raid
Dad Photographer
All this talk here about internal haze made me remove my Canon 50/1.2 from the M10, and I replaced it with a Summicron 50/2.
cboy
Well-known
I was considering the 50mm f1.2 but was concerned of old lens haze syndrome so i opted out. But images are nice and dreamy! Definately a character lens
raid
Dad Photographer
I have several 50mm lenses,, so I have many options. I will keep the Canon 50:1.2 as is. It is a very sharp lens but it gives a lovely vintage look to the images.
Ko.Fe.
Lenses 35/21 Gears 46/20
Obviously not my IQ, but lens is so Canon from the old good days.
Well... they ended it with ugly 50 1.2 RF. Great IQ, awful lens...
Well... they ended it with ugly 50 1.2 RF. Great IQ, awful lens...
raid
Dad Photographer
This is with the Canon 50/12. I like the image. NO PS was used. Haze or no haze, it looks good.
raid
Dad Photographer
Take a look at this crop from the full sized image. No PS enhancing was used here. My 50/1.2 is doing well, I think. How much better looking would images be with a CLA of the lens?
raid
Dad Photographer
Here is another cop. I don't want the lens any sharper than what I am getting.
Mackinaw
Think Different
A CLA would just add a bit more contrast to your images, but honestly, you can do that in Photoshop. These lenses are prone to haze, but they're so easy to take apart and clean, it's no big deal. As mentioned before, I can take apart, clean, and reassemble in probably 15 minutes. I still need to finish the roll of film that's in my IVSB2. I took about 10 shots of a model at figure drawing, all wide open at F1.2. I'll post a few scans, once I finish that roll.
Jim B.
Jim B.
raid
Dad Photographer
I am not as handy as you are, Jim, and it would require me to mail the lens to some camera repair person.
shawn
Veteran
One ring you take out of the rear and then the lens separates in two. You can then remove the rear element, wipe it clean and the screw it back in place, put the two halves back together and put the ring back in.
Watch this video from the starting point to 1:32.
https://youtu.be/eGp0zR28-rw?t=68
At 1:32 you would just unscrew the rear element and clean the inside face. No other disassembly needed. Removing rear element here...
https://youtu.be/eGp0zR28-rw?t=167
to 3:06. Clear the inside face of that and reassemble. The two halves can only go back together in one way so you can't put them together wrong.
Almost takes longer to type this then to do it. Going to clean one of my 1.2s right now....
Shawn
shawn
Veteran
Slight correction to above, rear element came out in two steps. First unscrews the rear most element, then the inner rear element unscrews too, Whole process took 4 minutes and 44 seconds start to finish and I wasn't rushing it.
Pre-cleaning...
Post-cleaning
Both at ISO 200, f1.2, 1/2000 with the same focus point... the plate at the bottom of the chain. Straight LR conversion from DNG, nothing done to files.
Shawn
Pre-cleaning...
Post-cleaning
Both at ISO 200, f1.2, 1/2000 with the same focus point... the plate at the bottom of the chain. Straight LR conversion from DNG, nothing done to files.
Shawn
raid
Dad Photographer
Thank you for the instructions, Shawn. I may do it.
shawn
Veteran
shawn
Veteran
My second one looked clean looking the lens but took it apart to check anyway.
Took pictures at all the steps...
If you clean that rear element with it still in the holder just be careful how you do it. Some cleaners might take a little of the blacking off the holder and get it onto the cleaning cloth. I very lightly spin the lens on the cleaning cloth so that I don't move the cloth from an edge onto the glass. And of course change cloth frequently. This lens cleaned up nicely but I forgot to get a shot of it.
Shawn
Took pictures at all the steps...
If you clean that rear element with it still in the holder just be careful how you do it. Some cleaners might take a little of the blacking off the holder and get it onto the cleaning cloth. I very lightly spin the lens on the cleaning cloth so that I don't move the cloth from an edge onto the glass. And of course change cloth frequently. This lens cleaned up nicely but I forgot to get a shot of it.
Shawn
raid
Dad Photographer
Very impressive looking, Shawn. I have none of these instruments.
shawn
Veteran
The lens spanner is $21 on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J5F73GA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Some people make their own with a compass. Very useful tool to have. If the rings aren't really tight they can often be loosened with a small flat head screwdriver but the spanner makes it easier and safer. If you haven't used one before the trick is holding the spanner in place and turning the lens to loosen a ring.
Shawn
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J5F73GA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Some people make their own with a compass. Very useful tool to have. If the rings aren't really tight they can often be loosened with a small flat head screwdriver but the spanner makes it easier and safer. If you haven't used one before the trick is holding the spanner in place and turning the lens to loosen a ring.
Shawn
raid
Dad Photographer
I will have to learn.
Coldkennels
Barnack-toting Brit.
shawn
Veteran
I use either denatured alcohol (not rubbing alcohol) or naptha. For mold, ammonia and hydrogen peroxide is supposed to be really good but I haven't needed to use it. The microfiber cleaning cloths work well. I only use them once so I cut a larger one down into smaller pieces or softer paper. Biggest thing is to just be very gentle and then know which lenses you won't want to clean at all due to very soft coatings. (Elmar 2.8 for example) To be extra gentle you can wet the paper/cloth and then just drag it across the lens so there is almost no pressure on it. Blow it all off first to make sure there is nothing physical on it. Also watch what you are doing through the glass in case something gets picked up from the retaining ring(s).
If I have something that doesn't come off easily I will try soaking it longer. If it is bare glass I will just submerge, if it is still in a ring I will put a piece of lens paper/cloth sit on the glass and then just keep it wet. Naptha works better for this.
Find a relatively simple/junk lens to start on. Esp. one that you can find directions on how to disassemble it. Start with just cleaning glass. After you feel comfortable with that then try a helicoid regrease but make sure you find directions on how to disaasemble and mark it before taking it all apart or you will run into trouble reassembling it and getting focus accurate. Save lenses with CRC for later as they are quite a bit more complex with multiple helicoids.
If I have a lens that is basically hazed over and the above isn't taking it off I have successfully polished a few back to clarity with polishing compound.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AF8KE0S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
But this is last resort for a lens that is otherwise already dead and can only make it better. Best with uncoated glass of course. I had a couple of old Kodak lenses which were badly hazed and taking this slowly and carefully got them back to beautiful condition.
All of this is for cleaning the other surfaces of a lens. If you have haze between cemented elements that is a whole different story that I haven't figured out yet. I have a beautiful Kobalux 21mm that recently hazed up between two cemented elements. Not sure if I can do anything to get that back.
Shawn
If I have something that doesn't come off easily I will try soaking it longer. If it is bare glass I will just submerge, if it is still in a ring I will put a piece of lens paper/cloth sit on the glass and then just keep it wet. Naptha works better for this.
Find a relatively simple/junk lens to start on. Esp. one that you can find directions on how to disassemble it. Start with just cleaning glass. After you feel comfortable with that then try a helicoid regrease but make sure you find directions on how to disaasemble and mark it before taking it all apart or you will run into trouble reassembling it and getting focus accurate. Save lenses with CRC for later as they are quite a bit more complex with multiple helicoids.
If I have a lens that is basically hazed over and the above isn't taking it off I have successfully polished a few back to clarity with polishing compound.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AF8KE0S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
But this is last resort for a lens that is otherwise already dead and can only make it better. Best with uncoated glass of course. I had a couple of old Kodak lenses which were badly hazed and taking this slowly and carefully got them back to beautiful condition.
All of this is for cleaning the other surfaces of a lens. If you have haze between cemented elements that is a whole different story that I haven't figured out yet. I have a beautiful Kobalux 21mm that recently hazed up between two cemented elements. Not sure if I can do anything to get that back.
Shawn