zachi Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 Hi<br> I bought a Yashica mat 124g a couple months ago, and have shot a few rolls with it. The first was very fogged up, so I went out and got some lens cleaners, and that helped a great deal, but the next rolls were still foggy.<br> Well I finally discovered that there is oil on the <i>inside</i> of the lens, I have searched around for some kind of chart or explanation as to how the lens can be taken out for cleaning but I always find people talking about it but not explaining how to. I do not see any sort of screws or bolts or anything to disassemble the camera. If anyone could please explain or show a picture of how to take off the lens it would be greatly appreciated.<br> <br> Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_blackett Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 Zach, Are you sure the film isn't foggy from light leaks? The seals aroung the door may need replacing. Is there darkness around the negative in the clear part of the film? David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_blackett Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 Zach, Also, if that camera has bellows there may be pinhole lightleaks in them. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kymtman Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 Wish I could Help....Nice looking BUSH BEATER. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomas_hobbs1 Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~coreya/yashica/ymchttc.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dean_williams Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 You should check for light leaks if the fog you are talking about is film fogging. If you mean the image quality is not good, and you think it is from oil on the inner elements, then it would have to be a Lot of oil. <p> In that case, if you want to try this job yourself, then check out the URL given in the above post. These are good enough to give you an idea of what you're up against. <p> You can get the front element set out without completely dismantling the front of the camera. You have to remove the leatherette, and then you can see the screws to remove the shutter release plate (four screws) and the lens nacelle (five screws). When you get the lens nacelle off, you can unscrew the front elements. This way you can clean the rear of the front set, and if you are carefull, you can clean the front element of the rear set by putting the shutter on "B" and opening the aperture wide. <p> If you need to go further than this, you should take the camera to a repairman, unless you're already familiar with this type of camera. But then, you wouldn't be asking about this. <p> If you remove the lens nacelle, be aware that there are two long pins that extend into the front of the camera which must go back in on the proper side of the meter linkage during reassembly. <p> Write me if you have trouble. I may be able to help. <p> Dean <p> <a href="http://www.deansofidaho.com">deansofidaho.com</a> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rs1 Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 Hello Zach,<br> <p>The lens can be taken out and cleaned fairly easily provided you have some small screwdrivers. I did this just a week back on my Yashica-Mat which is similar. A small lens spanner wrench is also very useful. Rick Oleson has an excellent website that has diagrams explaining how to take apart the 124g. http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-158.html</p><p> Basically the first thing you need to do is peel off the leatherette on the front and you'll see the screws.All the lens elements are mounted onto the shutter panel. So you need to get the whole panel assembly out. Once you have that, the front cell of the lens can just be unscrewed. The rear element is held in by a retaining ring. That is where a spanner is useful. In my case, I lucked out because the retaining ring was not very tight and I was able to loosen it with a small screwdriver. If you don't have a spanner and the ring is too tight, I guess a quick and dirty way to clean your rear element would be to set your aperture to f3.5, shutter to bulb and reach into it. But you have to be "vewy vewy careful" if you do that... :-)<br> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rs1 Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 Oops, Dean must have posted while I was typing this in. Apart from that web link, ignore the rest of my post. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dean_williams Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 I should have mentioned in my first post that you probably should not remove the front metal plate that the lens is mounted in. However, if you do, do so carefully. There may be numerous small washers, shaped like a half moon, (or sometimes like a normal washer). I have seen as many as eight of them beneath the lens mount plate. They must be returned to their respective places on reassembly. You must not mix them up. They are regulating washers, and come in many different thicknesses, and have to go back exactly where they came from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zachi Posted January 18, 2006 Author Share Posted January 18, 2006 Thanks everyone for the websites and tips, it is all just what I needed. I have not taken anything apart yet, but I plan to within the next couple days when I get some real time to sit and do this. I will attach a couple photos taken with the camera, I think it looks more like fogging than light leaks, but Your opinions on what it is are encouraged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zachi Posted January 18, 2006 Author Share Posted January 18, 2006 Another photo from my Yashica. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zachi Posted January 18, 2006 Author Share Posted January 18, 2006 Oh darn, I posted the same one twice. Um, this is the one I meant to post, sorry! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john falkenstine Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 I have a Yashicamat that somebody took apart...but destroyed it in this process. They really don't come "apart" all that easy. Why not send it off to Mr. Hama for a good overhaul and then you will have a great camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john falkenstine Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 http://www.markhama.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_oleson Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 yeah, it looks like you've got something in your lens. kind of a neat effect, but probably not what you were after..... :)= Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Seaman Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 I had a similar problem with a 124 (not G). It seems the shutter mechanism has a habit of spraying oil on to the lens surfaces. I unscrewed the front lens assembly (on the 124 it just unscrews without taking any panels off). I found the rear surface of this group was clean, all the gunge was on the front surface of the rear lens. I tried to clean this through the open shutter but the oil had set hard on the glass, so in the end I had to remove the rear element to clean it properly. You may find you can do all the cleaning you need just by removing the rear element. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zachi Posted January 20, 2006 Author Share Posted January 20, 2006 <i><b>richard oleson Prolific Poster, jan 19, 2006; 07:42 p.m.</b>yeah, it looks like you've got something in your lens. kind of a neat effect, but probably not what you were after..... :)=</i> Haha, yeah I thought it was a cool effect as well! and even thought of just leaving it. But then I figured I have my Holga for all of that, it's time I got a <i>real</i> camera.<br><br> Well I am about to disassemble, thanks to everyone for the help so far, and I cannot assure you that I won't be needing any more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zachi Posted January 20, 2006 Author Share Posted January 20, 2006 Well I got it all apart and cleaned successfully. It wasn't too hard at all.<br> I have one more question for you guys though. It looks as if the front of my main lens is scuffed up. like someone was cleaning it improperly or something. is there a way to polish these small scratches off?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dean_williams Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 Having the lens reground is usually not an economic option. <p> Try it and see how things look as it is. It could be a problem, or maybe not. Check this out, just for kicks: <a href="http://deansofidaho.com/oldstuff/dirty%20lens/dirty%20lens%201/dirty%20lens%201.html">Dirty Lens Test</a> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_oleson Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 Hi Zach: there's no way to improve cleaning marks. you have only 2 choices: leave them alone, or make them worse. clean the lens carefully and do your best to keep it clean so that you don't have to clean it too often. :)= Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zachi Posted January 20, 2006 Author Share Posted January 20, 2006 Thanks to everyone for the help I am sure it is going to turn out alright. I spent all of today shooting with it and should get my film back within the next few days. <br> <br> Thank you Dean for the great website (that I assume is your own?), the article on the scuffed lens made me feel much better about my own which is not even half as bad! Oh and by the way, you've got some great photos there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dean_williams Posted January 21, 2006 Share Posted January 21, 2006 Yes Zach, it's my site, and thanks for the kind remarks. Check out Rick Oleson's too. Lots and Lots of good stuff there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zachi Posted January 29, 2006 Author Share Posted January 29, 2006 Alright, so here is a photo taken with my Yashica. I still feel like there is a sort of glow to the whites, what do you think?<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zachi Posted January 29, 2006 Author Share Posted January 29, 2006 And here is a photo of my lens, it is <i>pretty</i> scuffed up. Does anyone have any tips or tricks as to how I can maybe buff this out or work around it?<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank_chang Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 btw, I also have a Yashica Mat LM and a fair bit of dusts inside. Should I worry about it since it doesn't affect the image too much (probably cause a fair bit of flare). How do you take the front leatherette out to expose the screws? Is it glued on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now