marc_berg Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 Hi all, I have a collapsible Elmar 90 with a circular haze pattern. Performance is average even stopped down and would like to clean it. I have not found a place to habe it CLA'd cheaply where I live. A friend of mine who has already cleaned lenses offered to do the job, but did not dare to disassemble the lens not to damage it. Is there a service manual or something similar? Many thanks. Marc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_shriver Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 Has your friend ever cleaned a Leica lens of the "soft internal coatings" era? It's very different from cleaning a hard-coated lens element. I've messed up a Summicron 50/2 trying to do it. You have to use the right solvents, and essentially zero pressure. The circular haze pattern may be the result of someone trying to do it the wrong way in the past. DAG or Sherry Krauter should be able to do this for under $100, if it isn't already hopeless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laptoprob Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 Is it the 50's collapsible Elmar? It is relatively easy to dismantle, like most Leica lenses of the period. You can unscrew the head from the extension barrel. Undo the lockscrew first. Everything counterclockwise as usual. Then you can take the rear lens group out with dedicated lens pliers. The ones that can screw two points at the same time. That way you can get to all lens groups. You will find the surfaces next to the aperture will have the most hazing. Be careful not to scratch the surfaces while cleaning them. good luck, Rob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc_berg Posted May 23, 2007 Author Share Posted May 23, 2007 John, thanks for the answer. I do not know, but I think he has already repaired old Zeiss and Voigtlaender lenses. The main problem is that I live in Europe and shipping is probably expensive. I did not want to pay more than 50-100$ for the cleaning, since I am not sure performance will improve and have not used much the FL either. Cheers. Marc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc_berg Posted May 23, 2007 Author Share Posted May 23, 2007 Hi Rob, thanks for your answer. Mine is the 90 collapsible, not the 50. Is it the same for the 90? Thanks. Marc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_clark4 Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 What are the correct solvents and method to clean the soft coating? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allison_reese2 Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 try 95% ethanol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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