How fast does yashica mat lens haze up?

[kingbuzzie]

I have a yashica mat 12 that was CLA by Mark Hama a few years ago. It took great pictures when I got it back. After a holiday trip this year, the two rolls of film I ran through it were horribly flared, and anything light or white colored in the frame was had bright halos. Most of the shots were pretty much ruined. I've also flocked the inside of the camera mind you, as it doesn't have a light baffle. So today when I went to inspect the lens, the inner element was hazed and completely filthy! I've ran maybe 10 rolls through this camera...MAX! It is stored inside my home with my other cameras. This is the only one with this issue. Why so filthy so fast? Perhaps Mr. Hama was heavy handed on the lubricant or used something that off-gassed particularly badly? I don't want another free CLA, but I am a little annoyed that after light use it's now unusable until it's cleaned.

 

[ic-racer]

None on mine since 1975...

 

[shutterfinger]

Storage and lubricants used are the normal causes. Was this camera if front of a heat register? A few feet above one counts. In a draft from the kitchen?

 

[Deleted member 88956]

Storage and lubricants used are the normal causes. Was this camera if front of a heat register? A few feet above one counts. In a draft from the kitchen?

Seems like something went wrong at CLA. I have an "A" from 1957 and lens is like new. Few "younger" Mats of mine are just as clear.

 

[kingbuzzie]

It was on a high shelf in an air conditioned house. 50-60% humidity, along with the other cameras.

 

[shutterfinger]

Too much lubricant in a shutter will cause it to fail as oil and grease act like glue to such precision gear if applied too heavily so that leaves the brand of lubricants used as the likely cause.

 

[Deleted member 88956]

It was on a high shelf in an air conditioned house. 50-60% humidity, along with the other cameras.

Depending on what CLA entailed, if lens was taken apart it might not have been put together in ideal conditions. I say this given the short time span between CLA and haze evidence.

 

[Ian Grant]

A high shelf means close to the warmest part of a room, when I painted our apartment in Turkey I was surprised how much hotter it was when up a ladder, and I'm not talking about high ceilings. The difference was quite significant. I stored my films in a drawer in the bottom of a cupboard and despite ambient room temperatures reaching the high 30º C's and sometimes over 40ºC when we were out that drawer never went above about 20-22ºC (I kept my thermometers in the same drawer).

I've had haze in enlarger lenses and that's often caused by sudden temperature changes, actually condensation not because the lens wasn't warmed slowly. This happened in my old darkroom in a cellar, luckily the affected lens was easy to clean.

Ian

 

[Scott Micciche]

I cleaned my rear taking element once and the haze has not returned. I attributed it to the outgassing of the lube.

 

[StanMac]

Mine is still clear as a bell after 54 years of ownership. Stored usually in its case in a closet in an air conditioned home.

Stan

 

[tokam]

My Yashicamat 124G had an extensive CLA in 2008. The repairer noted hazing on the rear element and cleaned it. The haze reappeared around 2013 and I cleaned it myself. Now 5 years later it has come back. It's not a big deal to clean if you have a lens spanner with enough reach into the back of the camera.
I'll persevere with this camera as cosmetically and functionally it's in excellent condition, (excepting the haze issue).

 

[kingbuzzie]

Mr. Hama called me today, a half price CLA plus shipping. The B setting had broken, and it still had intermittent spacing issue so at least he will take care of that. He also had no idea why the element was dirty so fast. I guess it is about time I invest in a spanner.

 

[Scott Micciche]

Mr. Hama called me today, a half price CLA plus shipping. The B setting had broken, and it still had intermittent spacing issue so at least he will take care of that. He also had no idea why the element was dirty so fast. I guess it is about time I invest in a spanner.

Is your camera kept in a warm place perhaps? Also, when I do not have film in it, I leave the back open, lens caps off and finder open. It may be why my haze has not returned.

 

[Deleted member 88956]

Is your camera kept in a warm place perhaps? Also, when I do not have film in it, I leave the back open, lens caps off and finder open. It may be why my haze has not returned.

On the other hand I keep all my Mats in just as close a position as they can get and no haze either. No climate control in my place although humidity is high only about 2-3 months n a year.