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Renatoesti
Tinkerer
Username: Renatoesti
Post Number: 1
Registered: 04-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, April 24, 2009 - 03:51 am: | 
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Dear friends,
I have bought a RolleiFlex 3.5 F and I just realized that it has a problem with the lens...
I don't know exactly how to call it in English, but it looks like the lenses are starting to separate from each other!!
http://picasaweb.google.it/lh/photo/wcu0iiR2zcpcKNovL7cpDQ?feat=directlink
http://picasaweb.google.it/lh/photo/DVZUBUS9Z_4DCxJhFYApfA?feat=directlink
The place where I bought it told me that I can choose between send it back and have a complete refound, or send it back to be repaired.
So, my question is...
If I decide to send the camera back for repair, will the repaired lens be in such a good condition as a new one??
Will there be any differences concerning the quality of the lens (= of the pictures I take with the camera)?? ...and what about the "aesthetic" of the camera??
From a collector's point of view, will the camera loose value because of the repaired lens or will it be the same as a non-repaired camera??
The place where I bought it is one of the best in Italy, and I know that they usually do a good to excellent job in reparing old cameras.
Well... what else can I say... thank you for your patience, and please help me understand what to do!!
Renato Esti
Trieste - Italy
PS: sorry for my English... I hope you will be able to understand what I mean, but feel free to ask in case you need any further information!! |
Glenn
Tinkerer
Username: Glenn
Post Number: 555
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, April 24, 2009 - 04:46 am: |
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Done properly the repaired lens will be as good as new. You seem to be very satisfied with your Dealer, so I would let him repair it for you - you can always complain about the repair if you find the lens still has problems. |
Rick_oleson
Tinkerer
Username: Rick_oleson
Post Number: 869
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, April 24, 2009 - 04:48 am: |
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From a collector's point of view, the camera will lose value.
A proper repair for this is difficult: the lens will have to be separated, cleaned and recemented. First, the cement used in these lenses was not designed to be separated, so there are risks in the separation and cleaning. Second, perfect centering of the elements is critical to performance, and the chances of it being reassembled as well centered as it is now are not great.
If you are only concerned about performance, the separation does not have a serious impact on that .... a slight increase in flare when used wide open will be the largest effect.
It may be possible to make the separation disappear, both for performance and aesthetics, by wicking fluid into the separated area. This will fully restore both the performance and appearance of the lens but it is not permanent, it would probably have to be repeated after several years. The advantage over recementing is that the original optical centering of the lens is not disturbed, and the risks of damage are less. |
Glenn
Tinkerer
Username: Glenn
Post Number: 556
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, April 24, 2009 - 11:10 am: |
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All the repairs of this nature I have seen in the last couple of years, have originated from continental Europe. The respective owners all stated that they were well pleased with the results, and that they were told the repair involved 'impregnation under vacuum'. As there were a number of dealers evidently involved in the sale of the items - but the repair technique seems the same - it appears that the same specialist optical repair firm could be responsible for all the work. |
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