Need help opening Voigtlander 10mm for cleaning

[kathala]

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Hi all,

taking pictures around a waterfall yesterday, the Voigtlander 10mm got wet. I put it in rice, but after 24 hours, there's still condensation near the front. I'll leave it again overnight, but I need the lens tomorrow. If the condensation does not go away, can anyone recommend how to open and clean it? do I go in from the back? is the aperture assembly in one piece? I've taken SLR lenses apart before and have a wrench, but no experience with Voigtlanders.

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[hmzimelka]

I'm not sure about the 10mm but the front elements can often be removed easily from the front. Usually, the name plate surrounding the front element is screwed in for which you'll need those rubber cone tools to unscrew it. After which you'll either find screws or retaining ring on which you can use the lens spanner. If you get this far, and want things to go in exactly the same way, use a small square of masking tape, draw an arrow or a line on it, and place it on the lens element clocking it with the 12 o'clock position.

Usually, in my experience, clocking lens elements is far more critical for the rear projection group, but you may want to make sure no less.

Edited April 4, 2023 by hmzimelka

[kathala]

so, for anyone interested, here is my experience:

the back part just unscrews, even without a wrench.

you're then at the aperture.

that was flooded, and so was every lens-air space in the back part. the whole thing is badly made and just COLLECTS water and traps it. like some cheap M42 thing from seventy years ago, except not priced like that at all. 

even worse, the water also got to the front part. which is apparently SO badly made that it needs meticulous recalibration if you took it apart  (https://www.yukosteel.com/2021/06/disassembly-voigtlander-15mm-f45-iii.html), rather than just putting it back together. I've never seen such idiocy in my life. it's not just cheaply made (such as a wobbling aperture dial), it's badly engineered as well. there is tubus upon tubus in the middle, all adding weight, none adding stability or accessibility, and certainly not environmental sealing. not a single gasket, drainage etc. in the entire lens - a 1k lens!

and now I'm stuck. I won't be able to recalibrate the lens myself, so I cannot take apart the front. and there's no fast or accessible service here.

I've started looking for the Laowa 9mm and really feel left in the rain by CV.

[rramesh]

Most professional repair shops should be able to offer cleaning services. Manual lenses are not too hard to clean. You just need to know how to disassemble them and have the right tools available.