Would Zeiss Do This?

I have an f6.3 Novar where the glass is very hazy and needs to be removed for a thorough cleaning. I have already made peace with the fact that the middle element is not removable, and can deal with that. But the rear element of this lens appears to be non-removable by design. The two notches I carefully filed onto the back "ring" proved absolutely that this is not a ring.

It appears that the glass is held in with a spring type retaining clip. But there does not seem to be any way this clip could be removed. So Zeiss saved a DM or two by not cutting one female thread and making a retaining ring? But the trade off was glass that cannot be removed? Are Germans even capable of that sort of thing?

Edit: It seems they would have saved an RM or two.

I'll tell you how to remove it for $100.

Its a good thing you cannot turn the barrel with a spanner in the notches as that would throw the cell spacing off.

Ever hear of an internal snap ring? Very carefully place a small slot screwdriver at the end of the gap in the brass/bronze colored ring at the edge of the glass and barrel. Use one screwdriver between the ring and the barrel and pry inward then place the second screwdriver between the barrel and ring at the edge of the ring to barrel and press inward until the ring is disengaged from the grove it sits in then push upward on the ring. Compress and pull the ring from the barrel. Turn the shutter over and the cell should drop out. Installation is much easier than the removal. To install compress the ring enough to seat in the grove at the center of the ring then press the ends down until they snap into place.

I remove rings like that all the time at work (I repair air, hydraulic, and electric power tools).

Get a cheap set of O-ring picks from the local Harbor Freight or auto parts store -- shouldn't cost more than five bucks. CAREFULLY work the point of the 45 degree pick under one end of that ring, and pry it UP. Once it's up a bit, the whole ring should start moving and you'll be able to work it out of the mount. Do, please, keep track of which side of the lens element is forward...

Edit: the post above come up while I was typing. From the photos, it doesn't appear this ring has a groove, so you don't need to worry about getting it out of the groove. It appears Zeiss went full penny-pincher on this one, and figured the ring would have enough friction with the barrel to keep the lens element in place.

shutterfinger said:

Its a good thing you cannot turn the barrel with a spanner in the notches as that would throw the cell spacing off.

Click to expand...

I have disassembled a number of such lenses, and the rear element is not positioned by the retaining ring. It is set by a flange that the front of the element rests against.

shutterfinger said:

Ever hear of an internal snap ring?

Click to expand...

I am very familiar with internal snap rings, and this ain't one of them. Internal snap rings have holes designed to be used with internal snap ring pliers. This does not even meet the Platonic form of an internal snap ring.

shutterfinger said:

Very carefully place a small slot screwdriver at the end of the gap in the brass/bronze colored ring at the edge of the glass and barrel. Use one screwdriver between the ring and the barrel and pry inward then place the second screwdriver between the barrel and ring at the edge of the ring to barrel and press inward until the ring is disengaged from the grove it sits in then push upward on the ring. Compress and pull the ring from the barrel. Turn the shutter over and the cell should drop out. Installation is much easier than the removal. To install compress the ring enough to seat in the grove at the center of the ring then press the ends down until they snap into place.

Click to expand...

While I understand and appreciate this procedure, it seems that it would be more appropriately entitled "How to Chip the Lens". ;-)

But you talked me into it. A dental pick is a much better and safer tool. Now if I can just find where that damn clip landed!

Ears on an internal snap ring in the rear of a lens would affect the image therefore internal snap rings in lens/shutters do not have ears. And, YES, I have removed them before.

oh bejesus! that is cruel.

"Would Zeiss do this?" Well, yes. It's a (comparatively) cheap lens in a cheap shutter from a cheap camera. Zeiss hasn't always been the 'price is no object' company that some imagine them to be. Those rings aren't too difficult to remove with picks - just a bit frustrating when you get it part way out of the groove and it snaps back down .

Would Zeiss do this?

Well, the thing is that the lens is a Novar, and AFAIK the Novar's weren't manufactured by Zeiss!