Industar-26M won't fit Zorki 1

[farlymac]

Just got an I-26M in the mail, and when I went to mount it on my Zorki 1, it won't go anymore than a third of the way in before binding up.

I cleaned the threads on the camera mount, checked it and the lens for any damage using my magnifying hood, and made sure I had the lens at close-focus. I cannot detect any difference in the thread pitch, but then I have no way to measure it. It does appear to match the pitch on my I-22 when I line them up together, but there is so little thread on both of them it is hard to make a good comparison.

Is this a common problem with this lens/camera combo, or do I just have a lens with a quality control issue? I don't have any other FSU bodies to check it on, so I'm asking if anyone has had this problem before. I have contacted the seller, just to let him know what is happening, and that I was looking for answers from other sources. It's such a good looking lens, I'd hate to have to return it.

PF

 

[Coldkennels]

I'd guess that the thread on the I-26 is damaged if your Zorki's original lens mounts and unmounts okay; I have a borrowed Zorki 1 lying around and both of my I-26Ms fit on it just fine. Quite a nice-looking little combo, actually. (An aside: I prefer the nicer (and earlier) tabbed one, but not just because it looks a bit tidier; the knurled focusing rings on the later Industars don't just look ugly, but they intrude into the Zorki's viewfinder.)

Do you have any other LTM bodies to try it on? That'd be my first port of call. Or, failing that, if any of your friends have an LTM body, ask if you can borrow theirs for a mo.

Or, of course, you could buy yourself a Fed 2 to test out the lens... 😎

 

[farlymac]

It's fixed.

After numerous attempts to determine just where the hang-up was, I just started to apply more force. It eventually worked it's way past the point where the thread was damaged (though I still can't see where), and after repeated twists finally seated properly. Since it is an aluminum barrel, I just figured that the camera mount would work as a threader, being made out of harder stuff. I didn't find any shavings when I got done, so it had to be a small deformation. Everything is fine now.

I just have to get a filter to keep on it so the lens cap doesn't fall off, or re-line the cap.

I'm also glad I don't have to send it back because it is the earlier tabbed version like Coldkennels', and it has a very nice body considering it's age. Most of the ones you see are pretty much scratched up or corroded.

I feel better now. And the camera looks better too.

PF

 

[Coldkennels]

That's good news! A bit of brute force can go a long way.

re. lens caps: a standard 40.5mm clip-on cap from ebay would work, as would lining the push-on cap with duct tape. Both options would probably be considerably cheaper (and less hassle) than buying and using a filter 24/7. Although, if you're shooting black and white, FSU yellow filters can be had pretty cheaply.

 

[farlymac]

That's good news! A bit of brute force can go a long way.

re. lens caps: a standard 40.5mm clip-on cap from ebay would work, as would lining the push-on cap with duct tape. Both options would probably be considerably cheaper (and less hassle) than buying and using a filter 24/7. Although, if you're shooting black and white, FSU yellow filters can be had pretty cheaply.

Oh, I've got filters. The I-26M will be sharing the Walz/Nikon set I have with the Contax IIa. And I usually have a yellow filter on when shooting b&w, or a Skylight when doing color. But the clip-ons are a good alternative to using the original cap so that it doesn't get damaged or lost. I could even get a screw-in metal cap to retain that classic look of the I-26M.

PF