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Slick
Tinkerer
Username: Slick
Post Number: 2
Registered: 10-2011
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, April 06, 2013 - 06:11 pm: | 
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i have a vivitar series 1-70x210 macro zoom. i've had it a long time and it's done a damn good job for me. but i can't use it now because if you breathe too hard it moves forwards or backwards. it needs to be lubricated.i've checked estimates locally (n.c.) and the south east, and these cats want anywhere from $150 to $250 to service.i am sure they are skillful workers,and i am not a stindgey person,hell i'm not even thrifty,but i can't pay that kind of money for someone to squirt grease in my lens. by now you know where i'm going.i need someone out there in "rangefinderforum"land to tell me how to crack this nut,what kind of lube to use,and where to put it. even if i screw this up i'm no worse off than i am now,i can't use the lens.i'll take a picture and put it on the forum.i know there is someone out there that wants to do this too. thanks for any help:slick |
Br1078lum
Tinkerer
Username: Br1078lum
Post Number: 523
Registered: 11-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, April 06, 2013 - 08:27 pm: |
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Slick, just exactly what is the problem with the lens? You say it moves if you breathe too hard, but what moves? The Zoom/Focus Control? The Aperture Ring? And if it's moving so freely, why would it need to be lubed?
One fix for a loose zoom/focus control is to put strips of double-sticky tape on the lens barrel to give the zoom/focus control something to grab onto.
PF |
Cooltouch
Tinkerer
Username: Cooltouch
Post Number: 246
Registered: 01-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, April 06, 2013 - 11:18 pm: |
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Or if it's the zoom collar that's slipping, a wide rubber band works pretty well too. Heck, I've even seen somebody on eBay selling these anti-slip things that are basically just wide rubber bands.
Zooms are very complicated -- much more complicated than your average prime. And the Vivitar S1 zooms are some of the more complicated of the zooms. I can recall working on one S1 70-210 -- it was the first generation model: big and heavy, constant f/3.5 aperture, with the 67mm front filter size. This was over 20 years ago, and I think I opened it up to remove a bit of fungus. All I remember about it was it was com*pli*cat*ed. Take pics as you go. Lots of pics. And be patient. And make sure you have the right tools before you start. Like a lens spanner for number one and for number two a good set of needle-tipped tweezers (for all the tiny grub screws), and number three a good assortment of jewelers screwdrivers. Try micromark.com for some of what you'll need, like the tiny screwdrivers and maybe the tweezers, although a beauty supply is also a good place to look for tweezers. Their emory boards come in handy for small sanding jobs as well. Check eBay for spanners. The ones with blade tips are good for lenses. The ones with pointy tips are good for the flat screws with two holes that you often see on older cameras (older meaning 80s vintage and older).
Let us know how things work out for you. |
Gardener
Tinkerer
Username: Gardener
Post Number: 8
Registered: 02-2013
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, April 07, 2013 - 01:08 pm: |
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Slick, this is probably the worst lens to try your hand at repair. Just buy a new one. A great copy in mint condition with caps, case, filters, original manual won't break $100 barrier even if it is one of the more useful mounts, and if it's in MD/FD you can get a decent copy for much, much less. |
Cooltouch
Tinkerer
Username: Cooltouch
Post Number: 252
Registered: 01-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, April 08, 2013 - 08:08 am: |
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What Gardener said. And if you're patient and go for an auction instead of a BIN, sometimes you can get one in a popular mount -- like Nikon or Pentax K -- for a lot less than the BINs, too.
I'll admit to having done this very same thing with a Vivitar Series 1 28-105 and a Tamron 80-210. |
Gardener
Tinkerer
Username: Gardener
Post Number: 11
Registered: 02-2013
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, April 08, 2013 - 10:18 am: |
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I got motivated by this thread and pulled a 70-210 from the basement. Spent a couple of hours trying to crack it open. So far - no dice. |
Waynemel
Tinkerer
Username: Waynemel
Post Number: 438
Registered: 08-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, April 08, 2013 - 04:26 pm: |
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If you need a service manual, I have one for the 70-210 f3.5. |
Cooltouch
Tinkerer
Username: Cooltouch
Post Number: 255
Registered: 01-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, April 08, 2013 - 08:07 pm: |
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Which one, the first or second version? First version was made by Kiron, 67mm front filter -- big and heavy. Second one was made by Tokina, 62mm front filter. Lighter and more compact. My personal favorite of all the S1 70-210s.
Either way, I'd be interested in a pdf of that manual too. |
Michael_linn
Tinkerer
Username: Michael_linn
Post Number: 78
Registered: 04-2011
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, April 08, 2013 - 09:37 pm: |
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I'd be interested in what kind of glue Vivitar specified for it's contractors to use on screws. The Series One stuff is notorious for stuck screws, at least in the early and best Series One lenses.
At one time Vivitar service actually sold screwdrivers optimized for their products. |
Gardener
Tinkerer
Username: Gardener
Post Number: 12
Registered: 02-2013
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, April 08, 2013 - 11:48 pm: |
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Waynemel, thanks, I have the manual, and I understand the sequence - it's getting the damn screws out that stops, but then you'd know all about it.
Cooltouch, I think there are manuals of all versions available on the net
Michael, judging by the globs of disgusting stuff I had to clean out from threads it is something latex-based. But then again - today Viv's was glued solid, last one had stuff that was sticky and opened fairly easily. I guess it may depend on year it was made, or on storage history. |
Waynemel
Tinkerer
Username: Waynemel
Post Number: 439
Registered: 08-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, April 09, 2013 - 05:08 am: |
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The manual I have is for the first version. PM me if you are interested. |
Cooltouch
Tinkerer
Username: Cooltouch
Post Number: 257
Registered: 01-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, April 09, 2013 - 11:35 pm: |
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Michael, back when I lived in Southern California, I drove out to Vivitar's offices one time -- somewhere in the North Hollywood area as I recall -- and bought a complete set of their screwdrivers. That was over 20 years ago. Those screwdrivers are, to this day, the best of all my small screwdrivers. Very stoutly made and quite useful with interchangeable tips and largish bodies. |
