Leica 35mm Summaron disassemble

[jordanstarr]

I hit a stump and wondering if someone has disassembled this lens before. I have all the tools and have taken apart many lenses before. I'm sure it's something simple that I'm missing. I have the back element off, but other rings seem to also adjust focusing and aperture mechanisms that I do not need to tamper with. Any help would be much appreciated.

...thanks in advance.

 

[jordanstarr]

...just for more information, it's the f3.5 m-mount version and I'm trying to get at the element just before the rear part of the aperture to clean some haze. I've taken off the rear element(s) and just need to get at the next one.

 

[Keith]

I have an LTM version of this lens and when I gave it to a local tech to have it cleaned he couldn't get it apart and apologetically sent it back to me. I sent it to DAG in the US and he did it OK but I was warned before he started that occasionally the front element will break during dissasembly. 😱

There must be something unusual about the design maybe?

 

[jordanstarr]

Keith...

...a scary thought. It looks so simple though! It's literally a couple screws and a couple rings. Looked like a piece of cake.

...Jordan

 

[Ron (Netherlands)]

Try to clean it with fully open aperture, so without further disassemble

 

[jordanstarr]

Ron...

Not exactly sure what you mean? I always have my aperture fully open when working on a lens if that's what you mean.

 

[elmer3.5]

Front elements

Front elements

Hi, did the same job last week end, but couldn´t get into the rear elements.

The front is easy:

Remove the screws retaining the aperture ring, take care with the coil (long thin flat one), previously set ap to 3.5.
Immediatelly you´ll notice three tiny lateral screws wich set in place the lens assy to the filter rim.
Once out unscrew gently the rim and everything will be out.
The front lense will be exposed, to set it free you must loose it by gentle blows and gravity.
Once the first is out, you´ll notice the second one and a threaded rim surrounding it, that lens is NOT screwed it´s set as a sandwich.
Take it apart grabing the rim. Once done you´ll reach the ap blades.
Take good care not to get the blades out of place, because in a large lens is easy to put them again in place but in this one uffff, thankfully i did ok and the blades never dropped out!

Bye

 

[jordanstarr]

elmer3.5...

Thanks for the advice. I think we're talking about different versions of the lens because mine doesn't have screws holding the aperture. And I think the whole column with the retaining ring on the front and back are linked to the aperture and focus because when I turn them, the aperture opens and closes as well. There's one screw on the body and that is it. It's near the focusing knob. Is this the one you're talking about?

 

[Ron (Netherlands)]

Remove the screws retaining the aperture ring, take care with the coil (long thin flat one), previously set ap to 3.5.
Immediatelly you´ll notice three tiny lateral screws wich set in place the lens assy to the filter rim.
Once out unscrew gently the rim and everything will be out.
The front lense will be exposed, to set it free you must loose it by gentle blows and gravity.

elmer3.5...
Thanks for the advice. I think we're talking about different versions of the lens because mine doesn't have screws holding the aperture. talking about?

That is indeed the other (first) version, but trying to open the later version is quite different.
btw what I meant leaving the aperture open is that in that case you can clean the front part of the glass from the back, so you don't have to dismantle that front of the lens.

 

[peterm1]

Sad to hear this is a hard one to disassenble. I have the early one for an M3 - the type designed for use with a separate accessory shoe mounted viewfinder and it does flare somewhat in backlit situations indicating the presence of some gunk. I was planning to get it cleaned for use with my M8 as when it does not flare, it produces jolly nice images. I may have to rethink. My local repair man was exhibiting reluctance to take it on citing difficulties in disassembly. At the time I thought he was being unnecessarily nervy, but it seems he knew his apples.

Still, I also have a late screw mount verison and it is clean. I think it has the same optical formula so perhaps I must just commit to using that instead. The irony is that because the earlier one uses an LTM-M adapter it beings up the correct framelines on my M3, whereas the later M mount one does not.

What I cna say is that the Summaorn 35mm f3.5 is generally a very nice lens and since most wide angles tend to be shot stopped down, who cares about the modest maximum aperture!

 

[jordanstarr]

Ron...

Thanks for the clarification. After thinking about it, I'm thought that's what you meant. As it is THE VERY MIDDLE element -the hardest one to get at (isn't that how it always works?) with the glass facing the aperture, I appreciate the advice.

Peter...

The haze I have is light and doesn't appear to effect the quality of the images (I'll need to make some 11x14 prints soon to test this, so I'm tempted to leave it as is. But having the tools handy and having successfully cleaned every lens I've had to clean, it is really irking me.