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Dxqcanada
Tinkerer
Username: Dxqcanada
Post Number: 37
Registered: 11-2012
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 04, 2013 - 04:39 pm: | 
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Ok, so I got a lens that I knew had haze.
Thought it would not be that hard to disassemble and clean.
Disassembly was the easy part ... I cannot seem to get this haze of the element.
I tried vinegar, acetone, naptha, lens cleaning fluid, isopropal alcohol ... I don't have any hydrogen peroxide ... anything else can I try ? |
Dxqcanada
Tinkerer
Username: Dxqcanada
Post Number: 38
Registered: 11-2012
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 04, 2013 - 05:19 pm: |
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... thinking about a toothpaste polish? |
Br1078lum
Tinkerer
Username: Br1078lum
Post Number: 561
Registered: 11-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 04, 2013 - 08:18 pm: |
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It would be easier if you stated just what lens it is. Some are more prone to different types of hazing, and knowing the brand/model would be a big help in determining how to clear it up.
If it's a fungus problem, you could try some athletes foot cream left on overnight.
PF |
Dxqcanada
Tinkerer
Username: Dxqcanada
Post Number: 39
Registered: 11-2012
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 04, 2013 - 08:49 pm: |
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Ah, didn't think that was important.
Canon 50mm f/1.8 rangefinder lens type 5
Doesn't look like fungus ... no thread like tendrils. |
Hollenbj
Tinkerer
Username: Hollenbj
Post Number: 127
Registered: 03-2012
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 05, 2013 - 12:25 pm: |
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Toothpaste -- scary.
I don't have any better suggestions than what you've tried already. Can you isolate the element for a soak? Windex is mostly vinegar, but it has a couple other ingredients. I've soaked rangefinder optics in Windex with good results before. Overnight, perhaps longer.
Toothpaste seems like desperation. I try to summon my limited patience when I start thinking of drastic methods. I'd rather set the lens aside for weeks and search for an elegant solution than kick myself for being impatient.
Fungus is insidious. It can surprise you with many appearances. I'm thinking the foot cream is worth a shot.
Any coating on the element in question? Are we dealing with just one element?
Canon 50/1.8 LTM is worth fixing up. I have one and love it. Mine needs some attention to the aperture ring. Getting stiff. |
Dxqcanada
Tinkerer
Username: Dxqcanada
Post Number: 40
Registered: 11-2012
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 05, 2013 - 02:02 pm: |
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I have already disassembled the lens.
It is only on the front coated element of the second group (this doublet sits behind the aperture blades). A small section of the centre is clear, and it appears that someone else had tried to clean it, as the coating looks streaked in the clear area.
I will try to leave it in some Windex and see what happen, thanks for the suggestion. |
Br1078lum
Tinkerer
Username: Br1078lum
Post Number: 563
Registered: 11-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 05, 2013 - 06:22 pm: |
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Oh yeah, that lens is really haze prone. I got one that looked like it was rumpled glass. Somehow, it cleaned up with just plain old Kodak Lens Fluid. Others have had differing luck with them. I think it depends on how long it has been hazed, and the storage conditions it's been in.
The Windex also has ammonia which is good for clearing haze, so a soak in it might be all you'll need. Hope it hasn't been scratched by the previous attempt.
The Canon 50/1.8 LTM is a great lens, and well worth the trouble to give it new life. Mine came on a Yashica YF. Best rangefinder standard lens I've ever owned.
PF |
Dxqcanada
Tinkerer
Username: Dxqcanada
Post Number: 41
Registered: 11-2012
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 05, 2013 - 06:33 pm: |
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Sadly, I found that I do not have Windex ... but some other cleaner that does not include ammonia. |
Gardener
Tinkerer
Username: Gardener
Post Number: 24
Registered: 02-2013
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 05, 2013 - 11:32 pm: |
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There are two types of haze in my experience. One can be wiped off with a tissue. The other can't be removed at all. It seem you got the other kind. |
Hollenbj
Tinkerer
Username: Hollenbj
Post Number: 129
Registered: 03-2012
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, June 06, 2013 - 12:33 pm: |
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I feel bad for Dxqcanada. The Canon 50/1.8 is a wonderful lens. And yes, its notorious for haze. I've never found one without some. Mine cleaned up with simple wiping. Its been a great lens since. Oh, and I had an opportunity to purchase a Yashica YF once (in my price range) and regret not doing so.
Dxqcanada, there simply must be Windex at the grocery store or similar market. It's not expensive and mine has sat on the shelf for a long time with no noticable evaporation. If its a matter of Windex brand not being available in your area, do a quick internet search for the comparable brand of window cleaner. Chances are you can get the exact same stuff in a bottle with a different name on it.
I'll ask here. Does anyone notice a pattern between lenses stored in leather and haze? I seem to get the haziest glass from leather cases. Heat and humidity must help with that too. For example, a lens from Florida, stored in its leather pouch for the last 40 years, turned out to be a haze-fest. Funny that the person selling the lens emphasized that it was stored fully sealed in its leather coffin, untouched for 40 years. Like that's a good thing But I've noticed this in general: leather=haze. Am I nuts? |
Dxqcanada
Tinkerer
Username: Dxqcanada
Post Number: 42
Registered: 11-2012
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, June 06, 2013 - 02:57 pm: |
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I am just to lazy to get a bottle right now.
I was also thinking of the Hydrogen Peroxide / Ammonia mix that many others on the web have mentioned ... (though I am not sure what I am going to do with a large bottle of Ammonia afterwards).
I can't say much, or anything about your Leather = Haze theory. |
Dxqcanada
Tinkerer
Username: Dxqcanada
Post Number: 43
Registered: 11-2012
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, June 06, 2013 - 06:23 pm: |
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FYI ... Fantastik with OxyPower has no affect (it has Hydrogen Peroxide in it also) soaking for 16 hrs. |
Br1078lum
Tinkerer
Username: Br1078lum
Post Number: 565
Registered: 11-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, June 06, 2013 - 08:55 pm: |
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Hollenbj, when it comes to leather cases, I'll use them to ship a lens, but not to store one. A lot of them have deteriorating innards, especially the '60s foam lined ones. The leather is a good breeding ground for fungus, as it makes a great food supply. And they will soak up moisture, and trap it inside.
Dxqcanada, I'm going to have to agree with Gardener, that your lens element may be a write-off. I've got a nice little Ansco Super Memar that someone coated the front element with something that I just cannot remove. I thought it might be some sort of CA, but acetone will not cut it. So I'm feeling for you on this one.
PF |
Hollenbj
Tinkerer
Username: Hollenbj
Post Number: 130
Registered: 03-2012
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, June 07, 2013 - 12:02 pm: |
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I didn't even mention the leather=fungus connection...that one is solid true. But I have just a few examples where the leather seems associated with haze, not fungus as far as I can tell. I wondered if its decomposing leather that's being redeposited on lens elements (inner and outer surfaces).
Dxqcanada, if your lens truly is permanently hazed, be sure to keep it for spares. There are quite a few 50/1.8 out there and you might be able to assemble one gem of a lens from 2 less stellar lenses. I think a lot of folks on this forum are into that.
Pacific Rim Camera (Salem OR, with a website) have quite a few 50/1.8 available right now. They grade conservatively and describe each lens in terms of cleaning marks, haze, oil on aper blades, so on. I've found they tend to make stuff sound worse than it really is. Anyway, prices aren't necessarily the lowest, but usually reasonable and the return policy is second to none. Just a thought. |
Dxqcanada
Tinkerer
Username: Dxqcanada
Post Number: 44
Registered: 11-2012
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, June 07, 2013 - 04:08 pm: |
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Thanks for the info/advice.
I am going to continue on my quest to remove the "impossible" haze.
Last resort ... I may just get Focal Point to polish and recoat (depending on their price). |
Hollenbj
Tinkerer
Username: Hollenbj
Post Number: 131
Registered: 03-2012
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, June 08, 2013 - 01:21 pm: |
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Oh, another lens will be more cost effective. Focal point does great work and all, but not cheap. I would consider them for really special lenses, but you can get another 50/1.8 with no (or removable) haze for less than $200USD. The shop I mentioned above has a lot of them around $150-75. Remember, you can nab a lens in poor condition and extract the good bits from it and use them in your current project (or high grade both lenses to assemble best combination of components).
First, get the Windex... |
