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Summicron 50mm Type 5 - Took it apart and cleaned it, should I have?


soundsk

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Hi,

 

Yesterday I brought home a Leica M6 with a Summicron 50mm Type 5 (built-in hood). It's my first Leica camera and lens. Both seem to have had little use, they are in very good cosmetic condition, little wear...

 

When I got home last night, upon close inspection of the lens under a lamp, I noticed something I hadn't seen before buying. On the edge of the front element, when light was hitting at a very specific angle, one could see marks or stains, can't quite describe it, around most of the edge, almost like it was lubricant.

 

At first I thought it was on the outside, and I cleaned it, but it remained, that's when I realized it was on the inside of the front element.

 

I couldn't resist the temptation, and tried to unscrew the ring with the lens description. It unscrewed, so I carried on exploring... Undid a retaining ring after that, and the front group came out. Another ring on the back of the front group, unscrewed that, and the front group divided in two, and you can reach the back of the front element.

So I cleaned the back of the front element, with standard lens cleaning fluid, and it appears to have worked, the lens seems perfectly clean with no marks whatsoever.

 

Reassembled it with caution and it's on the camera, which is halfway through the first roll... Still haven't bought the adapters for my digital cameras.

 

After I did it, doubt started to creep in... Could that have been some kind of coating on the inside of the front element? Could I have removed it just by cleaning?

The only time I saw coating damage was in an old Mamiya TLR lens, the coating was kind of peeling off around the edges, but it looked different, it had an edge to it, and kind of chipped off.

In the Leica it wasn't like that, it looked stained, smudged almost, no edge to it.

 

Does anyone know if this lens has any coating on the inside of the front element that is sensitive enough to damage by cleaning like this?

 

I also read a thread here that states that all inner coatings since 1960's are hard, and not likely to be damaged by simple cleaning... I hope that stands true in this case...

 

It seemed to me that the front-side of the back element from this front group indeed was coated, but I did not touch that, as it was clean and perfect.

 

Any insights are appreciated... Thank you very much!

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Don't worry. Coatings are hard enough.

Take some shots with your camera to see if it works fine or ask a friend owning an M9 or M to check for you. Your dealer can help finding an M9.

Franco

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Franco, thank you for your input.

 

Unfortunately I have no friends with digital Leicas. I do, however, have a Fuji X-E1, just ordered the Leica-M adapter from eBay, so I can use the Summicron on it, should be here by the end of the week...

 

The roll in the M6 right now is 24 exposures, so I'll probably have it out and develop it tonight or tomorrow... I'm hoping all is well with it...

 

The meter appears to be working, it's in the ballpark with my Sunny 16 estimates... When I get the roll out perhaps I'll try to test the shutter speeds...

Also it's my first time using a rangefinder focusing system, still getting used to it... Are these prone to malfunction or misalignment with lenses?

Sorry for the slight off-topic!

Anyway, here's a quick phone snapshot of my new "baby"! :)

 

2nrm108.jpg

 

Cheers, and thanks!

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I don`t think that there is any danger that you have destroyed something, but of course there is no way for you to check that the reassembly so to speak is within standard.

 

I don`t think what you have done is that rare, and possibly reassembly is not as diffcult as we think. If it works well, it should be ok.

 

A friend of mine who is a professional photograper told me how he at one point of time dropped a movie lens in a shallow river. He took it apart, dried it overnight and put it together in the morning and it served him well for many years afterwards.

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Hi!

 

Thanks Franco, that's my intention...

Developed the first roll on Monday night, yesterday I was out all day on a job but when I got home yesterday night I scanned the negatives.

The focus checks out - it's spot on in every shot.

Still had time to test the shutter speeds with a homemade sensor I built a few months ago, all speeds are good.

 

Here are a couple I uploaded to flickr. (Still have to hone my developing&scanning skills).

 

8636415031_3a3b18d30f_z.jpg

Twirly little thing... por soundsk, no Flickr

 

8636415653_29675ab570_z.jpg

My ol' boy... por soundsk, no Flickr

 

Cheers, and thanks for the help!

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