Tanaka Tanar f2.8 f5 lens challenge needs some help!

[didithevan]

So, I have a Tanaka Tanar 39mm f2.8 f5cm lens from my Tanaka Leice copy that has some light ufngus in the rear lens that I want to evict, but cant get at without taking the rear element apart. I'm looking for any help with either previous experience or pictures/diagrams of disassembly of this lens before I set about it with my screwdrivers!

 

[Sonnar Brian]

I've worked on the Tanar 5cm F2, the barrel is held in place with a retaining ring that unscrews with an optical spanner.

From looking at pictures of the rear of the lens- it looks like there is a push-in baffle over the retaining ring. Again- I do not have this lens, but construction is typically similar among Japanese lenses of this era.

 

[quilts]

Hi Brian,

I just purchased a Tanar H.C. 5cm f2 lens and the focusing is extremely stiff. I was able to remove all the lens elements and am now left with just the lens barrel with focusing/apeture ring still on it. However I can't quite figure out how to dissasemble it any further to get access to the lens helicoid to try cleaning it out and adding new grease. I don't see any other obvious retaining rings, etc. to try unscrewing.

Were you able to fully dissasemble the lens by chance? Just trying to determine where to go next without causing any major damage.

Thanks!

 

[Sonnar Brian]

@quilts

No- the focus on mine is smooth. "i have a lot of lenses", will try to find it this weekend... It is almost a copy of the later Nikkor 5cm F2. The early ones- "intuitively obvious", with screws visible at the back of the lens.

Assuming it's a close copy of the Nikkor:

Nikkor-H•C 5cm f/2 (Leica Thread Mount)

Hello, everybody! Do you remember Ziggy? He is a popular cartoon character from several decades ago, with a toy line that many people collect. He came in various costumes, making Ziggy fans collect…

richardhaw.com

even Later- somewhat simplified.

Repair: Nikkor-H.C 5cm f/2 (Blackbelt)

Hello, everybody! Do you practice martial arts? If you do, then many of you dream of being a “blackbelt”. To be blackbelt, you will need to accomplish several feats as sanctioned by the…

richardhaw.com

Richard Haw has instructions for it.

 

[quilts]

@quilts

No- the focus on mine is smooth. "i have a lot of lenses", will try to find it this weekend... It is almost a copy of the later Nikkor 5cm F2. The early ones- "intuitively obvious", with screws visible at the back of the lens.

Assuming it's a close copy of the Nikkor:

Nikkor-H•C 5cm f/2 (Leica Thread Mount)

Hello, everybody! Do you remember Ziggy? He is a popular cartoon character from several decades ago, with a toy line that many people collect. He came in various costumes, making Ziggy fans collect…

richardhaw.com

even Later- somewhat simplified.

Repair: Nikkor-H.C 5cm f/2 (Blackbelt)

Hello, everybody! Do you practice martial arts? If you do, then many of you dream of being a “blackbelt”. To be blackbelt, you will need to accomplish several feats as sanctioned by the…

richardhaw.com

Richard Haw has instructions for it.

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I did reference those guides from Richard Haw, but I don’t think the lens is constructed quite the same unless I’m missing something obvious.

This is where I’m at right now. I’ve removed the rear rear retaining ring, rear optical group, and then another ring. From the front I also removed the name plate ring, front optical group, and another retaining ring of sorts.

I don’t see any other rings or screws in the front or rear of the barrel to remove in order to separate it further.

 

[quilts]

Actually ignore all that. I just wasn’t pulling hard enough. I got it to separate. It was just stuck on much harder than I expected and I was worried about breaking it.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Thanks for posting the detailed images! On mine, the barrel dropped out of the focus mount easily. I thought you were asking about disassembling the focus mount itself.
I have seen some lenses where the grease gets like glue and keeps things in place that should come apart. I've resorted to removing glass, like you did, and letting the remaining part soak in alcohol for days.

 

[quilts]

Yes, there was a lot of dried grease that was acting like a glue of sorts, but I did manage to get it apart and ran it all through the ultrasonic cleaner. Thank you for the help.

I made a slight mistake in re-assembling the lens and don't quite have infinity focus. I'm going to give it another go tonight and see if I can resolve the issue. I made some scribing marks when dissasembling the helicoids, but think I might have shifted something slightly during reassembly. I have some photos as well during the various dissasembly stages, so I think I'll be okay.