Leica LTM Leica IIIc with Summitar 50 f2 - first roll

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
Hey Gabor, I also heard about that UV / Sun healing whatever but didn't attempt it yet. I guess I should refrain from it after all.

It's pretty hard telling what's in a lens, I thought my Summitar was way full of haze and then I compared it to my Canon LTM 50 1.8 just to discover the Summitar was very light on haze in comparison. I have put the Summitar on my M3 and will shoot it for a while to detect flaws if any.

One thing I need to do and I haven't yet done is to get a small plastic box with a humidity gauge which are sold relatively cheap in Yodobashi. I perhaps will do that today, have way too much gear that I don't want to give up to the Japanese summers...

Ben
 
Ben, given the recent, actual, and yet to come humid weather conditions in Kanto I would quickly get me some dry-box and if possible one that controls humidity automatically. It was the first item I bought the day after moving from Sapporo to Tokyo.

Haze will always build up inside lenses due to high temperatures but fungus also needs relatively high humidity and darkness.

Better to store all your equipment (lenses) with fronts caps removed inside a dry-box and avoid any leather straps or half-cases made from leather.

One thing I have found in the internet is a tip to store old Leitz lenses with aperture fully open to prevent outgassing of lubricants onto the inner glass surfaces.
 
Ben, given the recent, actual, and yet to come humid weather conditions in Kanto I would quickly get me some dry-box and if possible one that controls humidity automatically. It was the first item I bought the day after moving from Sapporo to Tokyo. Haze will always build up inside lenses due to high temperatures but fungus also needs relatively high humidity and darkness. Better to store all your equipment (lenses) with fronts caps removed inside a dry-box and avoid any leather straps or half-cases made from leather. One thing I have found in the internet is a tip to store old Leitz lenses with aperture fully open to prevent outgassing of lubricants onto the inner glass surfaces.

Hi Gabor,

Not sure why I haven't done this yet. Will get the box today.

Thanks again!
Ben
 
Hi all,

Here's the reply from Kanto camera. Looks decent but a little expensive for me. About the Grandfather's lens though, might just be reasonable.

Good weekend folks!
Ben

Thank you very much for your inquiry.
Sorry that we could not reply you sooner.

Approximate repair cost of standard overhaul for Summitar 50/2 is 40,000 JPY including re-coating of middle elements.
If the lens doesn't have coat on the middle element, re-coating is not necessary and the cost will be less expensive.
I checked the photo and the middle elements look like coated.

Our standard overhaul includes following procedure for your reference.

Complete exchange of the grease
Cleaning of all the lens elements
Cleaning of the aperture blades
Test with MTF measurement device, collimater, etc.
Disassembling and reassembling in proper way.


Turnaround time is about 1 and half month

[\quote]






We may be able to give you a little less expensive price depending on the lens condition.
For an actual quotation, please bring the lens to our shop or send it to us with repair request form.

You can find repair request form at URL below (Please see step 2).
http://www.kanto-cs.co.jp/english/repair/request.html

If you have any further questions. please feel free to ask us.
Thank you very much.
 
@bence8810:

About my "real" work, there is no need to worry, little more than a handful of people on this planet can probably grasp every detail of my work. It is fascinating, but lonely... Also, glad that you like the photos, they are the least bad that I have shot so far out of about 40,000 shots...

Mould and moisture is a pain. I store my equipment in a plastic box with a transparent front and keep two "fresh" moisture traps inside at all times. The wonderful camera leather has to be taken off for storage and I will most likely use the aperture trick @maddoc mentioned for my older lenses.

Thanks a ton for getting that quote from Kanto Camera Service. 40,000 JPY (~380 USD) is a lot, if I did not have an emotional attachment to mine I probably would not consider it. But, given the circumstances I map ask them to do an overhaul of mine before leaving Japan (if that ever happens) so that the lens will be good to go for at least two more generations.

@maddoc:

Likewise, always nice to meet a fellow researcher.
 
Yesterday I took a trip down to Kawasaki and dropped by Kanto Camera Service for a 12585H hood for the Summitar. Goodness me, the people down there are friendly and the displays they have of the internals of lenses and cameras are just wonderful.

I also took the opportunity to get an opinion on my own Summitar and got the same estimate of 40,000 JPY (plus taxes) for an overhaul:

* Re-lubrication.
* Coating of the now uncoated middle elements.
* Making the aperture ring less rigid (when it gets cold it is nearly stuck).
* Fixing some slight focusing issues.

I will most likely take them up on it, it is just a question of "when" more than "if".

Lastly, they slapped me a little bit for not painting the inner-most region of my after market SNHOO adapter. I have to admit, this is my bad and after looking at pictures of the original SNHOO it is painted in matte black. Now, I just need to go and pick up some matte paint if I can figure out what kind of paint that would be recommended for a piece of aluminium that resides very close to my precious front element.
 
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