new member needs help with Summitar lens

[violetcanary]

My 50mm Summitar has a fleck of paint directly in the middle of the lens. The lens won't unscrew, can't get it apart and neither can two Leica repair people who have tried gingerly. This is my first posting and I will try to attach the image. I have NO problem with flare, etc. so I could keep it but I do not want to spend a bunch of money on a body. What bodies besides Leica do Leica lenses, bayonet, fit on? THanks everyone. Violet Canary

 

[Steve M.]

That looks more like separation of the internal lens elements. Are you sure it's a fleck of paint?

 

[back alley]

please take a look around and notice that we have various and sundry categories for all types of questions.

a question about a particular lens does not fit in the rff news category.

i will move it to a more appropriate forum.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Joe will move the thread- I'll try an answer.

The Summitar should unscrew right at the aperture mechanism allowing easy access to the blades. The blades can easily fall out, so be careful blowing the fleck out. It is probably from the part of the glass not in the optical path, used to reduce reflections.

Sometimes it takes a really hard twist, using rubber mouse pads or something of the sort. Rarely have I seen a lens cemented together- but sometimes some repair techs do that. I've seen grease get hard like glue, and lighter fluid weaken it. Once I soaked the metal fixture of a lens in nail polish remover for two weeks to dissolve the grease. Of course that was after removing the glass.

 

[violetcanary]

Sorry folks, I'm new and don't know where to post things. Please let me know where I should go to look for more answers when you move it. I thought it was as lens so put it where it said "lens."

 

[violetcanary]

Steve, the Leica tech in Boston, Li or some name like that, said paint. It looked like black paper to me but it was inside so probably a fleck of something that is usually inside the lenses. Another Pro camera owner and repair person par excellence sold it to me and when I tried to get him to take it back, he said he couldn't sell it. He had tried to get it unstuck, the elements, and was unable to so am pretty sure, it wouldn't be an easy job to get them apart. But, I am up for suggestions!

 

[siracusa]

Sounds like the anti-reflective paint flaking off. If the lens was like that when supplied then surely the vendor should take it back. Anyway, the Summitar will unscrew as Brian describes. Further details and a photograph indicating where to unscrew can be found here (scroll down the page):
http://justinlow.com/articles/repair-leica-summitar
The coatings are very soft and unless you are confident I would just suggest that you send the lens off to someone who is experienced at dealing with such lenses. It can't hurt for the lens to have a good CLA at the same time.

 

[violetcanary]

Ah, looking at that picture and the 3 screws, my lens has what looks to be a thin brass flat ring over that area. Maybe it holds the bayonet mount on??? so I can't see the 3 screws. Looks like either of those two guys would have known that? So, how would I remove the thin, brass ring? I probably won't, I will leave it to the Boston tech but just curious if you know and have time to keep on helping me with this. Also, are their other bodies besides Leica that would take a bayonet mounted Leica lens? The voitlander bessa r?

 

[Nikon Bob]

What you want to look at are the bottom two photos and accompanying write up of how to remove the front of the lens, not the back.

Bob

 

[Sonnar Brian]

You do not have to remove any screws to separate the lens in front of the aperture. It simple unscrews, but takes some force. If you have an old mouse pad, cut it into strips to grasp the front and back on each side of the aperture and unscrew.

 

[rogerzilla]

It's almost certainly anti-reflection paint. My Summar was full of bits of it as well as a very large lump of fluff! It all cleaned up just fine.

 

[BobYIL]

I dismantled two of my Summitars to clean , the third one was to be tried in a future day. Brian is right, they are real hard to unscrew but I apply trichloroethylene with the tip of a tiny screwdriver around the parting line and let it creep for minutes, then wrap rubber strip around the two parting portions and try to unscrew.. (The second lens however needed it maybe ten times until loosened.)

As for the black part, either from the black paint around the lens elements as it seems rather large, or from the black oxydation applied to the aperture blades. Here you are lucky since the serial number suggests it has the 10-blade old type diaphragm, easier to put back even if you need to clean the rear group.. (The newer ones with hexagonal blades, two sorts, domed and 12 in number are pain to put back.)

You can try if you wish but must be patient. Once you unscrew it do not try to clean anything other than simply blowing off the particle. For any further job, take it to a technician.

Bob