Unique Canon FD 28mm F2 - Shoddy Repair or Factory Defect?

[flagellum]

Hi all,

I recently picked up a pretty rough FD 28mm f2 SSC that exhibits some qualities I've never seen with FD gear before. Namely, the lens focus distance markings are located on the opposite side of the lens barrel. It's pretty clear the lens is not supposed to look like this, which leads me to my question: is this just a shoddy repair job, or something more interesting?

I could certainly see it being possible that someone disassembled the lens and simply screwed the focusing ring on the wrong way, but I'm not familiar with how the interiors of these lenses work, or if it's even possible to screw it on the wrong way. At any rate, I would love your thoughts on whether this is something special, or just an amateur repair job by the previous owner.

Below is a pic of the lens focused to infinity:

 

[Phil_F_NM]

Looks like the whole front unit was reassembled 180 degrees from where it should be.

Phil Forrest

 

[Scrambler]

Looks like the whole front unit was reassembled 180 degrees from where it should be.

Phil Forrest

I've an FSU lens that has its aperture markings at entirely the wrong place. I'm open to that being a factory error but I'm not inclined to think that Canon put a lens together that wrong without correcting. Unless...

I once had a CV Bessa R that had a glitch on the frameline lever - it would work correctly in 3 of 4 possible movements - fortunately you could select all options since you could overcorrect and return. That camera had no serial number - clearly a factory error that should never have been released/ had never been officially sold.

So if your lens has a serial number, I would consider it's an error with more recent work. If no serial number, it's a factory error they considered uneconomic to repair and that was taken home by a worker instead.

 

[Mackinaw]

No factory error, this was misassembled by someone trying to do their own repair. Easy to do, if you don't know what you're doing.

Jim B.

 

[dogberryjr]

Canon FD Antipodes.