Mamiya TLR Lens with Haze

[jay_chartwell]

I just got a Mamiya 250 6.3 from eBay and the rear of the front element of the

taking lens has some haze.

 

First, I'm assuming the taking and viewing lenses are different and cannot be

switched - is this true?

 

Does anyone have a rough idea of how much it would cost to fix?

 

If I decide to try to return it, I would like to know a little more about what

can cause the haze so I can communicate intelligently to the seller about it. I

know fungus can look like haze. What else could cause it? It has a somewhat

circular pattern to it as if it had been cleaned poorly.

[jay_chartwell]

I have a shot of it here:

 

http://www.maps-gps-info.com/mamiya-haze.html

 

(The actual haze is not as bad as it may look)

[shambrick007]

Looks like fungus to me. I had a 135 that I inherited w/fungus so bad it actually looked almost wet (it was poorly stored in the humid south). <p>"I can communicate intelligently to the seller about it." Does it matter? It's in horrible shape = send it back. <p>"First, I'm assuming the taking and viewing lenses are different and cannot be switched - is this true? " I'd thought about doing the same thing w/mine. I believe they are different. Again, not worth the hassle - just find a better sample.

[rick_gerbehy1]

Not worth fixing. Send it back. That lens looks like someone at one time may have tried to repair it and failed.

[William Kahn]

Jay, I may have a solution for you. I'll email you....

[picturesque]

I don't know for sure, but I believe most of the Mamiya TLR lenses are switchable, and are matched to each other when the sets are made. I've switched a lens element between taking and viewing on my older 55mm f4.5, which improved the edge sharpness of my images. If easy to do, just switch the elements and test. Or if you decide it isn't worth it, which it isn't if you can't switch the elements, just send it back.