Old Lens Repair service

Dartz

Recently received an old nFD lens from a certain online auction site.


For what it was, the price was good and the actual lenses and body are in good condition. There's a lot of slack in the zoom elements - about 2mm or more of play. The focus is still butter smooth.

Removing the front element showed a set of bushings that've utterly disintegrated - the some elements are riding only on the pins. It affects the back element worst of all but the whole assembly is sticky and slack. Adjusting the zoom lens to take up some of the slack certainly pulls it back in to focus but at the same time it is an immensly frustrating excersise.


Does anybody in Dublin have this repair service? I've found one company - but their website does look a bit iffy. Everyone else just seems to specialise in DSLR or sensor cleaning.... (I'm tempted to give a Canon dealer a go - ). I have been looking at older posts but moist of the contacts such as Alan Mcdonnel seem to be 8-10 years old.


The other option is to sit down and spend a weekend with some tools, making up a set of bushings out of plastic... once I figure out how to dismantle and re-mantle an F3.5, 24-35mm zoom lens from 1983....


EDIT: I may have someone who can repair this. I need to talk to them in person before posting their details online and that'll be a couple of days.

Dartz

The problem was the bushings, as I thought. I couldn't get it fixed professionally - something had gotten contaminated somehow - probably the camera body considering where it was found.

Long past the point where a sane human being would've just sent it back to the seller on eBay.

Anyway, the completely and utterly disintegrated to the point where the rear element was moving independantly of the front, and rattling and sligind in its groves. You could actually see the focus of the lens change significantly on the screen.

With the actual zoom ring taken off, you can see the pins controlling the element in their cam grooves - and the space left behind by the disintegrated bushings. the net result being about 10-15 degrees of play in the zoom ring, a lot of slop in the lens and an utter headache to focus.



On the left, below, you can see how utterly destroyed the bush was by about 30 years of use. You can also see the plastic washer I used to prototype a repair.



Below, is a temporary repair part nestled into place.



It looks rough and hideous - but it's the best I could prototype up with the minimal tools I have at home - my modelling tools are in another house.

I'm going to try put together something a bit tidier over the weekend - showing exactly what steps and how for all five remaining bushings. It's probably slightly off- maybe it'll always be - but it's a lot better than it was, even with just one repaired bush.

Also, showing that I haven't learned my lesson about ancient zoomes I have the 35-105 f3.5 on the way from eBay. I'm trying to put together a travel setup with a fast prime, and a flexible zoom or two. T

Dartz

Repair looks good. These are the results. Ilford XP2 was the cheapest stuff to hand.

First shot:


24mm @ Infinity


28mm @ Infinity


35mm @ Infinity.


It's holding focus properly as it zooms



Next thing on the list. It seems like a small bit of grit fell in to the first shutter curtain at some stage and nicked it. You can see it on the first shot - and there's a visible dent where it got run over by the shutter. I'm wondering if a bit of liquid electrical tape will see it right - a bit chabuduo but the Leica guys do it.

I've also got a spare F-1 body with a pair of curtains. But setting tension on these is specialised work. One specialist I known can't work on it.

Third option is to shelf it.

Wouldn't mind - but I figured it out when I got these home - 2/3 of the way through a roll of ektachrome.