Adventures in m42 eBay land. Slow aperture blades and rough Spotmatic

[isaac7]

Years ago I bought a cheap Spotmatic F mostly for the SMC 50mm f1.4 on it. Had it refurbished with every intention to go out shooting with it. My health had other ideas and it has sat on my shelf for years. Recently I thought that going out taking pictures would be an excellent motivation to get out of the house.

Well, once a gear hound always a gear hound lol. I love 50mm lenses and read about a bunch of different m42 50mm lenses and I couldn't resist. What the hell, they're cheap! I'm intrigued by the different performances wide open even if they all end up being sharp when stopped down.

Just got a Mamiya 1000 DTL with a Mamiya 55mm f1.4. I'm shocked at how nice the camera is. The advance lever is much smoother than my Spotmatic. Like I said, the Spotmatic was CLAed at Zack's including reviving the meter and fixing the corroded battery. The camera looks amazing but now I wonder if it just hasn't been used enough to smooth out? Or is there some lubing I can do to make the advance nicer?

The Mamiya 55mm is in great shape. Are all of them made by Tomioka? The aperture blades are clean and seem to close quickly but are sluggish or even stuck when opening back up. If it doesn't open back up a quick shake usually usually gets them back. Any idea what could cause this? Any chance of it being an easy fix? If not it could always be relegated to a digital only lens.

I also got a Mamiya 55mm f1.8. Also in good condition but the focus ring is kind of stiff. I have worked it quite a bit but it is still stiff enough the entire lens unscrews when I rack the ring to the right. Now I understand why bayonet mounts took over! The lens is so cheap it doesn't make any sense to have it serviced. I'll keep my eye out for another one.

Saw glowing reports of the Yashinon 50mm F2 so I got a DX version. Looks great, no issues. But I learned that it can't be used at infinity on my Spotmatic while I was waiting for it to come in. Sigh.

I found a Vivitar branded 55mm f1.4 m42 lens at a good price and couldn't resist. Going by internet lore it was made by Cosina. I had always heard that the Cosina 55mm f1.4 M42 was Tomioka made or designed at least. It appears to be multicoated and so is newer than the Mamiya. The seller said it works well. Fingers crossed It won't have any mechanical issues. I'm also hopeful I this will be the last 50mm lens purchase!

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Years ago I bought a cheap Spotmatic F mostly for the SMC 50mm f1.4 on it. Had it refurbished with every intention to go out shooting with it. My health had other ideas and it has sat on my shelf for years. Recently I thought that going out taking pictures would be an excellent motivation to get out of the house.

Well, once a gear hound always a gear hound lol. I love 50mm lenses and read about a bunch of different m42 50mm lenses and I couldn't resist. What the hell, they're cheap! I'm intrigued by the different performances wide open even if they all end up being sharp when stopped down.

Just got a Mamiya 1000 DTL with a Mamiya 55mm f1.4. I'm shocked at how nice the camera is. The advance lever is much smoother than my Spotmatic. Like I said, the Spotmatic was CLAed at Zack's including reviving the meter and fixing the corroded battery. The camera looks amazing but now I wonder if it just hasn't been used enough to smooth out? Or is there some lubing I can do to make the advance nicer?

The Mamiya 55mm is in great shape. Are all of them made by Tomioka? The aperture blades are clean and seem to close quickly but are sluggish or even stuck when opening back up. If it doesn't open back up a quick shake usually usually gets them back. Any idea what could cause this? Any chance of it being an easy fix? If not it could always be relegated to a digital only lens.

I also got a Mamiya 55mm f1.8. Also in good condition but the focus ring is kind of stiff. I have worked it quite a bit but it is still stiff enough the entire lens unscrews when I rack the ring to the right. Now I understand why bayonet mounts took over! The lens is so cheap it doesn't make any sense to have it serviced. I'll keep my eye out for another one.

Saw glowing reports of the Yashinon 50mm F2 so I got a DX version. Looks great, no issues. But I learned that it can't be used at infinity on my Spotmatic while I was waiting for it to come in. Sigh.

I found a Vivitar branded 55mm f1.4 m42 lens at a good price and couldn't resist. Going by internet lore it was made by Cosina. I had always heard that the Cosina 55mm f1.4 M42 was Tomioka made or designed at least. It appears to be multicoated and so is newer than the Mamiya. The seller said it works well. Fingers crossed It won't have any mechanical issues. I'm also hopeful I this will be the last 50mm lens purchase!

I'm also a fan of all nifty fifties. they are amazingly good, even wide open and just a joy to handle and look at. have much fun with yours.

 

[loccdor]

The Mamiya 55mm is in great shape. Are all of them made by Tomioka? The aperture blades are clean and seem to close quickly but are sluggish or even stuck when opening back up. If it doesn't open back up a quick shake usually usually gets them back. Any idea what could cause this? Any chance of it being an easy fix? If not it could always be relegated to a digital only lens.

Sounds like oil and dirt either on the part of the blades you can't see, or the parts that connect to them. You would need to open up the lens, some are easier than others.

 

[isaac7]

Sounds like oil and dirt either on the part of the blades you can't see, or the parts that connect to them. You would need to open up the lens, some are easier than others.

Hmm, I guess that’s possible but I would have thought that would affect both opening and closing. Since this lens has issues opening I wonder if it’s a spring problem.

 

[loccdor]

I think it depends on how the lens is made - I have a lens with oily aperture blades that's much slower to open than it is to close.

 

[isaac7]

Just got in two more lenses. These really are the last ones! Lol.

First up is the 55mm f1.7 Auto Chinon. Of all of the lenses I’ve recently gotten this one is the best working one. Smooth focus and the aperture ladies behave properly. The only issue is the the aperture ring barely has any detents at all. There is the faintest whisper of a click as I twist the dial. Not a big deal to me but it is a little aggravating since the rest of the lens is so nice. Still, it was cheap so I’m not complaining.

Also got in the Vivitar 55mm f1.4. It has the tell tale flat rear element of the Tomioka design and it is multi coated. Is it the last of that design that was made? The lens is in decent condition, the glass is flawless. The lens barrel is pure Vivitar though. It has almost no dampening and feels incredibly cheap. The aperture blades are clean and snap open and closed with little issue but one is slightly out of whack so it isn’t a perfect sexagon. Again, I’m not too worried about that but it is a bit of a shame.

 

[gorbas]

First up is the 55mm f1.7 Auto Chinon.

Recently I got Auto Chinon 1.9/50mm for free because of oily iris blades and missing pin for closing aperture. It's one of the nicest performing 50mm lenses I ever tried and I tried many of them

 

[Kodachromeguy]

Like I said, the Spotmatic was CLAed at Zack's including reviving the meter and fixing the corroded battery. The camera looks amazing but now I wonder if it just hasn't been used enough to smooth out?

I have a Spotmatic F, and mine also feels a bit notchy or interior gears at work. A 1971 regular Spotmatic feels more smooth or refined. Of course, the older one may have been used more over the years, or interior gears may be of different metallurgy. The older Spotmatic has almost a Leica M3 feel (quelle horreur, blasphemy!!).

 

[isaac7]

I have a Spotmatic F, and mine also feels a bit notchy or interior gears at work. A 1971 regular Spotmatic feels more smooth or refined. Of course, the older one may have been used more over the years, or interior gears may be of different metallurgy. The older Spotmatic has almost a Leica M3 feel (quelle horreur, blasphemy!!).

Glad to hear mine’s not uniquely rough. The Mamiya caught me by surprise by how smooth it was.

 

[ghostslice]

The sticky aperture blades on the Mamiya 55mm are almost certainly oil contamination, classic issue on vintage lenses. Have you found a good technician locally or are you looking for someone?

 

[isaac7]

The sticky aperture blades on the Mamiya 55mm are almost certainly oil contamination, classic issue on vintage lenses. Have you found a good technician locally or are you looking for someone?

I think they are operating well enough. I’ll end up using that particular lens for something I’m not supposed to talk about here according to the rules. Since they close down well enough I think I could use it in the Spotmatic as well. Might just keep it in manual and lock it at f2.

 

[Bill Burk]

Spotmatic models (Pentax M42 generally) can feel scratchy when winding if they need CLA or if the spool in your bulk loaded film spool is a mismatch for the cassette (e.g. you put an Ilford spool in a Kodak SnapCap) or if the film just didn’t catch right.

But once that’s resolved, they can be buttery like a Leica.