Is this lens fog?

[baachitraka]

 

[GarageBoy]

Looks like it

 

[Ian Grant]

Most likely, I wouldn't touch it.

Ian

 

[Dan Daniel]

Most likely, I wouldn't touch it.

Ian

Wouldn't touch it as in wouldn't buy the camera, or wouldn't try to remove it?

 

[Sirius Glass]

Wouldn't touch it as in wouldn't buy the camera, or wouldn't try to remove it?

That would depend first on whether or not you own the camera. If so, how handy are you? Really? How lucky do you feel today? Why screw up a good camera when a camera repairman could possibly clean up the lens and do a CLA on the camera?

 

[baachitraka]

I won't either. I see many such lenses and wonder what could it be. I thought some grease or oil deposits...

I have one Rolleicord with triotar and most importantly working Compur shutter. I guess they are very reliable...

 

[Ian Grant]

Wouldn't touch it as in wouldn't buy the camera, or wouldn't try to remove it?

Wouldn't touch it, as in buy it, as advice to the OP. If it was dirt cheap I would buy it as I have a good lens - well good lean taking and viewing lenses in a body that needs significant work.

Ian

 

[Kino]

I would buy this in a heartbeat if it were bargain priced and clean the lenses myself, but that's just me...

It looks like evaporated lubricant redistributed via heat and humidity to the rear of the lens elements.

To each their own...

 

[baachitraka]

Saving time is significant for me so, no for me and I will not bid.

 

[removedacct1]

I won't either. I see many such lenses and wonder what could it be. I thought some grease or oil deposits...

I have one Rolleicord with triotar and most importantly working Compur shutter. I guess they are very reliable...

Its impossible to tell from the photo whether the "fog" is on the outer surface of the lens, or on one of the inner surfaces. Lets assume its on an inner surface. If so, it likely came about from years of storage in a place that frequently got warm, and the grease used to lubricate the focusing helical volatilized and redeposited on other interior components, like glass surfaces and shutter blades. This is almost always what marks up the inner surface of lenses. So, if the lens is easy to disassemble, then the odds are in your favor that the "fog" can be cleaned off. I've serviced many Kodak Retinas and most have had some degree of haze/fog on the inner lens surfaces, and once taken apart, they were easy to clean. Many ended up looking almost as flawless as the day they were assembled.

I also acquired a Rolleiflex last year (earlier model, Tessar lens) and the lens was quite foggy inside. The Tessar on the Rollei comes apart quite easily by unscrewing the front element, and cleaning off the haze was easy. That Tessar is almost as good as new and it was not a difficult task.

However, if the "fog" on your lens is the result of careless cleaning of the outer (or inner!) surfaces of the glass, then the glass may be badly scarred and you can't fix that. You'd have to clean the front surface (with care) to see what condition its in (as I say, I can't tell from the photo whether the muck is on the inside or outside, or both). The front elements should unscrew without too much difficulty to allow access to at least some of the inner surfaces. I can see slots in the front group to allow for a tool to apply force for unscrewing that group, but you'd be much better off using a friction tool to loosen it (Friction tool = circular rubber tool which applies pressure evenly to the entire ring surface, rather than pushing on one part, which tends to make things bind. Here is a typical rubber friction tool: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/...gUqdz3ZAEHYooiMZRrND_DIl1yUjm6uJ4CaOlir1ap1&s ) If you have any rubber stoppers from a standard 500 ml Erlenmeyer flask, that makes a perfectly decent friction tool for lens removal.

 

[shutterfinger]

From A Lens Collectors Vade Mecum:

The view lens looks like a problem with the rear of the lens or the mirror. The view lens is in a sealed barrel and I doubt the white is from internal haze. Correction: The White in the view lens is the material the camera is placed on for the sale photos. The Triotar should be easy to clean.

I agree with the others, dirt cheap or skip it unless you really like to tinker.