Meyer Optik Gorlitz Primoplan CLA?

[Daniel Sokal]

I have a pre-war Primoplan 1.9 5.8 I'd like to get CLA'd. From what I understand jenstarct from eBay, who was well recommended, has retired. Is there anyone else who is well regarded and can service Primoplan lenses?

 

[Fixcinater]

I have that lens in M42 and have gotten in pretty deep into it.

What does it need?

 

[Daniel Sokal]

I have that lens in M42 and have gotten in pretty deep into it.

What does it need?

I think a general CLA, the focus and aperture rings are stiff from disuse and from what I understand the oil in these lenses dries up over time. It's quite clean otherwise as it's been kept in a case attached to a camera.

 

[anfenglin]

The main problem with Primoplan lenses with V coating is that the coating deteriorates, meaning, what lookes like haze is in part haze but then the coating underneath it has cracks and it sort of looks like haze.
Cleaning that is only possible if you remove the coating altogether.
Relubing the aperture ring is fairly easy, loosen the tiny grub screw in the front and turn the ring with the name plate to remove it. Underneath is a spring for the aperture preset ring, remove that and you can easily remove the aperture ring. Remove the old grease adn put it back the way it was.
I never relubed a focusing unit but it seemed to be straight forward, the only problem with aluminium bodied lenses can sometimes be that the grease and ring sort of freeze together and it can be very difficult to get them apart.
Also, there do exist some design variations, a prewar version and at least two postwar versions that I know of. One is larger and I find it looks like a star ship from the side or maybe a fountain.
The older one is smaller and thinner.
Good luck on yours!

 

[Daniel Sokal]

The main problem with Primoplan lenses with V coating is that the coating deteriorates, meaning, what lookes like haze is in part haze but then the coating underneath it has cracks and it sort of looks like haze.
Cleaning that is only possible if you remove the coating altogether.
Relubing the aperture ring is fairly easy, loosen the tiny grub screw in the front and turn the ring with the name plate to remove it. Underneath is a spring for the aperture preset ring, remove that and you can easily remove the aperture ring. Remove the old grease adn put it back the way it was.
I never relubed a focusing unit but it seemed to be straight forward, the only problem with aluminium bodied lenses can sometimes be that the grease and ring sort of freeze together and it can be very difficult to get them apart.
Also, there do exist some design variations, a prewar version and at least two postwar versions that I know of. One is larger and I find it looks like a star ship from the side or maybe a fountain.
The older one is smaller and thinner.
Good luck on yours!

In terms of optics the lens seems to be free of haze. Also, there is no V designation on the front so possibly lacking the problematic V coating? At least that's the impression I get from reading around about this version.

I do appreciate the instructions but this version also lacks the grub screw on the focusing ring. Normally I'd be happy to take something apart but the prewar version, at least going by the serial number which is in the 912000's, seems much scarcer than the red V version and I'd rather have someone who knows what they're doing take things apart. Overall the lens seems to be in quite nice shape and I'd hate to muck it up.

 

[cowanw]

Many Canadians send their lenses to Camtech. the store is closing August 31 but Roger is going to continue his lens repair business. call
Phone:905-389-8545
email:camtechphoto@bellnet.ca

 

[anfenglin]

That looks like the prewar version. Zeiss Jena used the T coating before the war, I think Meyer started after.
These are a mystery to me, just like the Alu Tessars in M42 mount. I have no idea how to get into the focusing mechanism.

 

[Daniel Sokal]

Many Canadians send their lenses to Camtech. the store is closing August 31 but Roger is going to continue his lens repair business. call
Phone:905-389-8545
email:camtechphoto@bellnet.ca

Thanks, I'll give them a try.