WestMichigan Posted June 16, 2012 Share #1 Posted June 16, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hello, I have generously received a late model 135mm Hektor in M mount which has a lovely exterior, but there are dust bunnies clinging to the otherwise pristine matte black finish on the inside of the focus tube. I'm Seeking advice for cleaning these loose fuzzies without marring that currently unmarred paint. Shoukd I just wing it and gently wipe with a soft cloth? Note: so far the lens surfaces appear to NOT be hazed or fungus'd up, but the rear surface of the lens head is still waiting to be cleaned and find out for sure. All comments and input are highly welcome. Sincerely Richard in Michigan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted June 16, 2012 Posted June 16, 2012 Hi WestMichigan, Take a look here Cleaning CobWebs in a Hektor 135????. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
WestMichigan Posted June 16, 2012 Author Share #2 Posted June 16, 2012 Update: I have now gently cleaned the rear surface of the Lens Head and it looks as pristine as the front surface. After that I gave a close look at the inner surfaces while shining a high powered flashligh through it and other than a few tiny flecks of dust all the surfaces appear to be clear as a bell. Bonus: I took a few test shots and it appears that the lens and my M8's rangefinder mechanism match up nicely. I did a checks at about 6ft, 12ft, and 30ft, (2, 4, & 10 meters) and no misses jumped out at me. Quite a nice discovery. RW Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted June 16, 2012 Share #3 Posted June 16, 2012 This is à most excellent IR lens. Slap on an 093 or 092 filter and try it out. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomB_tx Posted June 17, 2012 Share #4 Posted June 17, 2012 Enjoy the lens! I bought my first used Leica lens 40+ years ago at Mark's Camera in Grand Rapids. I assume they are long gone now... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestMichigan Posted June 17, 2012 Author Share #5 Posted June 17, 2012 Enjoy the lens! I bought my first used Leica lens 40+ years ago at Mark's Camera in Grand Rapids. I assume they are long gone now... WOW! I bought my first camera there! It was a Minolta rangefinder back in 1985, but at 18 with no mentor and no guidance I was quickly swept up by the syren song of the slr and it took me 25yrs to close the circle and return to the rangefinder. As for Marks Camera they are still chugging right along and appear to do a fairly brisk business. I don't go there much, but whenever I do there are usually at least a few customers milling about the place. Trivia: Marks is actually the exact famiy name of the original proprietors therefore no apostrophe needed - I read the yellowed G.R. press profile of the store framed on the wall once. Now as for Ardens on Fulton and The Camera Center in East Town, they've both succumbed to the power of the internet, amazon, and the almighty B&H. Thankfully Norman's camera from down in Kalamazoo opened a store up here and so Grand Rapids is still lucky enough to have a full line retailer nearby. (Marks doesnt count!) RW Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestMichigan Posted June 17, 2012 Author Share #6 Posted June 17, 2012 This is à most excellent IR lens. Slap on an 093 or 092 filter and try it out. I will definitely give it a spin in the IR Spectrum! I already have a 46mm IR Pass filter and will have to either get a stepup ring or scrounge up a 39mm one. If the Hektor is as flare prone as it is reputed to be, I think I will go with a proper sized one to use the right hood on it. RW Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted June 17, 2012 Share #7 Posted June 17, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) Enjoy the lens! I bought my first used Leica lens 40+ years ago at Mark's Camera in Grand Rapids. I assume they are long gone now... ... and, for me, Hektor was the first addon Leica lens I bought 40- years ago (not in US ), after the previous (2 months) buy of a IIIc + Elmar. If you like, dismounting the lens head to clean inner surfaces isn't difficult, even if, obviously, less easy than unscrewing the whole lenshead, which is a specific "user" feature. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestMichigan Posted June 17, 2012 Author Share #8 Posted June 17, 2012 ... and, for me, Hektor was the first addon Leica lens I bought 40- years ago (not in US ), after the previous (2 months) buy of a IIIc + Elmar. If you like, dismounting the lens head to clean inner surfaces isn't difficult, even if, obviously, less easy than unscrewing the whole lenshead, which is a specific "user" feature. Hi Luigi, I have already dismounted the lens head - the fit was firm and if I hadnt known with certainty it was supposed to come out I wouldnt have kept trying :-). A cool thing is after pulling it clear I could see the tiny insect carcasses sitting at the top of the cobwebs! Even cooler is the rear surface of the lens head was gorgeous once I cleared away the yucky film of bug pollution. Even Best was that I couldnt find a single sign of lens element issues while shining a high powered flashlight through it. No cloudiness, no haze, no seperation, no fungi signs: Clear as a bell. Sincerely Richard in Michigan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc_braconi Posted June 17, 2012 Share #9 Posted June 17, 2012 Hi Luigi,I have already dismounted the lens head - the fit was firm and if I hadnt known with certainty it was supposed to come out I wouldnt have kept trying :-). A cool thing is after pulling it clear I could see the tiny insect carcasses sitting at the top of the cobwebs! Even cooler is the rear surface of the lens head was gorgeous once I cleared away the yucky film of bug pollution. Even Best was that I couldnt find a single sign of lens element issues while shining a high powered flashlight through it. No cloudiness, no haze, no seperation, no fungi signs: Clear as a bell. Sincerely Richard in Michigan You know how lucky you are man....♫♫♫ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestMichigan Posted June 18, 2012 Author Share #10 Posted June 18, 2012 You know how lucky you are man....♫♫♫ ♫♫♫... I certainly do JC, I certainly do. It seems that every other comment, thread, or post I've read regarding the 13.5cm Hektor says watch out for fungus, haze, and seperation - lions & tigers & bears oh my. :-) I have the impression that of the 108,000+ of them which were made a major chunk of their ranks have fallen to in some way to one or another of those three lens diseases. Oddly enough it 'fell' into my possession right after picking up a black screwmount 13.5cm f3.5 Nikkor on the 'bay so in a matter of a few days I've went from having none to having two 135mm's competing for my attention! The Nikkor has yet to arrive, but is supposed to be a licensed derivative of the Zeiss Olympic Sonnar (hope I got the name right in this forum!). The Olympic Sonnar Lenses are/were quite the lenses if my internet research is accurate. Sincerely Richard Ward Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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