LENS REPAIR

anthonym3 · Jan 26, 2020

I have a lens with a chip on a cemented element. Can anyone recommend a reputable repair person in U.S.?

Dan Fromm · Jan 26, 2020

Sorry to be negative, but your best bet is probably to get a better example. Second best bet, if you can get to the chip, is to blacken it with, e.g., India ink.

anthonym3 · Jan 26, 2020

I forgot to post a photo.here is the lens

Dan Fromm · Jan 26, 2020

What is the lens?

Try India ink. Inexpensive, can be removed.

ic-racer · Jan 26, 2020

Sometimes when I do a repair like that, the donor lens is nicer than the broken one. In which case the broken lens gets some black paint on the affected area and is put aside as a spare. The donor lens is cleaned, re-assembled and put into service.

anthonym3 · Jan 26, 2020

ic-racer said:
Sometimes when I do a repair like that, the donor lens is nicer than the broken one. In which case the broken lens gets some black paint on the affected area and is put aside as a spare. The donor lens is cleaned, re-assembled and put into service.

Do you repair personally or for others? The lens is an AGFA 105mm 4.5 SOLINAR.

Dan Fromm · Jan 26, 2020

Hmm. If you replace, you'll replace the entire rear cell. This because the rear group is a cemented doublet that appears to be swaged into its mount.

The Solinar is a pretty average 105/4.5 tessar type, but not as common as many other similar lenses. I have no idea which camera it fits, but quite possibly other 105/4.5 tessar types will fit as well.

But first try India ink.

anthonym3 · Jan 26, 2020

Dan Fromm said:
What is the lens?

Try India ink. Inexpensive, can be removed.

Dan,the lens is a 105mm 4.5 solinar,I have posted a photo of the damage.

Dan Fromm said:
Hmm. If you replace, you'll replace the entire rear cell. This because the rear group is a cemented doublet that appears to be swaged into its mount.

The Solinar is a pretty average 105/4.5 tessar type, but not as common as many other similar lenses. I have no idea which camera it fits, but quite possibly other 105/4.5 tessar types will fit as well.

But first try India ink.

The camera is a 1948-49 AGFA BILLY COMPUR

anthonym3 · Jan 26, 2020

anthonym3 said:
Dan,the lens is a 105mm 4.5 solinar,I have posted a photo of the damage.

The camera is a 1948-49 AGFA BILLY COMPUR

What would the possible effects be if left as is vs india ink?

R.Gould · Jan 26, 2020

I have lenses that are older than that with worse damage around the edge, and as long as it is on the front element I use hem as is, and no problems as long as you use a lens hood, I even have a old filter that got dropped and has damage much the same as the damage on your lens and again never cause problems or show up on negatives or prints so I would suggest that before you spend loads of money getting it repaired you try it as is, and if that fails the get a sharpie and carefully cover the damage
Richard

Dan Fromm · Jan 26, 2020

anthonym3 said:
What would the possible effects be if left as is vs india ink?

You'll have to ask the lens to be sure. I have several lenses with similar chips, the usual effect with them is severe flare.

Thanks for the reply. Y'r Billy wants a Solinar, no other tessar type will be a good substitute.

If it doesn't have sentimental value, consider replacing it with another or with a Kodak Tourist with a 105/4.5 Anastar in Flash Supermatic. The Tourist's one drawback relative to the Billy is that it uses 620, not 120, film. The usual solution is respooling 120 film.

But first try India ink.

BradS · Jan 26, 2020

Dan Fromm said:
....... Y'r Billy wants a Solinar, no other tessar type will be a good substitute.
.....

Is that because the flange focal length is...mmmm, unique? or something else?

I have (or used to have) an old Franka Rolfix with a 105mm lens, I think it is a radionar ??? but, it would not suit the OP's application...Is that correct?

Dan Fromm · Jan 26, 2020

Brad, that's right. There's no guarantee that any other lens' flange-focal distance will match the 105/4.5 Solinar in Compur (probably #0, but not guaranteed). That's why the Radionar (a triplet, which is irrelevant to this discussion) probably won't do.

Thinking of the Radionar, if you've shot it how does it do? I ask because many many years ago there was a sort of running joke about Radionars in, if I'm not mistaken, Modern Photography that used to be. The MPers regarded as a lens that passed light and formed an image, but never a good enough image.

Sirius Glass · Jan 26, 2020

For myself, I would either use it as a bookend or paperweight and buy a replacement that is in much better condition. I would rather replace something like that than spend time making a less than perfect repair.

anthonym3 · Jan 26, 2020

Sirius Glass said:
For myself, I would either use it as a bookend or paperweight and buy a replacement that is in much better condition. I would rather replace something like that than spend time making a less than perfect repair.

It is in otherwise pristine condition that is why I would like to have it to be useful. An alternative I am going to try is to find one for a reasonable cost on E-BAY. That is where I bought this one for the very reasonable cost of $37.00 shipping included.

BradS · Jan 26, 2020

Dan Fromm said:
Brad, that's right. There's no guarantee that any other lens' flange-focal distance will match the 105/4.5 Solinar in Compur (probably #0, but not guaranteed). That's why the Radionar (a triplet, which is irrelevant to this discussion) probably won't do.

Thinking of the Radionar, if you've shot it how does it do? I ask because many many years ago there was a sort of running joke about Radionars in, if I'm not mistaken, Modern Photography that used to be. The MPers regarded as a lens that passed light and formed an image, but never a good enough image.

Yup. That about sums it up. I have photographed with it. Got crummy results. Blamed the user. It has been at least a decade, but irrc, the focus was so far off that I had assumed there was something wrong with the lens or that a shim was missing between camera and shutter...I may dig around and see if I can find it.Maybe liberate the lens from camera and mount it in a makeshift lens board for the crown graphic and see what happens...

Thank you.

LENS REPAIR

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