Need Urgent Help With Unknown Focusing Problem w/ Canon 35mm f2

Hey guys,

 

Last week I purchased a Canon FD 35mm f2 S.S.C. II from Japan and upon arrival yesterday, I put it on my A-1 just to see that the focusing is way off. Way off as in doesn't even work and the entire viewfinder is out of focus. I have never encountered anything like this and spent hours searching online for more information, unable to find anything at all. The lens seems to be in excellent physical condition but has what looks to be some fungus on the fear element that spreads from the middle to the upper right (shown in the last picture below). I don't think this would be affecting the focusing at all, leading me to more questions.

 

Focus Screen:

Set to past 1ft:

8 1/3in from film plane:

 

Fungus:

 

When focusing to infinity, it barely reaches past a foot and a half and the closest focus is about 8 inches. As shown in the first set of pictures, I have the focus ring set a little past a foot but when the screen shows it "focused", the film plane is about 8 1/3 inches from the subject.

 

Shown in the first set of pictures is what the focusing screen looks like across my room at infinity "focus", and the second set is what I see when it's set to the minimum focusing distance looking at the same spot in my room. The focusing prism shows the target very misaligned when at infinity along with the full viewfinder being blurry. The lens is virtually unusable at this point in time.

 

Set to Infinity:

 

Focus Ring:

 

Set to Minimum Focusing:

 

Focus Ring:

 

Do any of you guys have any idea what might be causing this? It's very unusual and any insight or advice into this issue would be greatly appreciated. If it's not possible to fix, or wouldn't be easy to, I'm just going to ship it back from where it came from and eat the lost shipping. It would be unfortunate because I got a deal on it (might be why there is an issue) and I was excited to shoot with it. Everything the seller had posted ensured the lens worked (but also had it listed as no fungus when really it has a little). I'm really stumped at this. I have up to 30 days to send it back but would really like to get to the bottom of this fast as to not keep the bum lens longer than I need to and complicate the return process.

Thanks ahead of time for any replies and insight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just a guess, but if the lens was taken apart for a cleaning, it's possible that one of the lens elements was put in backwards (I've done this myself). Edited July 12, 2017 by jim_bielecki|1

Check this link Canon Lens FD 35mm f/2.0 S.S.C. & f/3.5 S.C.

it has optical contruction

 

1. Try to rip it and see if any elements housing is loose.

 

2. Try to rip it apart and check the second group of the lens first, if nothing wrong then go for the third group.

It must me some element(s) flipped.

 

3. If not then rip the focus right and re-position it since it may installed the focusing ring in the wrong position of the screw according to the position of focusing group.

 

Hope this help.

Send the thing back and get your money back. Start tearing it apart and you will do two things OWN IT and possibly destroy it.

I'm with (the other) Mark. Return it and get your money back.

 

It's not the "legendary" FD 35/2 with the thoriated element, anyway. That superbly sharp lens only goes up to f/16.

I agree that I would return it. The lens obviously has serious issues, and it's not a lens that I'd lose a lot of sleep over even repairing.

 

I also agree with the likely diagnosis of a flipped or possibly loose/cockeyed element.