumar, Nikkor, Minoltas, Mamiya all these have metal rings and they're old glass most of them are more than 40-50 years old.
Great advice - especially on the taking photos aspect. I forgot to do this once, but was saved by referring back to the ebay images from when I purchased it 🤣🤦♂
When I was seventeen, I went for an interview at Photopia in Newcastle Staffs, then Minolta, Soligor, Tamron and Cokin, later Ricoh, importer Distributor for the UK and Europe. I was presented a lens to strip and rebuild. The first thing I did was clean the worktop and area!!! I did a full lens strip, laying out each part in the order it was removed. When I rebuilt the lens, (a BER, (Beyond Economical Repair) Rokkor 50/2), I was told then and there I had the job... ...which I declined in favour of working in the electronics workshop instead. The moral of this story being you can't put an old head on young shoulders! Great video with wise and logical advice.
Can I add a little bit of advice too, Nigel, please? When taking these things apart, DO NOT FORCE ANYTHING!! Take a look at how it was assembled, if it appears impossible to remove something then there must be another way than the one you're trying, take a step back, have a think, maybe even a cuppa, and try again. Sometimes screws are sealed with a lacquer - looks like a dab of paint - nail varnish remover, the one with Acetone is your friend here, a little on a cotton bud (Q Tip) dabbed onto the offending part, a couple of minutes and it will come free. Take photos!! lots of photos, with a mobile phone or a digital camera, take a photo at every stage before undoing something, it will help you remember which way around that element goes. I use 3% Hydrogen Peroxide to remove fungus and haze, it seems to work better than vinegar for me, plus it doesn't have any sugar in it like vinegar does, so easier to clean off. Great episode, as usual. George
Nice video and a good topic. Good equipment is a must. Tweezers, prefereable those intended for pcb solder work, are also a great tool for lens work. It helps you to pick up and place the tiny screws. Also when you go in depth, and disassembly the aperture blades, a good tweezer will make you able to assembly it again. My top tip is to take pictures during the disassembly, and make small scratches on opposite parts to help you get back to the correct orientation. Personally I'm not concerned about the fungus traveling from one lens to another in the closet. There are fungus spores in every breath you take. They don't cause any problems unless the circumstances are in their favour. Keep your lens clean, dry and oil free, and it should be ok.
I have recently acquired an industar 61m zebra type 10 blades too... Well I took the back plate off removed the focus ring...very caked on old grease so I set about removing grease with a duster and some brake cleaning spray I had so cleaned the threads till they shone like new.... Had bought small tube of lithium grease from motor accesory shop I very carefully Rubbed grease in threads not too much so so dosent get on diaphragm leaves... Also cleaned the end tube of the helicoid again with brake cleaner... that was as far as I went.... and the focus ring worked beautifully.... Nice lens!!
Helios 44-2 and rangefinder lenses are very straightforward and simple to disassemble and put back together. Took me about 20 minutes to do the whole helicoid. The best results are when you clean it with solvent and lube it afterwards. Otherwise old grease will mix with the new and in a couple of months you'll have to add more. And don't worry, none of the lube from the helicoid on a 44-2 can get onto glass or aperture, because it's isolated and there is no connection between them.
Thank you very much, you save me with the improvise one, very difficult to find exact match but I got it! with a old little coffee cup from my grandpa on a memories shelf❤
👍🤝 Good advices!I'v enjoyed the video! My first attempts to remove haze and clean glass element's on a few lenses were successful 100% just by following the same principles and rules! My respect's for your great work! Greetings from Romania 🇷🇴 🙋🏻♂️
I don't know about the UK but here in Sydney Australia fungus is definitely an issue and some old lenses that I have had since a boy grew a veritable garden amount of fungus over the years. IMO creating a low humidity storage environment is essential for storing lenses in the humid environment we have here. I bought a dehumidifier cabinet but hey even the small ones are not cheap. A simpler more cost effective way is via silica gel beads (the ones that can be re-constituted, not the ones that come in pill boxes!). I bought 2 large containers of them on ebay for around $AU30 and they are still going strong, keeping quite a large box of lenses and camera gear at a constant humidity of 40% for well over a year. When they are used up they change colour and you put them in the microwave or the oven for a bit but I haven't had to do that yet. I bought the plastic storage box from an office supply mob and it is well sealed and the whole system works very well. Some quick google research tells me that a relative humidity level of 70% or above for three days in a row is sufficient for fungus spores to start growing on lenses and that is a very common level of humidity in Sydney. The piece I read suggested that a humidity level of between 35-45% is best for storage of lenses. The whole set-up cost less than $AU50 so it's a very cost effective set-up for keeping valuable lenses in good condition.
Hi Ian, many thanks for the advice. It's many years since I was in Sydney, about 50 actually, and had yet to take up photography! Thanks for looking in.
I've been into photography for some time now, long enough to have been using some of the lenses you talk about when the were state of the art additions to my SLRs in the 1960s. Fast forward to now and I've recently become interested in these now vintage lenses again mainly due to my getting a Fuji XT-1 in 2018 to find our what this mirrorless lark was all about. I'd loved this camera from its release as it reminded me so much of my Pentax SV that I bought in 1964/5 - and I still have it along with the 50mm Super Takumar f1.8 it came with. Can't find the 135 pre-set Takumar I bought afterwards though. I digress! I've always been mechanically minded - did my own car maintenance and repairs for years, fixed all sorts of things, fashioned tools from household items, dismantled and tuned electric motors when I was into slot car racing as well as building the cars. For quite a while I've been thinking about doing simple servicing on lenses. I've successfully straightened dings in the filter rings (and far easier with a proper tool rather than pliars) and a jammed aperture ring. Not saying how but it involved no stripping and a pipe wrench! so I found this video particularly interesting. However I do have a question. The lens spanner you use has splayed ends where I've seen both splayed and straight ones on line. In my mind the one with the splayed ends would only work if the flat blades were angled the opposite way to the splay angle as otherwise they would not sit in the slots in the rinds square, or am I missing something? Is there any advantage to the splayed ones v the straight ones? I've been enjoying your videos for a while now and after watching this one I visited Patreon and I'm now a member :)
Very useful video thanks Nigel. I keep each of my lenses in a hard case and pop a small packet of silica gel in each one to reduce the risk of moisture.
Once, again, you have produced an excellent video! I would suggest, for the FED-10, that you remove one screw (or post) that acts as the focusing stop. Then you can completely unscrew the focusing helicoid and thoroughly clean, then lubricate the threads. In my experience, if grease has dried up, it has, also, accumulated dirt and grit. Isopropyl alcohol with an old toothbrush, followed by a microfiber cloth, works well for cleaning. Stubborn cases may require naphtha (lighter fluid) to loosen really dry grease. The threads should be shiny and the cloth should come clean when the threads are clean enough. White lithium grease, ideally with Teflon, works really well for the looser tolerances in many Russian lenses. Almost all helicoids have such steep thread pitches that they use multi-start threads; unlike a common screw, there may be four (for a FED-10), or as many as 32 or more starting alignments (for a Zeiss telephoto lens). The best way I have found to reassemble a helicoid is to have marked how the threads should align at infinity before disassembly; in the case of the FED-10 this is unnecessary, as the lever hits the stop post at infinity. I try one position and, if it doesn't align at infinity, I unscrew the helicoid VERY SLOWLY and then, when the halves just disengage, apply light pressure on the two halves and continue unscrewing until a click is heard or felt. Then try screwing the helicoid together and check infinity (when the helicoid assembly is shortest). When the right thread start is found, replace the post. I highly recommend practicing on a collapsible lens to get the "feel" (and to develop the calm patience required) before progressing to the next more difficult class of lenses (like a Helios 44 variant).
Yes, helicoid disassembly and reassembly is a painstaking task and not for the faint hearted. It’s a good idea to buy proper helicoid grease rather than making do with anything else - it’s expensive stuff though! Even within one brand it’s surprising how different the focusing details and how to (re)set infinity focus can be between lenses. Very satisfying when you get it right though, but I find by then I’ve usually had to disassemble and reassemble some or all of the lens multiple times!
Really useful video - and what looks to be a lot of very helpful comments as well (will have to put some time aside to look through them all :)) Some things I have picked up from some recent adventures in lens servicing: -the common oil build up on soviet lens (russian and DDR lens) - my understanding (from other webpages) is that this is a product of the breakdown of the grease used inside the lens - I think most likely the focussing helix (which might account for sticky focusing corresponding to sticky apetures). - when cleaning focussing helixes - makes sure you have photos of the lens' orientation when at infintity - as robweed's comments below take lots of photos. Also try to note the exact point when the lens helix comes loose. This will help make sure that the lens goes back on the exact same thread orientation - and thus focusses to the correct points. - I tend to use grease on the focussing helix rather than oil - but the key thing is to clearn off any old grease as this is the main cause of stiff focussing. If this is done correctly you should only require a very slight amount of fresh lubrication. - Sticky apertures: -- if you can get access to them by removing the lens elements above or below them, these can be tackled by alchol on a cotton wool bud without disasembly - which can avoid the risk displacing the individual blades etc. -- However, if you can get full access, and are brave enough, then taking the whole aperture mechanism apart and cleanign will yield the best results - as the main cause of stickiness is usually the buildup of grease on the internal mechanism - rather than just the blades. -- It comes back to the point in the video about servcing to the level you feel comforatble, and doing only what is required to fix the problem. --In either event, if you do accidentally dislodge the blades, just know that these can be put back - but it is very fiddly, so make sure you are in a very zen and patient mode if you have to do this. -- Once cleanedm, you do NOT need to oil the aperture blades - they should be quick and snappy without oil (oil will just gum them up again). MOST IMPORTANTLY - be very wary of triple screw configurations facing inwards towards elements inside the lens. While some lens (like the Helios 44 mentioned here) may use these to secure sections on the outercase of the lens - such screw arrangements can also be used to align and tune the individual optical elements inside the lens. This is done on the factory to ensure that the light is focussed down the optical path of the lens, and altering theses screws will move lens out of alignment resulting in massive changes in optical quality of the lens (and not for the better). As far as I can tell this is something that cannot be fixed without the use of special equipment. I had a recent experience with a pentacon 28mm lens where, in testing whether a lens section was meant to unscrew from the lens, I inadvertantly twisted loose a whole part of the lens - unintentionally freeing up the alignment screws - and knocking the lens out of alignment. This was pretty much game over for that lens - test photos show that it has lost all its sharpness. Thanks again for an awesome video.
I was given a Nikon F801 and a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 AIS long nose a couple of years back by a friend who figured I would use them rather than see them sat in a box in his attic. Thankfully his attic was dry but the lens still had a few little spots of dirt on the front element. I managed to remove the front bezel and the front element and gave it a good clean, but I was dreading finding any more. If there was I would definitely have sent it for a professional clean. Thankfully it was just the front and it's been a great addition to my Nikon kit.
Very informative nice video.. thank you once again. I have done a little servicing myself.... Finally a word I know a guy with a vintage camera shop about an hour away from me he has quite a few glass display cases he mission statement if you like is never store lenses with filters screwed on... Its another layer for trapping dampness and encouraging fungus growth and haze of course...etc.
Great video. I would just like to offer that the effects of fungus and haze are more noticeable at lower F stops (when the lens is more open). The lens might be a fine performer at F4 and above. But when the aperture is opened up to F1.4 or F2, the image suffers greatly. My guess is that when the lens is opened up, the incoming light has more 'stuff' to run into, causing unwanted diffraction and reflection. The result is a smeary, dark, and hazy image.
For stiff focus ring oil can dry on its own. I'm servicing a Helios 44 now with a bit of Molykote grease. Stiffness is down to preference but since I do video work I want the focus ring to move a bit more freely so a bit of mineral oil mixing in with the grease did the job.
My tip for getting tiny screws back into their holes: a tiny bit of blu-tak on the end of the screwdriver to hold the screw while you manoeuvre it into place
Or a little blob of grease, beeswax or Canada balsam if you prefer not to fish Blu-tak out of a lens. On very small screws beeswax can be used like Loctite, it holds extremely well but comes out when needed. If you use Loctite on tiny stuff, you'll never get it out again. In addition to grub screws are thing called gumi screws which are deliberately a slight mismatch in thread so they are stiff like a nylok nut and stay put.
Nigel, your videos are so well made, not only that they are calming, your settings are beautifully lit. I enjoy your work so much. This video was so informative. But could I ask you, with what cleaning fluid would you clean fungus from a lens. Oh, and which light oil do you use, cheers Nigel. Regards Rob.
Great advice! But if you don't have that kind of time, here's the second best way to clean your lenses, if you don't have a dishwasher: 1) Take them all out of their lens bags. 2) place them on the carpet of your car's trunk. 3) start driving around town at speed. Their movement on the carpet will polish them nicely and each time they bump together, any caked on-crud will pop right off!
The problem with serving lenses is that you need to learn, you need experience, and to get experience you need to try. From my (little) experience, it's really satisfactory when you finish and the lens work again. And it's really instructive to understand how the mechanics and the optics of a lens work. But there are some lenses just imposible to repair for me, for example once I found a revuenon lens. It was in bad condition, the focus ring was not tight at all. The problem was that the screws were under the plastic ring, and it was glued. It was imposible to repair, and at the end the lens did not work again. Another time I bended by mistake one of the aperture blades, it was a little nightmare. But when you success, the feeling is really great, some of my favourite lenses were served by me, and I really love them much more :-)
This was an excellent video. I'm getting more involved with lens repair because I have time on my hands since I am retired and it's better than watching the grass grow. 😂🤣. Also I bought a used lens that has haze and the lying 🐕 dog who sold it to me said it was in good condition. My Canon MD 50mm f1.4vaperture is stuck as well. I love the part: "The Karl Zeiss lens was very easy to take apart." 👌 I'm dying here 😭 🤣 Dude I feel your pain 😢. A man should know his limitations. 👋
This video came at the right time, because a few weeks ago I found the Vivitar 24mm f2 that I was looking for for YEARS. I ended up buying it, put it on my lens adapter, and the aperture blades are stuck (only way to know was having it on the mount since it was FD mount). This might allow me to use it more than just wide open. :D
Another good video.... what I would say is friend has a vintage camera in his day to day duties he will clean lenses when open and finally dry will also... attach lens to medium size electric de humidifier.....??
If I might add a few suggestions. Don't store cameras in attics/lofts as the temperatures vary enormously over a year. Don't leave cameras in cars that are going to get like an oven on a really hot day. I use Ansio de humidifier containers in my main storage cupboard. The cupboard is dry but using these keeps it super dry and you can see the water removed from the air as it drops into the base of the container. I have a container of Helimax-XP optical and helicoid grease with Lithium and PTFE quite expensive but enough to last a lifetime. I think I had to order it from the States but I might be wrong, I found it on the Net anyway. I have shone a bright light through the rear of some quite modern lenses and it's surprising how quickly debris builds up, however remember the front element will act as a magnifying glass and the just etc will look horrific.
Thanks for this, I now live/work in Singapore and I am quite worried about my old camera gear. At the moment most of it is in a cupboard in my office in the downtown which is kept cool and dry and with good filtration for dust. The climate here is very hot and humid and it carries quite a lot of dust.
Dust in lenses that zoom comes from it laying on the barrel, then when shutting down the camera, like a pocket zoom, it pulls the dust towards the sensor, where you first notice it in the sky especially on a zoom shot. This dust mostly comes from pockets. Those kinds of cameras need to be in non fabric sleeves before putting them in pockets. That will give them a few more years life. I have repurchased at least 4 Canon Elph 310 HS cameras due to this. Great little shooter that people forget has OIS.
i attempted to clean my g. zuiko 50mm f1.4 lens, through watching a video on a f1.8 zuiko being repaired. i will not say it was beyond my ability, because it was achieved hours later, and it seemed mint. however, whilst in the lens, i didn’t have any lubricant to relubricate the gearing mech. so it developed stiff focusing. i traded it, and an om-10 for a different lens in the end. i still have one zuiko f1.4, and i an unsure if i have the guts to do it again. the fungus was actually on the furthest optic into the lens, which made it an absolute pain.
Good video, thanks for the tips. I like the way your lens spanner is curved outwards. Mine is very similar to that one, but the ends are straight. Yours looks like it would be easier to use.
If I've bought a lens that has seized or is stiff to turn rather than forcing it in anyway a few drops of lab pure alcohol bought from Amazon will bring it back. Generally once taken apart cleaned with pure alcohol or you can use electrical contact cleaner to remove the grease and then relube the helicoid, this works fine for me. To those that read this comment don't ever spray into the rear of the lens as it will work it's way into the sealed rear element and then you've ruined your lens.
The best light machine oil I've come across is gun oil. It has to be high quality. Available in mineral or silicone. Silicone is for plastics, mineral for metal to metal. Grease is essentially a mix of oil and soap. When it dries out you're left with a lump of hard soap. Adding oil may re-amalgamate it. If it won't move then a drop of Plusgas, this penetrates and is volatile, it seems to be mostly naphtha and maybe paraffin (which is an oil), but this will remove all residues and need re-greasing; gun grease (not moly). If you can see oil or grease after application, there is too much. Kimtech Delicate Task Wipers are lint-free and better than lens tissues. In lieu of 'lens spanner' spring bow compass dividers although if they have been used by a workshop they may have been sharpened to scribe metal and need the points regrinding so they don't cause damage. Often found in a pile of tools in antique junk shops. We used them in the lab for similar jobs.
@@srfurley Similar but USA uses gun oil by the barrel, so mass production keeps the price down for a high quality product. The Windles watch oil I have has blown and has become a green sticky mess. I've had sewing machine oil go sticky, which is cross-linking, air-hardening. I've never had gun oil do that.
I like turning the lens when I use a lens spanner. Keeping the spanner still and planted in the slots and turning the lens keeps me in the slots with no jumping
I recently bought a Carl Zeiss Jena mc 135 f3.5. , They said it had no fungus but sadly they lied, but I'm in love with the pictures it produces, Do you have any knowhow on how to remove the front lens for cleaning? luckily the fungus is only on the front. I've left it in front of a U.V light for 24 hours, but I have no idea if the Fungus is DEAD. I tried googling how to tell when fungus is dead in camera lens, but find nothing on it. they tell you HOW to kill it, but not how to tell if it's actually dead haha.
@@philhodgkinson1460 Good luck! I've currently got it stored in an airtight tupperware with silica and keep it in the light. I heard that UV light has to be a certain strength ( The strength that damages your eyes if you looked at it ) so my light probably did nothing.
Hi!! I have let somone service my Olympus 35 sp and remove the fungus fromthe lens. The guy ist absolutly autoryty in olympus camera world, i mean OM Doctor from Hamburg DE. And what he say is that the fungus get allso on the metal elements from the lens and what he does ist to put all metall elements in to the 80C oven for fev houers. That should prevent the fungus couse problems in future. BTW great Video!!
I can highly recommad the OM doctor. He was the chief technichian of the Olymus service bevor retired. He stored an enormous amont of spare parts, you‘ll never find elsewhere. He nicely fixed my Olympus Pen FT, the 50-90mm zoom lens and I purchased some Olmpus 35 (RC, RD, and TRIP) in excelllent condition for a very reasonably price from him.
Newer Olympus Zuiko OM lenses unfortunately often have objectives (metal tubes holding multiple lens elements together) that are sealed and cannot be dismantled. Even more unfortunately, they aren’t sufficiently sealed, however, to prevent ingress of dust and fungus, which means they are unrepairable. I’ve discovered this the hard way and no longer buy 2nd-hand vintage Zuiko lenses. In my experience, Nikon, Konica and Carl Zeiss Jena lenses are the easiest to disassemble, clean and reassemble.
I just got some old camera lenses that used to be my grandfather's and they are in pristine condition except for fungus and junk inside the glass. They have nice cases but kind of smell musty. If I cleaned those lenses do you recommend not putting them back in their cases, or is there a way to sterilize the cases?
I have a 35mm light lens lab lens which seem to be making a rattling noise when I tip the lens up. Thinking it could be a loser internal element. Would this be a costly repair? If I left it would it do any damage to the lens or would it be fine? Atm it still works as it should
Front lens Element, especially for 50mm upwards, is basically irrelevant, unless its so badly damaged that its like a Vaseline layer on top. when you polish away the coating, you can get color shift or dropping contrast. damaged rear elements can cause some contrast drop or artifacts
Another great video, thanks. Interesting and informative. I was very nervous even watching you with the spanner near your lens, I'd be terrified if I had that near one of my lenses. I just wondered what your thoughts were on UV lights as a fix for fungus or haze? (Is haze the first stages of fungus?). Thanks, Tim
UV lights can kill anything living inside your lenses, given sufficient exposure, but it won't actually remove any growth that's already there. Perhaps better as a method of prevention rather than cure.
Many thanks for your video. I agree completely with the need of quality screw drivers and taking your time. I've had some success with cleaning a few different lenses and bring them back to life. Excluding one Fujinon one where I lost the small metal ball and spring that makes the aperture ring click... impossible to find it. Do you have any recommendations on places where spare parts can be purchased ? I would also add that I took apart a Jena 50 1.8 and I can't figure out how to put back the focus ring correctly. Either it falls off when I focus to infinity or I can't get a correct focus, it's seems that it doesn't focus close enough... I looked for solutions online and haven't found anything to help me. Does anyone have any experience with this ?
As for spare parts, for vintage lenses I think scrap lenses might be your best source, for spares for moderns I'd contact the manufacturer. An authority on CZJ servicing and repair is Rick Oleson - his website is here: rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-27.html He has exploded diagrams of many CZJ lenses on the site, and repair manuals too - hopefully you should find what you need there.
@@zenography7923 Many thanks for this info. I will look into to this during the winter months. I hope that I can figure out how to get this focusing unit back in working order on the Jena, it's supposed to be a wonderful little lens (as per one of your vids I believe). As for the spare parts I need to find a couple small screws for a Pentax 50 1.4 on which their missing. I'm going to look around the web, there must be someone who sells them.
Can you tell me what lubricant can be used if a lens is frozen in and the ring won’t unscrew. I have a beautiful French lens and I can’t take the front ring off to remove the element and clean it.
Hi Zenography, is it possible to have a stiff focusing lens that improves with use? i picked up a lens that was probably stored away for many decades, and after a few weeks of use the focus has seems to loosened up a bit. in my experience its always better to pick up a secondhand lens that has been under-used, instead of heavily used.
I cant unscrew not so old Pentax zoom lenses to get rid of fungus... on front lens. Front ring started to unscrew, but stuck... I dont know if its allowed to use special lubricant, like wd-40 or silicone spray on thread to unscrew.
This may seem a silly question but I'd rather look silly now than after ruining glass... What type of vinegar? White or malt or either? Thanks in advance.
You should not use vinegar to remove fungus. Vinegar is an organic liquid and organic material is what fungus needs to grow. So if only a tiny remnant remains you feed the next fungus.
Really useful video! How do you recommend removing the fungus and haze from an element? I also use anti-fungal “chips” in my camera cabinet as well as anti moisture packs which also work very well (but not as cheap or environmentally friendly as rice!).
Hi, the best way is to remove the affected glass elements, give them a thorough - but very careful - wash in vinegar, dry thoroughly and re-assemble. I've found this method to work really well!
@@zenography7923 You should not use vinegar to remove fungus. Vinegar is an organic liquid and organic material is what fungus needs to grow. So if only a tiny remnant remains you feed the next fungus.
In most cases, oily aparture or shutterblades are not a result of people putting oil inside their lenses, but internal grease and oil, that starts to leave the lubricated parts, due to heat. E.g., if people leave their lenses exposed to a lot of sunlight or in a car. To avoid fungus, it's a good tip to store lenses NOT in a dark place, but rather put them somewhere without lens caps, where they are protected from dust but get some light. E.g. glass vitrines are a good place... WD40 is NOT an oil at all. It is the complete opposite. About oiling the helixes: For a proper restauration jobby, the old grease should always be removed completely, and then being replaced by new grease. I know, that most of the times it is way easier to NOT disassamble a lens completely, but then it's rather a temmorary compromise than a proper done job. If disasambling helixes, I strongly recommend to mark the orientation on both parts, where the two parts fell apart. Otherwise you will get a nice puzzle ;)
I know you have all these excellent tools like me.. but never heard you mention a lens vice for sorting out bent filter screw threads on lenses... you can buy one for about £30 from what I know??
Invaluable tool for bent filter rings but go steady on this and definitely no over kill... Later on to get the threads Absoloutely right or to re machine threads work back and forth with metal lens hood and a minute blob of grease and wipe clean sparingly at the end.....
Keep them dry. Also cheap adapters can be the culprit, like your M6 and some summicron, could deal with rain and stuff no prob, mount the summicron using some ebay adapter ... now you got an aquacron. Avoid steamy showers for some some sexy pics. Spores can get in a lens, mostly they do, It's no problem, untill they get moisture inside. Then It will grow into mold. Scrathes are the worst. Can't undo the scratches. Or loose elements, like the Septon lens. Not much you can do about that. Think I would use a professial. If the cost is worth it. But I know from vintage synthesizers, you can find a very good repair man that a supergood one will do the best work 20x cheaper, then some famous "service centers".
Thanks for this helpful resource! I've been wondering how can I disassemble Zeiss-Opton Biogon 35mm f2.8 infested w/ fungus. I really love it but the construction seems to be impossible to unlock & keeps me from cleaning the internal lens elements.
Sometimes lens components are glued into place and can be freed with acetone, but I'm not sure Zeiss would assemble a lens in this way. Is there a face plate that needs to be removed first? Sometimes, if that is removed, the lens can then be further disassembled. You might want to check out my video 'The Lens You Can't Afford Not To Buy', from 4 or 5 weeks ago, to see an example of this construction.
@@zenography7923 Thanks, Nigel! 😊 I recently acquired from an auction the same lens you referred to. But the Flek 20mm is much easier to disassemble vs. the (older?) Biogon. An author on a blog said you would even need a collimator to eventually align the lenses when assembling to get the right angle & thus have the ability to focus properly. I will research more about it & keep you posted. Thanks again! 😊 Keep it up!!!
Hi! How are you? I bought Jupiter 8 lens with two 2.8 aperture values engraved at the ring. One at it's place, and another next after value 4. If somebody knows something this issue about? Thank you.
With for example russian lenses with bright aluminium bodies..these can get quite grimy any idea how to clean them properly...also back bright parts of lenses...
I do understand it may be scary to follow this advice, but putting fungus-infested lenses together with lenses not yet afflicted by fungus is safe. The spores are already in all your vintage lenses anyway, so you must try to keep them dry and if possible exposed to sunlight. Fruiting bodies (which generate spores) are pretty much unheard of with lens fungus -- there is rarely enough of a food source for the fungus to be able to form them.
Never put the oil in to the lens to release helicoil.Use Zippo lighter fluid (naphta) to loosen the stiff ring.After you get focus ring moving disassemble the helicoil and give him a good cleaning with lighter fluid.Use helicoil teflon contained grease to lubricate the helicoil.
@@zenography7923 Last thing you want is that oil creep near the aperture blades or to lens element.Few droplets of Naphta is better, since it evaporates.It does also not fix the issue, since issue is in grease which harden over time and lose his lubrication property.Would always recommend to clean old grease and put some modern (teflon) one.Important thing is to mark focus ring and helicoil at infinity so you don't get weird things when you put lens back together.
I have built a UV light source with a cooling fan (as the UV led gets quite warm), if you treat lenses for 24 hours under the light it kills off any potential fungus. Obviously if fungus is present cleaning is the only option. The UV light also removes yellowing from effected lenses. Regularly take lenses and cameras out of cases and stand on a dry well aired surface, they are not designed to be hoarded away….😊
HELP ME !!! Dobry wieczór! Posiadam aparat Fed-4, chciałbym samodzielnie przeczyścić wnętrzności aparatu, ale po odkręceniu wszystkich śrubek w pokrywie górnej nie mogę jej zdemontować ponieważ przeszkadza mi pokrętło od przewijania filmu które jest umieszczone wewnątrz pokrywy. Przeglądałem dużo filmów w internecie i nic nie znalazłem, ponieważ 99,9% aparatów pokrętło do przewijania filmów jest na zewnątrz i nie stwarza żadnych problemów aby ją zdjąć. Fed-4 to nie to samo co Zorki-4, Fed-2 czy Fed-3.Proszę o pomoc może Pan gdzieś się spotkał z tym problemem i wie jak zdjąć pokrywę górną z Fed-4.
Kontrola wiatru zdejmuje się, usuwając małą płytkę z otworami, która znajduje się na niej. Wystarczy odkręcić je kluczem do soczewek i wszystko powinno być dobrze. Jeśli możesz, usuń okienko światłomierza przed zdjęciem pokrywy - może to być trochę trudne, jeśli tego nie zrobisz.
Mam namyśli pokrętło po lewej stronie, które jest wewnątrz z boku (patrząc od strony obiektywu to jest prawa strona aparatu) obudowy górnej. Nie wydaje mi się że muszę zdejmować okienko światłomierz, ale spróbuję. Dziękuję za odpisanie. Bardzo lubię Pana programy, szczególnie o aparatach z CCCP.
Great Video, but rice will give off dust. Sticky dust in fact. Have you put rice in your cabinet and measured the humidity over a week or two? OK, tell me why the Minolta MC ROKKOR 58mm F1.2 lens all either have fungus or have had fungus and are etched by it. Why this lens? If it is something secret tell me in code. You can't find a Minolta MC ROKKOR 58mm F1.2 lens on eBay without fungus. Could it be due to the large glass assembly, not that much larger than the Canon FL f1.2, but... Maybe this Minolta MC ROKKOR 58mm F1.2 lens was not used that often and was just stored without rice! :-) Maybe the only Minolta MC ROKKOR 58mm F1.2 lenses that hit eBay are the old junkers... maybe that is it. The world, your public, wants to know. When you are taking lenses apart be sure to record the process with video camera. You will have a road map to how it came apart. This will help in putting it back together.
I think you've just been unlucky with the Rokkors - they're no more susceptible to mould than any other lens, at least not that I'm aware. And now as requested the secret answer, in code: %*&^& £$@@@ *(*^. !$**& 75Q23. Does that make sense? :)
Update! I found one on eBay that had no fungus. It is pretty much in mint condition. It had just been listed when I spotted it. I negotiated a price of $300. So my lens buying is done for now. It is an amazing hunk of glass. It weights more than a pound and is radioactive to the tune of 1246 CPM. The humidity here has been about 57% in side lately. I have gel packs. I was considering your rice idea. My f1.2 collection is done at 3 lenses. Canon FL 55mm f1.2 Olympus OM-System G.Zuiko Auto-S 55mm f1.2 Radioactive 3389 CPM Minolta MC Rokkor-PG 58mm F1.2 Hawk Eye MF Lens MC II 1967-72 Radioactive 1246 CPM What is different is they list the focal length as f58mm. I haven't seen that before, f 58mm. The f should be on the 1.2 writing.
Anybody recently bought a good set of jewellers screwdrivers? I had an RS set, really good but now very worn & I need to replace, but do not have an RS account. Bought an Ebay set, they were rubbish, flats were tapered, not parallel.
Oh dear... I see you've opened a veritable pandoro's box with this one matey... Good! Its more than time that people went back to fixing and repairing and LEARNING rather than just throw away and buy a "new" item 9 times out've 10 will be plastic cr*p anyway.. My mate spent nearly £1,700 on a lens last month and it came with a Rayon/Nylon pouch HA! I've still got some of me Dads lenses from the 60's with beautiful REAL leather hand stitched cases.... Try and get a hand stitched lens case from ******** or ***** now with any lens. Anyway much appreciated vid..
Removing/moving ANY element of the lens for cleaning etc. without proper collimation afterwards means you have effectively ruined the centering of your optics. Please don’t teach people to open up their own lenses. Most people don’t have the tools/knowledge to properly reassemble them.
For Japanese lenses, you need to know that the screws are not standard Philips ones, but JIS ones. If you want to avoid stripping their heads, you need to buy special JIS screwdrivers. Best to buy Vessel branded ones.
Thanks Rob I did't realise that - another excellent tip!
Yes that’s very critical. JIS screwdrivers are designed to seat deeper in the screw. Phillips drivers are designed for Phillips screws where the tip doesn’t seat as deeply.
JIS has less gap tolerance.
@@alexblaze8878 Most watch makers screw drivers, the good ones at least, are like the JIS pattern. If for no other reason that Phillips screws don't go that small. JIS in the larger sizes are intended to work in Phillips screws without 'camming-out'. Most motorcycles require JIS drivers rather than Phillips because where they do use a cross-head rather than an Allen, it does not want to come loose. Using the wrong or poor quality screwdriver can damage the screw head when it slips.
Hi which of the ex. 1 2. 3 sensor produce the same-image as the x pro 1 ?
Yep. Critical. JIS.
My other tips: take lots of photos with your phone at each step of disassembly of a lens, so you know how it all needs to go back together again properly. Also get a lens sucker to lift out lenses and avoid them falling out with the risk you then don’t know which way round it needs to go back! Thirdly, wear latex/surgical gloves when handling and cleaning lenses - otherwise you’ll have grease from your fingers smearing the lens surfaces and creating haze. I use isopropyl alcohol for initial lens cleaning, followed by distilled water to dampen a lens tissue. Buy lots of cotton buds and good quality lens tissues!
Very useful tips, thanks Rob!
Thanks for this vital information. Please what can I use to clean the outside of a lens (zoom ring, aperture ring and focus ring) barrel. Takumar, Nikkor, Minoltas, Mamiya all these have metal rings and they're old glass most of them are more than 40-50 years old.
Great idea with the phone
Great advice - especially on the taking photos aspect. I forgot to do this once, but was saved by referring back to the ebay images from when I purchased it 🤣🤦♂
Good tips, but I wouldn't use cotton buds as they tend to leave behind small fibers.
When I was seventeen, I went for an interview at Photopia in Newcastle Staffs, then Minolta, Soligor, Tamron and Cokin, later Ricoh, importer Distributor for the UK and Europe.
I was presented a lens to strip and rebuild.
The first thing I did was clean the worktop and area!!!
I did a full lens strip, laying out each part in the order it was removed.
When I rebuilt the lens, (a BER, (Beyond Economical Repair) Rokkor 50/2), I was told then and there I had the job...
...which I declined in favour of working in the electronics workshop instead.
The moral of this story being you can't put an old head on young shoulders!
Great video with wise and logical advice.
Can I add a little bit of advice too, Nigel, please?
When taking these things apart, DO NOT FORCE ANYTHING!!
Take a look at how it was assembled, if it appears impossible to remove something then there must be another way than the one you're trying, take a step back, have a think, maybe even a cuppa, and try again.
Sometimes screws are sealed with a lacquer - looks like a dab of paint - nail varnish remover, the one with Acetone is your friend here, a little on a cotton bud (Q Tip) dabbed onto the offending part, a couple of minutes and it will come free.
Take photos!! lots of photos, with a mobile phone or a digital camera, take a photo at every stage before undoing something, it will help you remember which way around that element goes.
I use 3% Hydrogen Peroxide to remove fungus and haze, it seems to work better than vinegar for me, plus it doesn't have any sugar in it like vinegar does, so easier to clean off.
Great episode, as usual.
George
Those are some very useful tips, thanks George!
@Tiny Workshop, Big Ideas You're right. Hydrogen Peroxide is a way better choise than vinegar!
Nice video and a good topic.
Good equipment is a must. Tweezers, prefereable those intended for pcb solder work, are also a great tool for lens work. It helps you to pick up and place the tiny screws. Also when you go in depth, and disassembly the aperture blades, a good tweezer will make you able to assembly it again. My top tip is to take pictures during the disassembly, and make small scratches on opposite parts to help you get back to the correct orientation. Personally I'm not concerned about the fungus traveling from one lens to another in the closet. There are fungus spores in every breath you take. They don't cause any problems unless the circumstances are in their favour. Keep your lens clean, dry and oil free, and it should be ok.
Thanks for the tips Bob!
I have recently acquired an industar 61m zebra type 10 blades too...
Well I took the back plate off removed the focus ring...very caked on old grease so I set about removing grease with a duster and some brake cleaning spray I had so cleaned the threads till they shone like new....
Had bought small tube of lithium grease from motor accesory shop I very carefully Rubbed grease in threads not too much so so dosent get on diaphragm leaves...
Also cleaned the end tube of the helicoid again with brake cleaner... that was as far as I went.... and the focus ring worked beautifully.... Nice lens!!
Helios 44-2 and rangefinder lenses are very straightforward and simple to disassemble and put back together. Took me about 20 minutes to do the whole helicoid. The best results are when you clean it with solvent and lube it afterwards. Otherwise old grease will mix with the new and in a couple of months you'll have to add more.
And don't worry, none of the lube from the helicoid on a 44-2 can get onto glass or aperture, because it's isolated and there is no connection between them.
Thanks for the info Boris, much appreciated!
Thank you very much, you save me with the improvise one, very difficult to find exact match but I got it! with a old little coffee cup from my grandpa on a memories shelf❤
👍🤝 Good advices!I'v enjoyed the video! My first attempts to remove haze and clean glass element's on a few lenses were successful 100% just by following the same principles and rules!
My respect's for your great work!
Greetings from Romania 🇷🇴
🙋🏻♂️
Hey George, I'm very glad you found the video useful - so you now have some nice clean lenses!
invaluable information, thanks for the video
Excellent and thorough advice, well presented. The quality of the required tools cannot be emphasized enough. Thanks, Nigel!
Many thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
Brilliant. Thanks for all this information, much appreciated...
Nigel. Excellent video. Very many thanks. It is always better to see someone do it than read what to do.
Many thanks, glad it was helpful!
I don't know about the UK but here in Sydney Australia fungus is definitely an issue and some old lenses that I have had since a boy grew a veritable garden amount of fungus over the years. IMO creating a low humidity storage environment is essential for storing lenses in the humid environment we have here. I bought a dehumidifier cabinet but hey even the small ones are not cheap. A simpler more cost effective way is via silica gel beads (the ones that can be re-constituted, not the ones that come in pill boxes!). I bought 2 large containers of them on ebay for around $AU30 and they are still going strong, keeping quite a large box of lenses and camera gear at a constant humidity of 40% for well over a year. When they are used up they change colour and you put them in the microwave or the oven for a bit but I haven't had to do that yet. I bought the plastic storage box from an office supply mob and it is well sealed and the whole system works very well. Some quick google research tells me that a relative humidity level of 70% or above for three days in a row is sufficient for fungus spores to start growing on lenses and that is a very common level of humidity in Sydney. The piece I read suggested that a humidity level of between 35-45% is best for storage of lenses. The whole set-up cost less than $AU50 so it's a very cost effective set-up for keeping valuable lenses in good condition.
Hi Ian, many thanks for the advice. It's many years since I was in Sydney, about 50 actually, and had yet to take up photography! Thanks for looking in.
Another great Video. Great information and thoroughly explained. Thanks.
Thanks, glad it was useful!
I've been into photography for some time now, long enough to have been using some of the lenses you talk about when the were state of the art additions to my SLRs in the 1960s. Fast forward to now and I've recently become interested in these now vintage lenses again mainly due to my getting a Fuji XT-1 in 2018 to find our what this mirrorless lark was all about. I'd loved this camera from its release as it reminded me so much of my Pentax SV that I bought in 1964/5 - and I still have it along with the 50mm Super Takumar f1.8 it came with. Can't find the 135 pre-set Takumar I bought afterwards though.
I digress! I've always been mechanically minded - did my own car maintenance and repairs for years, fixed all sorts of things, fashioned tools from household items, dismantled and tuned electric motors when I was into slot car racing as well as building the cars. For quite a while I've been thinking about doing simple servicing on lenses. I've successfully straightened dings in the filter rings (and far easier with a proper tool rather than pliars) and a jammed aperture ring. Not saying how but it involved no stripping and a pipe wrench! so I found this video particularly interesting. However I do have a question. The lens spanner you use has splayed ends where I've seen both splayed and straight ones on line. In my mind the one with the splayed ends would only work if the flat blades were angled the opposite way to the splay angle as otherwise they would not sit in the slots in the rinds square, or am I missing something? Is there any advantage to the splayed ones v the straight ones?
I've been enjoying your videos for a while now and after watching this one I visited Patreon and I'm now a member :)
Thank you for the detailed explanation. I really look forward to your videos.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
Very useful video thanks Nigel. I keep each of my lenses in a hard case and pop a small packet of silica gel in each one to reduce the risk of moisture.
Allways a good lesson! Grettings from sweden
Thanks Gustavo, glad you enjoyed it!
Hello Nigel, many thanks for the tipps! Much appreciated! Best wishes Ralf
Hey Ralf, hope all's well with you, glad you enjoyed the video!
@@zenography7923 Thanks, Nigel, I‘m fine! ❤️
Once, again, you have produced an excellent video! I would suggest, for the FED-10, that you remove one screw (or post) that acts as the focusing stop. Then you can completely unscrew the focusing helicoid and thoroughly clean, then lubricate the threads. In my experience, if grease has dried up, it has, also, accumulated dirt and grit. Isopropyl alcohol with an old toothbrush, followed by a microfiber cloth, works well for cleaning. Stubborn cases may require naphtha (lighter fluid) to loosen really dry grease. The threads should be shiny and the cloth should come clean when the threads are clean enough. White lithium grease, ideally with Teflon, works really well for the looser tolerances in many Russian lenses.
Almost all helicoids have such steep thread pitches that they use multi-start threads; unlike a common screw, there may be four (for a FED-10), or as many as 32 or more starting alignments (for a Zeiss telephoto lens). The best way I have found to reassemble a helicoid is to have marked how the threads should align at infinity before disassembly; in the case of the FED-10 this is unnecessary, as the lever hits the stop post at infinity. I try one position and, if it doesn't align at infinity, I unscrew the helicoid VERY SLOWLY and then, when the halves just disengage, apply light pressure on the two halves and continue unscrewing until a click is heard or felt. Then try screwing the helicoid together and check infinity (when the helicoid assembly is shortest). When the right thread start is found, replace the post.
I highly recommend practicing on a collapsible lens to get the "feel" (and to develop the calm patience required) before progressing to the next more difficult class of lenses (like a Helios 44 variant).
Yes, helicoid disassembly and reassembly is a painstaking task and not for the faint hearted. It’s a good idea to buy proper helicoid grease rather than making do with anything else - it’s expensive stuff though! Even within one brand it’s surprising how different the focusing details and how to (re)set infinity focus can be between lenses. Very satisfying when you get it right though, but I find by then I’ve usually had to disassemble and reassemble some or all of the lens multiple times!
Thanks for the tips - it sounds like there's a certain amount of zen required for helicoid alignment too!
Thanks! Great tips - especially using rice in a lens container. I’m starting that today 👍
Glad it was helpful!
All good advice , Nigil. Many thanks.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
Really useful video - and what looks to be a lot of very helpful comments as well (will have to put some time aside to look through them all :))
Some things I have picked up from some recent adventures in lens servicing:
-the common oil build up on soviet lens (russian and DDR lens) - my understanding (from other webpages) is that this is a product of the breakdown of the grease used inside the lens - I think most likely the focussing helix (which might account for sticky focusing corresponding to sticky apetures).
- when cleaning focussing helixes - makes sure you have photos of the lens' orientation when at infintity - as robweed's comments below take lots of photos. Also try to note the exact point when the lens helix comes loose. This will help make sure that the lens goes back on the exact same thread orientation - and thus focusses to the correct points.
- I tend to use grease on the focussing helix rather than oil - but the key thing is to clearn off any old grease as this is the main cause of stiff focussing. If this is done correctly you should only require a very slight amount of fresh lubrication.
- Sticky apertures:
-- if you can get access to them by removing the lens elements above or below them, these can be tackled by alchol on a cotton wool bud without disasembly - which can avoid the risk displacing the individual blades etc.
-- However, if you can get full access, and are brave enough, then taking the whole aperture mechanism apart and cleanign will yield the best results - as the main cause of stickiness is usually the buildup of grease on the internal mechanism - rather than just the blades.
-- It comes back to the point in the video about servcing to the level you feel comforatble, and doing only what is required to fix the problem.
--In either event, if you do accidentally dislodge the blades, just know that these can be put back - but it is very fiddly, so make sure you are in a very zen and patient mode if you have to do this.
-- Once cleanedm, you do NOT need to oil the aperture blades - they should be quick and snappy without oil (oil will just gum them up again).
MOST IMPORTANTLY - be very wary of triple screw configurations facing inwards towards elements inside the lens. While some lens (like the Helios 44 mentioned here) may use these to secure sections on the outercase of the lens - such screw arrangements can also be used to align and tune the individual optical elements inside the lens. This is done on the factory to ensure that the light is focussed down the optical path of the lens, and altering theses screws will move lens out of alignment resulting in massive changes in optical quality of the lens (and not for the better). As far as I can tell this is something that cannot be fixed without the use of special equipment.
I had a recent experience with a pentacon 28mm lens where, in testing whether a lens section was meant to unscrew from the lens, I inadvertantly twisted loose a whole part of the lens - unintentionally freeing up the alignment screws - and knocking the lens out of alignment. This was pretty much game over for that lens - test photos show that it has lost all its sharpness.
Thanks again for an awesome video.
I was given a Nikon F801 and a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 AIS long nose a couple of years back by a friend who figured I would use them rather than see them sat in a box in his attic. Thankfully his attic was dry but the lens still had a few little spots of dirt on the front element. I managed to remove the front bezel and the front element and gave it a good clean, but I was dreading finding any more. If there was I would definitely have sent it for a professional clean. Thankfully it was just the front and it's been a great addition to my Nikon kit.
Excellent thanks!
Very informative nice video.. thank you once again. I have done a little servicing myself....
Finally a word I know a guy with a vintage camera shop about an hour away from me he has quite a few glass display cases he mission statement if you like is never store lenses with filters screwed on... Its another layer for trapping dampness and encouraging fungus growth and haze of course...etc.
A useful tip, thanks!
Very valuable advices, thank you. When I am well organized, I use a video camera to record the sequence of the job.
It's vital to rcsord the dismantling process - it's invaluable when reassembling!
Thank you for this video! Very reasuring and some great information :)
Great video. I would just like to offer that the effects of fungus and haze are more noticeable at lower F stops (when the lens is more open). The lens might be a fine performer at F4 and above. But when the aperture is opened up to F1.4 or F2, the image suffers greatly. My guess is that when the lens is opened up, the incoming light has more 'stuff' to run into, causing unwanted diffraction and reflection. The result is a smeary, dark, and hazy image.
Thank you vor your content. Love these stuff.Did you ever repair or restore a mirror Lens?
For stiff focus ring oil can dry on its own. I'm servicing a Helios 44 now with a bit of Molykote grease. Stiffness is down to preference but since I do video work I want the focus ring to move a bit more freely so a bit of mineral oil mixing in with the grease did the job.
My tip for getting tiny screws back into their holes: a tiny bit of blu-tak on the end of the screwdriver to hold the screw while you manoeuvre it into place
Ah, the Blu-Tak trick! I ought to have mentioned it, thanks for reminding me!
What about araldite?
Or a little blob of grease, beeswax or Canada balsam if you prefer not to fish Blu-tak out of a lens. On very small screws beeswax can be used like Loctite, it holds extremely well but comes out when needed. If you use Loctite on tiny stuff, you'll never get it out again.
In addition to grub screws are thing called gumi screws which are deliberately a slight mismatch in thread so they are stiff like a nylok nut and stay put.
Nigel, your videos are so well made, not only that they are calming, your settings are beautifully lit. I enjoy your work so much. This video was so informative. But could I ask you, with what cleaning fluid would you clean fungus from a lens. Oh, and which light oil do you use, cheers Nigel.
Regards Rob.
Great advice! But if you don't have that kind of time, here's the second best way to clean your lenses, if you don't have a dishwasher:
1) Take them all out of their lens bags.
2) place them on the carpet of your car's trunk.
3) start driving around town at speed. Their movement on the carpet will polish them nicely and each time they bump together, any caked on-crud will pop right off!
A useful tip, thanks! :)
The problem with serving lenses is that you need to learn, you need experience, and to get experience you need to try. From my (little) experience, it's really satisfactory when you finish and the lens work again. And it's really instructive to understand how the mechanics and the optics of a lens work. But there are some lenses just imposible to repair for me, for example once I found a revuenon lens. It was in bad condition, the focus ring was not tight at all. The problem was that the screws were under the plastic ring, and it was glued. It was imposible to repair, and at the end the lens did not work again. Another time I bended by mistake one of the aperture blades, it was a little nightmare. But when you success, the feeling is really great, some of my favourite lenses were served by me, and I really love them much more :-)
This was an excellent video. I'm getting more involved with lens repair because I have time on my hands since I am retired and it's better than watching the grass grow. 😂🤣. Also I bought a used lens that has haze and the lying 🐕 dog who sold it to me said it was in good condition. My Canon MD 50mm f1.4vaperture is stuck as well.
I love the part: "The Karl Zeiss lens was very easy to take apart." 👌 I'm dying here 😭 🤣 Dude I feel your pain 😢. A man should know his limitations. 👋
Indeed - and they can only be found out the hard way! Like mechanical watches, once apart, some lenses will never go back together again!
As always sound advice! Thank you for educating many!
Thanks Michiel, very glad you enjoyed it!
This video came at the right time, because a few weeks ago I found the Vivitar 24mm f2 that I was looking for for YEARS. I ended up buying it, put it on my lens adapter, and the aperture blades are stuck (only way to know was having it on the mount since it was FD mount). This might allow me to use it more than just wide open. :D
It sounds like it needs a clean and a bit of lubrication - carefully does it though!
Thank you so much for this excellent and very useful video.
Thanks, very glad you enjoyed it!
Another good video.... what I would say is friend has a vintage camera in his day to day duties he will clean lenses when open and finally dry will also... attach lens to medium size electric
de humidifier.....??
If I might add a few suggestions. Don't store cameras in attics/lofts as the temperatures vary enormously over a year. Don't leave cameras in cars that are going to get like an oven on a really hot day. I use Ansio de humidifier containers in my main storage cupboard. The cupboard is dry but using these keeps it super dry and you can see the water removed from the air as it drops into the base of the container. I have a container of Helimax-XP optical and helicoid grease with Lithium and PTFE quite expensive but enough to last a lifetime. I think I had to order it from the States but I might be wrong, I found it on the Net anyway. I have shone a bright light through the rear of some quite modern lenses and it's surprising how quickly debris builds up, however remember the front element will act as a magnifying glass and the just etc will look horrific.
Thanks for the tips, very useful!
Thanks for this, I now live/work in Singapore and I am quite worried about my old camera gear. At the moment most of it is in a cupboard in my office in the downtown which is kept cool and dry and with good filtration for dust. The climate here is very hot and humid and it carries quite a lot of dust.
I love your channel
Only 10 minutes in. Good man, keep it up.
Thanks, will do!
Great tips! If local camera shops offer cleaning, is it pricey? (good to have an idea prior to bidding/buying)
Dust in lenses that zoom comes from it laying on the barrel, then when shutting down the camera, like a pocket zoom, it pulls the dust towards the sensor, where you first notice it in the sky especially on a zoom shot. This dust mostly comes from pockets. Those kinds of cameras need to be in non fabric sleeves before putting them in pockets. That will give them a few more years life. I have repurchased at least 4 Canon Elph 310 HS cameras due to this. Great little shooter that people forget has OIS.
Those zooms certainly know how to attract dust! Just as well that a little won't hurt!
i attempted to clean my g. zuiko 50mm f1.4 lens, through watching a video on a f1.8 zuiko being repaired. i will not say it was beyond my ability, because it was achieved hours later, and it seemed mint. however, whilst in the lens, i didn’t have any lubricant to relubricate the gearing mech. so it developed stiff focusing. i traded it, and an om-10 for a different lens in the end. i still have one zuiko f1.4, and i an unsure if i have the guts to do it again. the fungus was actually on the furthest optic into the lens, which made it an absolute pain.
Good video, thanks for the tips. I like the way your lens spanner is curved outwards. Mine is very similar to that one, but the ends are straight. Yours looks like it would be easier to use.
The arms are actually reversible - they can point in or out, depending on the lens you're working on.
@@zenography7923
Nice, I'll have to get one. It looks much more practical than the one I've been using.
If I've bought a lens that has seized or is stiff to turn rather than forcing it in anyway a few drops of lab pure alcohol bought from Amazon will bring it back. Generally once taken apart cleaned with pure alcohol or you can use electrical contact cleaner to remove the grease and then relube the helicoid, this works fine for me. To those that read this comment don't ever spray into the rear of the lens as it will work it's way into the sealed rear element and then you've ruined your lens.
The best light machine oil I've come across is gun oil. It has to be high quality. Available in mineral or silicone. Silicone is for plastics, mineral for metal to metal.
Grease is essentially a mix of oil and soap. When it dries out you're left with a lump of hard soap. Adding oil may re-amalgamate it. If it won't move then a drop of Plusgas, this penetrates and is volatile, it seems to be mostly naphtha and maybe paraffin (which is an oil), but this will remove all residues and need re-greasing; gun grease (not moly).
If you can see oil or grease after application, there is too much.
Kimtech Delicate Task Wipers are lint-free and better than lens tissues.
In lieu of 'lens spanner' spring bow compass dividers although if they have been used by a workshop they may have been sharpened to scribe metal and need the points regrinding so they don't cause damage. Often found in a pile of tools in antique junk shops. We used them in the lab for similar jobs.
Thanks for the info, really useful!
How about sewing machine machine oil, of watch/clock oil?
@@srfurley Similar but USA uses gun oil by the barrel, so mass production keeps the price down for a high quality product. The Windles watch oil I have has blown and has become a green sticky mess. I've had sewing machine oil go sticky, which is cross-linking, air-hardening. I've never had gun oil do that.
I like turning the lens when I use a lens spanner. Keeping the spanner still and planted in the slots and turning the lens keeps me in the slots with no jumping
Hi Nigel! What lub do you use for the Helios 44 focus, for example, and what grease or oil for the diaphragm? Thanks!
I recently bought a Carl Zeiss Jena mc 135 f3.5. , They said it had no fungus but sadly they lied, but I'm in love with the pictures it produces, Do you have any knowhow on how to remove the front lens for cleaning? luckily the fungus is only on the front. I've left it in front of a U.V light for 24 hours, but I have no idea if the Fungus is DEAD. I tried googling how to tell when fungus is dead in camera lens, but find nothing on it. they tell you HOW to kill it, but not how to tell if it's actually dead haha.
There is fungus on mine but not received it yet.. prob will take out front element only that is where fungus is.....
@@philhodgkinson1460 Good luck! I've currently got it stored in an airtight tupperware with silica and keep it in the light. I heard that UV light has to be a certain strength ( The strength that damages your eyes if you looked at it ) so my light probably did nothing.
There's a lens for sale cheap because of fungus so watching this to see if it's worth getting.
Very good advice, honest and as always what comes across is your enthusiasm and want, to assist in getting people to enjoy the Art.
DG New Forest
Hi!!
I have let somone service my Olympus 35 sp and remove the fungus fromthe lens. The guy ist absolutly autoryty in olympus camera world, i mean OM Doctor from Hamburg DE. And what he say is that the fungus get allso on the metal elements from the lens and what he does ist to put all metall elements in to the 80C oven for fev houers. That should prevent the fungus couse problems in future.
BTW great Video!!
I can highly recommad the OM doctor. He was the chief technichian of the Olymus service bevor retired. He stored an enormous amont of spare parts, you‘ll never find elsewhere. He nicely fixed my Olympus Pen FT, the 50-90mm zoom lens and I purchased some Olmpus 35 (RC, RD, and TRIP) in excelllent condition for a very reasonably price from him.
I also use a magnetic parts tray that i put screws on in order of disassembly
One thing I learnt the hard way, sometimes the front ring is held in place by tiny grub screws hidden under the rubber of the focusing ring.
Thanks for the tip!
Newer Olympus Zuiko OM lenses unfortunately often have objectives (metal tubes holding multiple lens elements together) that are sealed and cannot be dismantled. Even more unfortunately, they aren’t sufficiently sealed, however, to prevent ingress of dust and fungus, which means they are unrepairable. I’ve discovered this the hard way and no longer buy 2nd-hand vintage Zuiko lenses. In my experience, Nikon, Konica and Carl Zeiss Jena lenses are the easiest to disassemble, clean and reassemble.
I've yet to attempt a repair on a Zuiko - hopefully mine aren't new enough to present a problem!
I just got some old camera lenses that used to be my grandfather's and they are in pristine condition except for fungus and junk inside the glass. They have nice cases but kind of smell musty. If I cleaned those lenses do you recommend not putting them back in their cases, or is there a way to sterilize the cases?
Not sure to be honest - leaving them open to the air for some time is all I can suggest, however I must admit I don't. re-use mouldy lens cases.
I have a 35mm light lens lab lens which seem to be making a rattling noise when I tip the lens up. Thinking it could be a loser internal element. Would this be a costly repair? If I left it would it do any damage to the lens or would it be fine? Atm it still works as it should
Great video! I have a question: how do cleaning marks and hairline scratches on the lens elements affect the image quality?
Front lens Element, especially for 50mm upwards, is basically irrelevant, unless its so badly damaged that its like a Vaseline layer on top. when you polish away the coating, you can get color shift or dropping contrast.
damaged rear elements can cause some contrast drop or artifacts
Hi,
Do you clean rusty or grimy metal mounting rings on the base of lenses? And if so with what?
Another great video, thanks. Interesting and informative. I was very nervous even watching you with the spanner near your lens, I'd be terrified if I had that near one of my lenses. I just wondered what your thoughts were on UV lights as a fix for fungus or haze? (Is haze the first stages of fungus?). Thanks, Tim
UV lights can kill anything living inside your lenses, given sufficient exposure, but it won't actually remove any growth that's already there. Perhaps better as a method of prevention rather than cure.
I think haze is more likely to be the result of lubricants evaporating over a long period of time.
Many thanks for your video. I agree completely with the need of quality screw drivers and taking your time. I've had some success with cleaning a few different lenses and bring them back to life. Excluding one Fujinon one where I lost the small metal ball and spring that makes the aperture ring click... impossible to find it. Do you have any recommendations on places where spare parts can be purchased ?
I would also add that I took apart a Jena 50 1.8 and I can't figure out how to put back the focus ring correctly. Either it falls off when I focus to infinity or I can't get a correct focus, it's seems that it doesn't focus close enough... I looked for solutions online and haven't found anything to help me. Does anyone have any experience with this ?
As for spare parts, for vintage lenses I think scrap lenses might be your best source, for spares for moderns I'd contact the manufacturer. An authority on CZJ servicing and repair is Rick Oleson - his website is here: rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-27.html
He has exploded diagrams of many CZJ lenses on the site, and repair manuals too - hopefully you should find what you need there.
@@zenography7923 Many thanks for this info. I will look into to this during the winter months. I hope that I can figure out how to get this focusing unit back in working order on the Jena, it's supposed to be a wonderful little lens (as per one of your vids I believe). As for the spare parts I need to find a couple small screws for a Pentax 50 1.4 on which their missing. I'm going to look around the web, there must be someone who sells them.
Good video. But every lens videos shows these rubber lens cups and these seem essentially non existent to buy.
Sounds like a sealed bag with dessicant for each lens is the way to go.
All I would add is to photograph every stage of any repair work then you have a reference should you get stuck.
Can you tell me what lubricant can be used if a lens is frozen in and the ring won’t unscrew. I have a beautiful French lens and I can’t take the front ring off to remove the element and clean it.
Video yourself taking apart a lens or take photos along the way might help during reassembly. :-)
Hi Zenography, is it possible to have a stiff focusing lens that improves with use? i picked up a lens that was probably stored away for many decades, and after a few weeks of use the focus has seems to loosened up a bit. in my experience its always better to pick up a secondhand lens that has been under-used, instead of heavily used.
I cant unscrew not so old Pentax zoom lenses to get rid of fungus... on front lens. Front ring started to unscrew, but stuck... I dont know if its allowed to use special lubricant, like wd-40 or silicone spray on thread to unscrew.
This may seem a silly question but I'd rather look silly now than after ruining glass... What type of vinegar? White or malt or either? Thanks in advance.
I've heard white vinegar's the best, but I would imagine most types would work!
You should not use vinegar to remove fungus. Vinegar is an organic liquid and organic material is what fungus needs to grow. So if only a tiny remnant remains you feed the next fungus.
WD-40 does magic with all my soviet lenses and stuck shutter mechanism, I use syringe to inject it not spray, just few drops
A few drops is all you need, for sure!
Really useful video! How do you recommend removing the fungus and haze from an element? I also use anti-fungal “chips” in my camera cabinet as well as anti moisture packs which also work very well (but not as cheap or environmentally friendly as rice!).
Hi, the best way is to remove the affected glass elements, give them a thorough - but very careful - wash in vinegar, dry thoroughly and re-assemble. I've found this method to work really well!
@@zenography7923 You should not use vinegar to remove fungus. Vinegar is an organic liquid and organic material is what fungus needs to grow. So if only a tiny remnant remains you feed the next fungus.
On other videos, people are using hydrogen peroxide or alcohol
In most cases, oily aparture or shutterblades are not a result of people putting oil inside their lenses, but internal grease and oil, that starts to leave the lubricated parts, due to heat. E.g., if people leave their lenses exposed to a lot of sunlight or in a car.
To avoid fungus, it's a good tip to store lenses NOT in a dark place, but rather put them somewhere without lens caps, where they are protected from dust but get some light. E.g. glass vitrines are a good place...
WD40 is NOT an oil at all. It is the complete opposite.
About oiling the helixes: For a proper restauration jobby, the old grease should always be removed completely, and then being replaced by new grease. I know, that most of the times it is way easier to NOT disassamble a lens completely, but then it's rather a temmorary compromise than a proper done job. If disasambling helixes, I strongly recommend to mark the orientation on both parts, where the two parts fell apart. Otherwise you will get a nice puzzle ;)
Thankas for the info
I know you have all these excellent tools like me.. but never heard you mention a lens vice for sorting out bent filter screw threads on lenses... you can buy one for about £30 from what I know??
I must confess I didn't know of such a tool - could be very handy, thanks for the tip!
Invaluable tool for bent filter rings but go steady on this and definitely no over kill...
Later on to get the threads Absoloutely right or to re machine threads work back and forth with metal lens hood and a minute blob of grease and wipe clean sparingly at the end.....
Keep them dry.
Also cheap adapters can be the culprit, like your M6 and some summicron, could deal with rain and stuff no prob,
mount the summicron using some ebay adapter ... now you got an aquacron.
Avoid steamy showers for some some sexy pics.
Spores can get in a lens, mostly they do, It's no problem, untill they get moisture inside.
Then It will grow into mold.
Scrathes are the worst. Can't undo the scratches.
Or loose elements, like the Septon lens. Not much you can do about that.
Think I would use a professial. If the cost is worth it.
But I know from vintage synthesizers, you can find a very good repair man that a supergood one will do the best work 20x cheaper,
then some famous "service centers".
I wish I could find that repair guy!
Lovely
Thanks
Thanks for this helpful resource! I've been wondering how can I disassemble Zeiss-Opton Biogon 35mm f2.8 infested w/ fungus. I really love it but the construction seems to be impossible to unlock & keeps me from cleaning the internal lens elements.
Sometimes lens components are glued into place and can be freed with acetone, but I'm not sure Zeiss would assemble a lens in this way. Is there a face plate that needs to be removed first? Sometimes, if that is removed, the lens can then be further disassembled. You might want to check out my video 'The Lens You Can't Afford Not To Buy', from 4 or 5 weeks ago, to see an example of this construction.
@@zenography7923 Thanks, Nigel! 😊 I recently acquired from an auction the same lens you referred to. But the Flek 20mm is much easier to disassemble vs. the (older?) Biogon. An author on a blog said you would even need a collimator to eventually align the lenses when assembling to get the right angle & thus have the ability to focus properly. I will research more about it & keep you posted. Thanks again! 😊 Keep it up!!!
Hi! How are you? I bought Jupiter 8 lens with two 2.8 aperture values engraved at the ring. One at it's place, and another next after value 4. If somebody knows something this issue about? Thank you.
Always dismantle on a tea tray. That way anything that drops out will not be lost on the floor.
Excellent tip, thanks!
With for example russian lenses with bright aluminium bodies..these can get quite grimy any idea how to clean them properly...also back bright parts of lenses...
I do understand it may be scary to follow this advice, but putting fungus-infested lenses together with lenses not yet afflicted by fungus is safe. The spores are already in all your vintage lenses anyway, so you must try to keep them dry and if possible exposed to sunlight. Fruiting bodies (which generate spores) are pretty much unheard of with lens fungus -- there is rarely enough of a food source for the fungus to be able to form them.
Never put the oil in to the lens to release helicoil.Use Zippo lighter fluid (naphta) to loosen the stiff ring.After you get focus ring moving disassemble the helicoil and give him a good cleaning with lighter fluid.Use helicoil teflon contained grease to lubricate the helicoil.
Thanks for the tip!
@@zenography7923 Last thing you want is that oil creep near the aperture blades or to lens element.Few droplets of Naphta is better, since it evaporates.It does also not fix the issue, since issue is in grease which harden over time and lose his lubrication property.Would always recommend to clean old grease and put some modern (teflon) one.Important thing is to mark focus ring and helicoil at infinity so you don't get weird things when you put lens back together.
I have built a UV light source with a cooling fan (as the UV led gets quite warm), if you treat lenses for 24 hours under the light it kills off any potential fungus. Obviously if fungus is present cleaning is the only option. The UV light also removes yellowing from effected lenses. Regularly take lenses and cameras out of cases and stand on a dry well aired surface, they are not designed to be hoarded away….😊
HELP ME !!! Dobry wieczór! Posiadam aparat Fed-4, chciałbym samodzielnie przeczyścić wnętrzności aparatu, ale po odkręceniu wszystkich śrubek w pokrywie górnej nie mogę jej zdemontować ponieważ przeszkadza mi pokrętło od przewijania filmu które jest umieszczone wewnątrz pokrywy. Przeglądałem dużo filmów w internecie i nic nie znalazłem, ponieważ 99,9% aparatów pokrętło do przewijania filmów jest na zewnątrz i nie stwarza żadnych problemów aby ją zdjąć. Fed-4 to nie to samo co Zorki-4, Fed-2 czy Fed-3.Proszę o pomoc może Pan gdzieś się spotkał z tym problemem i wie jak zdjąć pokrywę górną z Fed-4.
Kontrola wiatru zdejmuje się, usuwając małą płytkę z otworami, która znajduje się na niej. Wystarczy odkręcić je kluczem do soczewek i wszystko powinno być dobrze. Jeśli możesz, usuń okienko światłomierza przed zdjęciem pokrywy - może to być trochę trudne, jeśli tego nie zrobisz.
Mam namyśli pokrętło po lewej stronie, które jest wewnątrz z boku (patrząc od strony obiektywu to jest prawa strona aparatu) obudowy górnej. Nie wydaje mi się że muszę zdejmować okienko światłomierz, ale spróbuję. Dziękuję za odpisanie. Bardzo lubię Pana programy, szczególnie o aparatach z CCCP.
Unlees you take them apart in a dust free room you cannot get rid of the dust inside the lense.
That looks like a Draper screw set?
Great Video, but rice will give off dust. Sticky dust in fact. Have you put rice in your cabinet and measured the humidity over a week or two?
OK, tell me why the Minolta MC ROKKOR 58mm F1.2 lens all either have fungus or have had fungus and are etched by it.
Why this lens? If it is something secret tell me in code. You can't find a Minolta MC ROKKOR 58mm F1.2 lens on eBay without fungus.
Could it be due to the large glass assembly, not that much larger than the Canon FL f1.2, but...
Maybe this Minolta MC ROKKOR 58mm F1.2 lens was not used that often and was just stored without rice! :-)
Maybe the only Minolta MC ROKKOR 58mm F1.2 lenses that hit eBay are the old junkers... maybe that is it.
The world, your public, wants to know.
When you are taking lenses apart be sure to record the process with video camera. You will have a road map to how it came apart. This will help in putting it back together.
I think you've just been unlucky with the Rokkors - they're no more susceptible to mould than any other lens, at least not that I'm aware. And now as requested the secret answer, in code: %*&^& £$@@@ *(*^. !$**& 75Q23. Does that make sense? :)
Update! I found one on eBay that had no fungus. It is pretty much in mint condition. It had just been listed when I spotted it. I negotiated a price of $300. So my lens buying is done for now. It is an amazing hunk of glass. It weights more than a pound and is radioactive to the tune of 1246 CPM. The humidity here has been about 57% in side lately. I have gel packs. I was considering your rice idea. My f1.2 collection is done at 3 lenses.
Canon FL 55mm f1.2
Olympus OM-System G.Zuiko Auto-S 55mm f1.2 Radioactive 3389 CPM
Minolta MC Rokkor-PG 58mm F1.2 Hawk Eye MF Lens MC II 1967-72 Radioactive 1246 CPM
What is different is they list the focal length as f58mm. I haven't seen that before, f 58mm. The f should be on the 1.2 writing.
I store my cameras and lenses in air tight plastic storage containers.
Good idea, thanks for the tip!
@@zenography7923 I also put in a few packets of silica gel in the containers, just as a back up🙂
Anybody recently bought a good set of jewellers screwdrivers? I had an RS set, really good but now very worn & I need to replace, but do not have an RS account. Bought an Ebay set, they were rubbish, flats were tapered, not parallel.
I've found my Draper set to be pretty good!
Canon f lenses are very difficult to repair.
Oh dear... I see you've opened a veritable pandoro's box with this one matey... Good! Its more than time that people went back to fixing and repairing and LEARNING rather than just throw away and buy a "new" item 9 times out've 10 will be plastic cr*p anyway.. My mate spent nearly £1,700 on a lens last month and it came with a Rayon/Nylon pouch HA! I've still got some of me Dads lenses from the 60's with beautiful REAL leather hand stitched cases.... Try and get a hand stitched lens case from ******** or ***** now with any lens. Anyway much appreciated vid..
Glad you enjoyed the video! Simple lens maintenance can be pretty easy, as long as you're cautious and don't be too ambitious!
Good topic but you are so low energy
I know what you mean, but this channel is deliberately neither slick nor fast. After all, what's the rush?
Removing/moving ANY element of the lens for cleaning etc. without proper collimation afterwards means you have effectively ruined the centering of your optics. Please don’t teach people to open up their own lenses. Most people don’t have the tools/knowledge to properly reassemble them.