Advice needed. Lens "damaged" When cleaned

[Joe AC]

So, I had a mint copy of a 50mm Summicron V5 when one day (for some unknown reason) I decided to shine a light through it and saw a little haze developing. I mailed the lens out to a well known Leica repair person used by many on this forum to get cleaned. I just received the lens back today and upon inspection saw that the two notches (which were originally in perfect condition) on the ring around the front element badly marred and have been "touched up" with black paint. Also, when shining a light through the lens, I can see that the haze is gone but now see a cleaning mark and a slight smudge inside the lens. I telephoned the repair person and expressed my concerns and he said to send the lens back so it can be inspected. Unless I'm mistaken, you can't un-scratch a lens and the front ring has the serial number on it so it cant be replaced. I'm just not sure how to approach this.
Any suggestions?

Thanks
Joe

 

[JMQ]

I had a similar experience. Recently I sent a Leitz 21 finder to a well-known repair person to have it cleaned, and it came back with the frame lines no longer level and rattles. When I complained, the repair person immediately refunded the repair cost, but I was left holding the bag. Now, the 21 finder is much less expensive than the Summicron, so I feel your pain.

I'll be interested to hear what counsel others may give as well.

 

[enasniearth]

Haze ,

Haze ,

Probably the original haze did not effect the photographs much ,
The new problem will again not effect the photograph much .
Sorry to hear that there was damage to the retaining ring ,
Disassembly can be a little tough and this does happen .
Don't send anything else to this repair person .
Shoot with the lens to see if its still as good as it gets .

 

[Major Tom]

I just received the lens back today and upon inspection saw that the two notches (which were originally in perfect condition) on the ring around the front element badly marred and have been "touched up" with black paint. Also, when shining a light through the lens, I can see that the haze is gone but now see a cleaning mark and a slight smudge inside the lens.

It seems odd that someone known for working on Leica lenses would seemingly forget how to (dis)assemble a Summicron.

I've had Focal Point recommended to me. I'm about to mail a lens to him. Other than a single post somewhere about an element having a fingerprint left on it, I haven't heard anything bad about them. Supposedly removing minor defects and recoating is his specialty.

 

[Joe AC]

It seems odd that someone known for working on Leica lenses would seemingly forget how to (dis)assemble a Summicron.

I've had Focal Point recommended to me. I'm about to mail a lens to him. Other than a single post somewhere about an element having a fingerprint left on it, I haven't heard anything bad about them. Supposedly removing minor defects and recoating is his specialty.

The repair person said the retaining ring is made of aluminum and is soft and what happened to it is normal for that lens?!?!?!?

Thanks,

Joe

 

[GaryLH]

Repair people are human to.. We all have our bad days and we do make mistakes. As long as they acknowledge the issue and correct it the best they can, that is pretty much as good as it can get.

To the op.. Man what a bummer.. I feel for u.

I agree with a previous post, go take some pictures to c if u notice any difference. I have seen and used and bought lenses w/ scratches before, in most cases they really don't affect the shot. That way at least u know where u stand w/ the lens and when the repair guy comes back and gives u his new evaluation...

Medium to heavy Haze/fungus is a completely different story. Yeah, the bad is it affects your resale value..

Good luck
Gary

 

[Frontman]

It is not good when a repair person scratches or damages something which they are supposed to be fixing. The front ring around the lens can sometimes be impossibly tight, and won't budge, and aluminum or brass is easily marred. Getting it off is likely to deform the notches, even when using the proper tools.

On the other hand, there is really no excuse to leave marks or smudges inside the lens. I would send the lens back, or get a refund and then send the lens to someone else.

 

[kzphoto]

The front ring is removable with a spanner wrench. The wrench probably slipped when it was removed. If you're really concerned about it, send it in to Leica and I bet you they can put a new front ring on it. Alternatively you can probably order a front ring from Leica and just drop it in yourself if you have the tools.

 

[D&A]

It seems odd that someone known for working on Leica lenses would seemingly forget how to (dis)assemble a Summicron.

I've had Focal Point recommended to me. I'm about to mail a lens to him. Other than a single post somewhere about an element having a fingerprint left on it, I haven't heard anything bad about them. Supposedly removing minor defects and recoating is his specialty.

Tom,

I just sent in a lens to them too, less than a week ago. I too heard good recommendations of focal point but no telling what the outcome will be. Hopefully we'll both compare notes and all will turn out fine.

Dave

 

[rivercityrocker]

I sent in my Nikon 14-24 to get a new lens hood put on ($500!!!) and it came back with a pretty big scratch on the front element.

I sent it back and demanded a new front element put in. Got the lens back and it was covered in greasy fingerprints and lubricant. Sent it back AGAIN with a nasty letter.

Got a new lens.

Just shows that even the big guys will screw up and hope to slip one by you.

 

[Joe AC]

The front ring is removable with a spanner wrench. The wrench probably slipped when it was removed. If you're really concerned about it, send it in to Leica and I bet you they can put a new front ring on it. Alternatively you can probably order a front ring from Leica and just drop it in yourself if you have the tools.

The front ring has a serial number on it. I'm pretty sure that I can't get a replacement.

Joe

 

[Monochrom]

Hi, bad news, but it´s usual to get that kind of damage, the front ring is indeed aluminium or brass.
The wrench can easily slip and scratch even the lens itself.
it can be repaired making a great deal of work by filling the scratches and then repainting as neded.

The haze and fungus many times etch glass surface and/or coating surface, so when taken away they left the shadow where they were.

Many times is better not to touch a thing and even better is to stop haze and fungus formations by having those silica gel pouches next to the camera in the bag or better a dry chamber.

🙂

 

[goamules]

I'm about to send a Canon 35/2 RF lens to get some haze cleaned. I'd like to know who did this to your lens, so I can avoid them. Would you PM me with who it was?

 

[paradoxbox]

old thread but just to give my 2 cents

some spanner rings are impossible to avoid damaging. sometimes the ring is just too tight and it won't open.

most repair people have two kinds of tools, rubber openers and then actual spanner wrenches.

i always try to open a lens with the rubber ones first, but if it won't open i go for the spanners. if the lens has never been serviced it may require so much force to open that the aluminum / brass will become marred or burred.

sucks but that's how it is. the only other option sometimes is to just leave the lens closed.

scratches on the glass are not acceptable, the repair person should always put a rubber or paper protector over the elements while using a spanner.

 

[NY_Dan]

I've used Focal Point and he's the best. He has the correct equipment, knows how to use it, can re-coat and will make good on something like the OP described.

 

[Chris Sherlock]

I'll throw in my two-cents worth too.

When cameras and lenses were new and shiny, the service agents had available to them a large range of shiny new parts. If something got damaged during a repair, you just walked down to the spares cupboards and got out a new part. Leatherettes either came off quickly and easily, or were just as quickly scraped off and were replaced with new ones.

Shiny new cameras and lenses also tend to be much easier to take apart than the old ones that have had time for materials to deteriorate and corrosion to develop. Some metals seem to weld actually themselves together given a tight fit and enough time.

With old photographic equipment parts are commonly only available from organ-donors, a repairer has to do the best they can with what is available.

There is a normal sequence of tools to try when attempting to remove a name-ring or similar. You start with a friction tool, and only reach for a spanner if that fails.

If I sent back a broken item unrepaired just because I might scratch something in the process of taking it apart, then I'd be out of work, and my customers would not have working equipment. There is always the possibility that a tool might slip regardless of the level of care taken. It is unfortunate when it happens, but keep in mind that you can't see a problem like a scratched name ring on a film negative, but you might see a problem with uncorrected haze.

Regards, Chris