Why is this lens colored like this?
- Thread starter MinorTones
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Nick R.
Guest
Lanthium glass?
kbg32
neo-romanticist
Pentax, I believe, produced a lens that turned yellow as it aged. The cure to clear it was to put it in a sunny place. Two or three days or so in the sun, the lens would become clear again. Some lenses can look certain colors depending on their coatings and especially the angle to the light in which they are photographed. Why not ask the seller to send you additional images?
MinorTones
Well-known
I will ask for some additional photos. Im just wondering if Summicrons age like this. I have a 50 already and it looks clean and clear.
-Mitch
-Mitch
FPjohn
Well-known
Hello:
Looks like a lens from the tan era of lens coatings as distinct from the blue and purple periods. Probably normal.
yours
Frank
Looks like a lens from the tan era of lens coatings as distinct from the blue and purple periods. Probably normal.
yours
Frank
timmay
Newbie
MinorTones said:
Wow thats interesting
Topdog1
Well-known
Looks like lens jaundice to me, especially if putting it in the sun fixes it. Might need a new liver, too. Don't buy!
/Ira
/Ira
Steve Bellayr
Veteran
Pentax Takumar lenses have a yellow hue. I read somewhere and I can't recll where that the Takumars were made with a small amount of radium that caused that hue. It has no effect on the image. However, it is recommended that film not be stored in the camera for long periods of time. It was reported that the frame of film behind the lens fogged slightly. I have not run into any problems nor do I know anyone who has.
peterm1
Veteran
I have a super multicoated Takumar in 50mm f 1.4 which looks pretty yellow. I have not used it for quite a while so cannot say for sure if it produced problems but I certainly can say that I do not recall it doing so. Besides which it is sharp sharp sharp.
The story goes that this cna be fixed by putting the elns on a bright window sill or similar for a few weekes and letting the sun somehow "bleach" the colour out. (not exactly the correct explanation I know but it is said to work.) I ahve not tried.
The story goes that this cna be fixed by putting the elns on a bright window sill or similar for a few weekes and letting the sun somehow "bleach" the colour out. (not exactly the correct explanation I know but it is said to work.) I ahve not tried.
MinorTones
Well-known
Here is the sellers explanation. 21minutes to end time and its at + $700. I'm not going for it I'll wait on another lens. GAS was just having an attack this week. Anyway here is what he said about the yellow color in the photos.
"The yellow that you see is not the glass. It is the shadow of the lens on the white backgroung. For some reason it looks orange in the color photo. Thanks for the question."
The shadow of the lens on the white background? That sounds like BS to me heh.
-Mitch
"The yellow that you see is not the glass. It is the shadow of the lens on the white backgroung. For some reason it looks orange in the color photo. Thanks for the question."
The shadow of the lens on the white background? That sounds like BS to me heh.
-Mitch
Trius
Waiting on Maitani
Yeah, that explanation sounds BS... the Zuiko 55/1.2 contained Lanthanum glass and yellows with age, IIRC, but I've never seen one, including one with the yellow aging, so can't comment. I've heard that extreme yellowing will warm colour shots, but of course w/ b&w it's not an issue. May even help though I don't know if the yellowing is enough to act as a contrast filter.
See here.
Apparently Thorium is especially subject to yellowing.
See here.
Apparently Thorium is especially subject to yellowing.
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lmd91343
There's my Proctor-Silex!
I've had two lenses that yellowed with age. A Pentax SMC TaK 50/1.4 M42 and a Canon FD BL chrome nose 35/2.0.
The lenses were brought to perfect clarity by two weeks in the summer sun on my window ledge, back element pointed at the sun, with aluminum foil wrapped around the barrel and the front element.
The lenses were too good not to use!
The lenses were brought to perfect clarity by two weeks in the summer sun on my window ledge, back element pointed at the sun, with aluminum foil wrapped around the barrel and the front element.
The lenses were too good not to use!
edodo
Well-known
The first summicron produced in 1952 contained radioactive glasses! Certainly not the 35mm summicron...
Dougg
Seasoned Member
Not only a waste, but creating a toxic contamination, and even without the heavy-metal content the sharp shards are a hazard. The main danger is ingesting or otherwise getting the thoriated glass inside one's system, and this seems remarkably and unnecessarily messy and dangerous.
Here's an informative web site about it:
http://www.orau.org/ptp/collection/consumer products/cameralens.htm
Here's an informative web site about it:
http://www.orau.org/ptp/collection/consumer products/cameralens.htm
Dfin
Well-known
I notice our pentax lens repairer was not wearing any eye protection either. Did he vacuum up all the glass from the lawn,or was someone elses problem?
