Good instruction. The fungus/haze is only on the rear double element, aperture side. So it suffices to unscrew the outer ring at the back, take out the complete lens assembly through the front and then unscrew the double element as shown in the video. (When unscrewing elements its always a good idea to make an alignment mark.) Try wetting the glas surface only, since the paint comes off easily. I cleaned mine with complete (!) success in 30 minutes, including disassembly and reassembly. I used 10% peroxide with a dash of ammonia 24%. Easy job.
Can I just use a spanner wrench to access the 2nd rear lens instead of removing the front? Also it seems I have oil on the rear lens. Will alcohol wipes clean it? Thank you.
Most of these lenses suffer something far worse than fungus coating the middle, small lens element, which on a lens cross-section diagram is #4. The haze in 2 copies of the lens that I happen to have seems to be caused by a strange "coating" that sits on top of the glass surface and it is mighty hard and resistant to acetone and isopropyl alcohol as well. I had spent a good amount of time with 10kRPM mini grinder/polisher equipped with a rotary felt pad using a cerium oxide water slurry compound to get rid of this nuissant optical impediment. It seems to me that this "coating of haze" is not something that would naturally develop on a glass surface, but rather as if someone tried to change the lens character and make it render dreamy and soft. I have not tried the ammonia/H-peroxide mix since I don't have such compounds readily available, but will attempt it soon enough in my quest to figure out this anomaly. Thanks for sharing your videos.
Great video! I have an issue with my 50mm 1.4 ltm, not sure if that's the right place to ask but it looks like you know your stuff! There's some play/wobble between the part that threads into the camera an the rest of the lens.. I disassembled the lens as far as possible for me and it appears the play is inside the helicoid gear. I wasn't able to disassemble that further though.. Would it be sufficient to apply new grease to the helicoid gear or is it more likely that there's something loose/worn inside of that gear?
Sounds like something needs to be tighten up. When you attach the lens to the camera, are there any parts that rotate more than they should, e.g. the aperture ring? If it does, check the rear lens if it loose. I wouldn't apply more grease, it won't solve the problem.
It's still doable. Have a look at: jimshomeplanet.com/lensglue.html I don't know how the lens elements are glued in the Canon lens but I restored once a SMC-Pentax 100/4 lens that was very cloudy: It turned out the cement between two lens elements was the culprit. So I stored the glued glass element in acetone for a week, after that it was easy to separate then and re-glue them with Canada balsam.
Ryan Kevin Yes, I would disassemble the lens in order ro clean the aperture blades with isopropanol and lubricate the barrels. It's fairly straight forward. :-)
Hello Martin! Thanks for watching. Using a lens spanner, you should be able to dismantle the lens barrel even further. I never did that since the fungus was located on one side of a lens element. Cheers!
Hi! I don’t seem to have the little screw above the aperture ring to remove the first element. I’m sure I have the same lens as the rest followed the guide, minus this one screw! I need to fix the aperture blades! Do you know if there is a different model or any tips on removing it?
Not sure if there are different versions out there. For some Pentax lenses, you can see variation if they look the same. The screw will secure the first element so you should be able to just remove it?
I was curious what tool you used to get the front element out. I have the same lens and I can find anything thin enough to fit between the filter threads and the metal ring.
monochromes it is the tool you used in the very first part of the disassembly, to take off the metal ring. If you know what tool that is, please let me know it would be a great help.
I can't seem to figure out how to remove the rear lens group in the same way you have. When I try to screw off the back it doesn't move at all. Is there a screw holding it in place that you didn't show in the video? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
Hi Graham! No need to remove front element in order to remove the rear group. All you need is a lens spanner to untighten to ringt holding the rear lens element in place. I really recommend a spanner if the ring is stucked. A screw driver can easily slip and scratch the lens. Do you also have a Canon 50mm/1.8 (LTM)?
Thanks for the response. I ended up figuring it out. It just happened to be on there really tight. After using a rubber grip (for jar lids) I was able to twist it off. I've got a lens spanner, so it was just the twisting motion that I was stuck at after that.
Hello! I recently removed the rear element to clean up som haze and I lost track of which side is which. I noticed that the edge is rounded of on one side while being sharper on the other. Do you have any tips? Regards, Daniel
Not sure, I would guess the rounded edge should be facing the film. At 1:44 you can see the shape of the lens. If you use the lens on a digital camera it will be easy to judge how the proper orientation.
I just picked up a Canon f1.8 35mm LTM up for $1.00 and original lens cap and brown case Salvation Army.. I notice a little strange ring on the rear inside element but looking through the lens it is clear no haze. I shot a few shots on my Sony a6000 and found it to have amazing IQ and super compact on the Sony. Perfect for street photography candid shooting. Looks like easy dissembling but I always fear I will put it back together wrong. How do you get the infinity lock off?
I haven't tried it myself. When I look at the lens I pressume the infinity lock can be untightened by turning it anti-clockwise. I'm not so fond of the infinity locks either. $1 for the lens! That's a bargain!
$1.00 that's more like a sin!! Lol!! and it wasn't even half off day!! (0:} I shot some more shots and I see no effect on the IQ, may just leave it alone for now.. It basically has the same mechanics as your 50 so popping out the rear elements shouldn't be a huge task.. Anything I should know other then having the orientation of the elements back in the same way they came out?
Nothing I can think of. The lenses are probably constructed in a similar way. Take your time, have the proper tools. I'm jealous about your 35/1.8! :-)
Then you will be jealous that the a6000 I am using was another deal of the decade at $8.50 and kit lens.. It was a filthy high shutter mileage kit lens wasn't working but after some persuasion cleaning and tapping on it worked won't manually zoom the ring just spins. Didn't have a battery so I got it for half of what they wanted.. $15.00 battery and charger and it's in my hands all the time except when I am sleeping. And now i posses a butt load of 50mm and other brand name lenses. My poor D700 is sitting i need to work with that again for true Full frame work.
Just a coincidence actually, I stumbled on the recipe when searching on fungus. Honestly, alcohol would be good as a first an option since it is a more gentle treatment. If that is not sufficient, go for my alternative.
@@monochromes cheers, seen some people use windex which contains ammonia but not this combo, this seems less likely to affect coatings if done gently and at proper dilution.
Why is it, nobody is showing how to disassemble regrease the helicoid in these lenses (1.8 and 1.4)? With most LTM lenses it is a straightforward operation? Is there any catch to that on the Canon lenses? 😮
I don't know if your still responding, but i'm having trouble unscrewing the front and rear part of the lens. It's almost like its stuck, do you have any recommendations for this issue?
@@monochromes awesome, im using a lens spanner wrench. The 2 holes in the front and rear lens element that you have to unscrew to get the lens out are difficult to move and seem stuck. Im debating if I should get vacuum pads to get a better grip on it.
