Berndt
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Post by Berndt on Sept 30, 2012 18:32:00 GMT -5
Truls, I might be blind or stupid, but I can't see any clear "spots" at your picture. You mean this purple blotches ? Maybe some defect in the coating ? Hard to tell from the picture. From what I noticed, much depends on the light here. Fungus infected lenses don't like backlight. Pictures can get pretty milky then and the wider the lens is open, the stronger becomes this effect. At "normal" light and medium apertures, you are right - the difference can often not be seen. However, apart from the experiences in my thread "lens cleaning", it isn't always that nasty. I got the most ( often pretty dirty ) lenses on used cameras cleaned very easily ( especially folders and TLRs, where the lenses are pretty easy to disassemble ). More modern lenses, especially zoom- and telephoto ones often require advanced skills in taking them apart though. If those are showing signs of fungus, they are mostly just junk. Scratches and bubbles do mostly not affect the picture quality at all. I often do the same  |
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Berndt
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Post by Berndt on Sept 30, 2012 7:17:41 GMT -5
And I have one with a broken shutter The AE-1 has been a pretty popular and common camera ... but it's also a sensitive one ( that's my personal impression ). There is always at least one in every 2nd hand camera shop here. Prices dropped a lot during the last years. However, still hard to find a perfectly working one and tough to get it repaired without having more sophisticated camera repair skills. Enjoy your find. It's a camera, that probably belongs to every collection somehow |
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Berndt
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Post by Berndt on Sept 30, 2012 6:24:16 GMT -5
Thanks everybody for the good ideas and recipes. I tried them all ... but ... I think, I have to give up on this one. The fungus probably destroyed the glass already  Nothing seems to help. The only thing I can do is, keeping the parts and hope to find another lens of this, where I might be able to use the clean elements for good. It's very difficult to get old telephoto- or zoom lenses in good condition here in Japan. It's the climate, the rainy seasons and wet summers. People do have better air-conditions nowadays, but many lenses became destroyed over the decades, when that hasn't been the case yet. Plus the fact, that Petri used an own lens mount. They changed that to M42 later, but I was actually curious, how the original lenses work. It's also not, that those original Petri mount lenses are expensive ... just difficult to find ... especially the zoom and telephoto ones in still usable condition. |
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Berndt
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Post by Berndt on Sept 29, 2012 8:05:38 GMT -5
Thanks everybody. Vinegar doesn't work ... and I tried some even more serious stuff from my wife's "cleaning goods" ;D Don't ask me, what is written on those bottles, but it already smells like a whole chemistry lab. Fungus is organic matter ... so it should become killed by one of those stinking acids ( as I remember from chemistry at school, only hydrofluoric acid - HF ) would also kill the glass itself. But ... ... that might be the case as well  The good news are ( if these are good news ), the infected glass surface is plain. Stephen, when you are talking about polish, would it be possible to polish the glass surface without scratching it or making it opaque ? I don't fear the removal of the coating as it is just one surface of one lens element impaired. It wouldn't be worth, taking this lens to a professional cleaning service. I need to try it by myself  |
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Berndt
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Post by Berndt on Sept 29, 2012 4:00:41 GMT -5
Mmmmh ... but fungus is usually looking more like a fine web or tree, spreading in form of tiny branches. This one looks more streaky and blotchy.
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Berndt
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Post by Berndt on Sept 28, 2012 20:04:47 GMT -5
I cleaned quite a few lenses in my life, but became desperate with this one  I successfully disassembled a Petri 135 mm f:2.8 lens. All lens elements have been clean ( or possible to clean ) except one in the middle. This lens element seems to be composed of actually two further lens elements, glued (?) together. The A side ( regarding to the attached pictures, on which I tried to photograph this issue ) seems to be contaminated, but I can't exactly tell, if from both sides, but from the outer side for sure. The B side does not seem to be affected. Here the A side on top:  dirty lens side A by bokuwanihongasuki, on Flickr And the B side:  dirty lens side B by bokuwanihongasuki, on Flickr  dirty lens side B by bokuwanihongasuki, on Flickr It's pretty annoying and I would be happy, if I could get rid of it It doesn't seem to be mold for me ... it looks more like if the coating would have been partly destroyed ? Hard to take perfect pictures of it, but you can judge it best from the A side ( first picture ), I guess. Looks like a thin "oil film" ( what it is not of course ) having rainbow colors on the surface but looking like white blotches if looking through the lens ( B side pictures ) I started my cleaning from the softest tool ( just water and soap ) over alcohol ( what usually works fine ), ending up at a pretty strong thinner ... and nothing changed  Any good advices ? Would be cool, if I could rescue that lens, because those Petri mount telephoto lenses are rare to find ( especially the old ones, fitting on the V6 ). Berndt |
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Berndt
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Post by Berndt on Sept 27, 2012 18:31:49 GMT -5
Looking forward to the results ... and yes, 1/1000 sec is quite fast for a leaf shutter |
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Berndt
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Post by Berndt on Sept 27, 2012 3:36:59 GMT -5
I see, you are famous I remember, that I read about this salted paper technique somewhere, but I haven't been that interested yet, because it's a printing technique and not a technique for taking pictures ... or did you ever try to take a picture on salted paper directly ? Half an hour exposing time is something, but it might have its charm and use. Some photographers are using extremely long exposure times for "emptying places". I once saw pictures of an empty Tokyo, which is usually never empty marquetteturner.com/tokyo-nobody-by-japanese-photographer-masataka-nakano/ The photographer used a pretty high ND filter and exposed the pictures so long, that all moving objects disappear. Other photographers copied this technique and those "post-apocalyptic" photographs do exist of many cities meanwhile: www.petapixel.com/2012/03/28/post-apocalyptic-photographs-of-major-cities-around-the-world/The idea is not new anymore, but it might get a new look, using a "new" technique. What do you think ? |
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Berndt
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Post by Berndt on Sept 26, 2012 19:20:18 GMT -5
Interesting read. Thanks Stephen, for the detailed information. Leicas are probably the best business in the world of vintage cameras. Most famous antique camera shops here in Tokyo are specialized on Leicas and sell them at impressive prices. I have never been seriously interested in buying one, because I always think: How many beautiful and also interesting cameras can I get for the same price.
Collecting Leicas requires to have much more money, than you can spend in a normal way ... like collecting Ferraris or Rolex watches. But I can also understand wish to have at least one "special or personal dream camera" in our collection. For me, that has been a Zeiss Super Ikonta a while ago. However, you can basically forget the idea of making a bargain with those kind of cameras ( at least on auctions ). People know the value and the prices usually just vary at a few dollars, depending on the condition of the camera.
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Berndt
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Post by Berndt on Sept 26, 2012 7:37:56 GMT -5
The Mercury II looks really "classic". Beautiful camera. Half frame is an interesting option. I don't have any yet, but I nearly bought a Fujica drive recently. I refused just, because I wasn't sure, if the light meter was still working. Any example pics ( taken with those cameras ) of your nice half frame collection ?
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Berndt
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Post by Berndt on Sept 25, 2012 1:55:50 GMT -5
Wow ... interesting !!!
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Berndt
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Post by Berndt on Sept 23, 2012 8:48:29 GMT -5
Interesting read and camera. Thanks for introducing this one here !!!
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Berndt
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Post by Berndt on Sept 23, 2012 8:45:53 GMT -5
Same wishes here from Tokyo !!!
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Berndt
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Post by Berndt on Sept 23, 2012 2:44:47 GMT -5
Mickey, if you are already used to Photoshop ( even the older version ), you might not need to use Aperture. Aperture actually works best on an iPad, because it's easier to handle with fingers/touch screen than with a mouse. That was my personal impression. The convenient thing about Aperture and other apps is just, that they fit perfectly into the "iWorld" of our MAC. iPhoto and Apertures libraries are connected for example and there are interfaces to other applications as well. That's basically Apple's tactics to make money. Everything works perfectly hand in hand ... as long as you use and buy just Apple products |
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Nothing seems to help.
The good news are ( if these are good news ), the infected glass surface is plain. Stephen, when you are talking about polish, would it be possible to polish the glass surface without scratching it or making it opaque ? I don't fear the removal of the coating as it is just one surface of one lens element impaired. It wouldn't be worth, taking this lens to a professional cleaning service. I need to try it by myself 
