Is this Separation or Oil contamination

[Keith Cocker]

Rolleflex - Is this Separation or Oil contamination or something else?

Hi,

I have been offered a Rolleiflex T and have had a chance to inspect it. As you can see from the attachment there is a ring of shading around the outside of the lens. (Corresponding roughly to where the aperture blades would be stopped down to f4.5 - 5.6) It is on the Film side of the shutter. (but not on the rear element)

I've put a film through the camera and the pictures are fine.

Is this separation of the cemented element (its a Tessar lens) or something else? Is it fixable (I am in the UK) and would it be expensive?

 

[John Koehrer]

Welllll.......
Since it is an image on my screen, it looks to me like edge separation.

Generally if it's oil it becomes evident on aperture or shutter blades not glass. If it's not too bad on the aperture it will eventually need to be cleaned, If it's on the shutter it'll need to be cleaned sooner rather than later since the lube will have a dramatic effect on shutter speeds.
If you were talking SLR lenses oil on the aperture would also have an effect on exposure.

 

[Dan Fromm]

Rear cell, Keith?

 

[Keith Cocker]

Rear cell, Keith?

Yes it is Dan

 

[Dan Fromm]

Thanks for the reply, Keith. I'm with JK. Separation. If I were you, I'd wait for a better camera to come along.

 

[Keith Cocker]

Thanks all for your help. The camera has gone back to its current owner and I will look for another.

Best wishes

 

[Photo Engineer]

Guys;

Did you notice that the 'separation' forms a very precise 8 sided figure? If the aperture is 8 bladed, this would be the result if reflected on the lens.

OTOH, I have seen this on a lens left lying face up stopped down a bit on a table in the sun. The suns rays cloud the glass.

So, it could be one of several problems in my opinion. Any way you cut it, it is not good or at least marginal.

PE