doubs43
Well-known
After dropping my wife off at the Colonial Mall in Macon, I headed downtown to visit the only true photography store this side of Atlanta. I needed D-76 replenisher and the opportunity to look around a little.
No replenisher on the shelf so I went to the back display cabinet and looked. The usual assortment of odds and ends.......... Wait a minute! What's that in the lower corner? Could it be a screw-mount lens for a Leica? Lemme see that thing!
The clerk handed me a pile of dust with a lens hiding somewhere inside! Having sat for years - literally - with the rear of the lens upward and open, it had accumulated a massive amount of dust inside. It had a RF coupling though! I turned it over and saw that it was a 135mm f/3.5 Komura and while dusty, the front element appeared to be unharmed. Focus was smooth enough and the aperture ring positive....... how much? "let me ask" came the reply. Oh..... is there any D-76 replenisher hiding in the back anywhere? "I'll ask about that too!"
Returning with an old bag of replenisher marked $5.95 and the Komura, he said "$10 for the lens". I said "I'll take it" without skipping a beat!
The clerk gave me a can of compressed air and I took it outside and blew as much dust as possible from the back recesses of the lens, being very careful not to blow a direct stream of air onto the rear element. I let it deflect off of the sides and lift the dust out.
Outside again, I attached the lens to my Bessa-T and noted that infinity focus was perfect.
I've cleaned the front and read elements and the lens looks really nice. The build quality seems to be very good. Tomorrow I plan on testing it and my two Hektor 135's and my Canon 135mm f/3.5 lens on the Bessa. The results should be interesting.
Walker
No replenisher on the shelf so I went to the back display cabinet and looked. The usual assortment of odds and ends.......... Wait a minute! What's that in the lower corner? Could it be a screw-mount lens for a Leica? Lemme see that thing!
The clerk handed me a pile of dust with a lens hiding somewhere inside! Having sat for years - literally - with the rear of the lens upward and open, it had accumulated a massive amount of dust inside. It had a RF coupling though! I turned it over and saw that it was a 135mm f/3.5 Komura and while dusty, the front element appeared to be unharmed. Focus was smooth enough and the aperture ring positive....... how much? "let me ask" came the reply. Oh..... is there any D-76 replenisher hiding in the back anywhere? "I'll ask about that too!"
Returning with an old bag of replenisher marked $5.95 and the Komura, he said "$10 for the lens". I said "I'll take it" without skipping a beat!
The clerk gave me a can of compressed air and I took it outside and blew as much dust as possible from the back recesses of the lens, being very careful not to blow a direct stream of air onto the rear element. I let it deflect off of the sides and lift the dust out.
Outside again, I attached the lens to my Bessa-T and noted that infinity focus was perfect.
I've cleaned the front and read elements and the lens looks really nice. The build quality seems to be very good. Tomorrow I plan on testing it and my two Hektor 135's and my Canon 135mm f/3.5 lens on the Bessa. The results should be interesting.
Walker
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