NLsafari

On You Tube mikeno62 takes an FD 24mm lens apart to service a stiff breech ring. I think if you can follow his procedure you might be able to fix your lens.

Is the spring that activates the breech-lock ring lens specific or did Canon design a "FITS ALL" spring?

Yes of course you have to tighten the ring after it moves. I like the movement as an indicator that things are aligned properly before snugging things up.

I have a number of FD lenses and recently noticed that one of them has a stiff BREECH LOCK ring. With my other lenses when the red dots in the lens and camera are lined up and the lens engages the camera the BREECH LOCK ring moves automatically. This is important to me because I once was in a hurry and did not notice that the lens and camera were misaligned and I tightened the ring with normal pressure and I caused damage to both camera and lens mounts. So with the lens in question when the dots are lined up and it engages the camera there is ZERO movement of the ring. This is why I say the BREECH LOCK ring is stiff. However, the lens diaphragm works perfectly so I know the linkage is good. So is this a lubrication issue or is something mechanical in the lens mount misaligned or broken and how can I fix it?

The Takumar 50mm/1.4 I believe emits radiation. Does anyone know if the Takumar 135mm/3.5 of the same vintage also emits radiation ? In this era of "warning from the state of CA this product is known to contain cancer causing substance " should owners of these hot lenses keep them in lead bags such as those used to protect film from x-ray screening in airports?

What year is the Takumar in the top pic? After my brother completed his service in Vietnam in 1968 he stopped in Hong Kong and I asked him to buy me a Pentax Spot Matic with a 50mm/1.4. The serial number of the 50/1.4 is 1588125 and of the body is 1218953. Is the vintage of the Takumar 50/1.4 in the top pic earlier or later than the one I have?

I think I prefer the Takumar. Can't wait to get the adapter so I can fit the Takumar on my F-1.

If I had to guess the top pic is Canon and the bottom is Pentax. As I said I plan to shoot some film with the Takumar using my F-1n and I ordered an adapter so that comparing Canon with Pentax is apples to apples.

All this talk about lens "character" made me go to the attic where I found my old Pentax Spotmatic with a Super Takumar 50mm/1.4 on it. I will shoot some rolls with it and compare the results to my trusty Canon FD 50mm/1.4 S.S.C. It should be fun.

I'm glad I asked the question about "character " I learned a lot .

Thanks for the input. Maybe I am getting cabin fever from being in LOCK DOWN so long ( I work in New York City ) but I should have also asked how do you define the "CHARACTER" of a lens?

Compared to lenses on new digital cameras like the A7 which produce sterile high resolution images legacy lenses like the chrome nose Canon FD 50mm/1.4 S.S.C. are supposed to be more desirable because their images have character. Is this statement accurate/valid and where does the Canon FD 50mm/1.4 S.S.C. fall in the "CHARACTER" scale compared to other legacy 50mm/1.4 lenses? Raphael

Good point . Certainly glass does not absorb all UV as can be seen by comparing photographs that have UV filter vs non-UV filter.

Hi, I was thinking that the UV in sunlight would be very fungus unfriendly. However, glass absorbs UV so that the fungus cleaning properties don't help the interior elements.

The lens is kept in a plastic bag to prevent fungus. I was not sure if there was a relationship between dust and fungus that is why I posed the question.

Good idea … I'll be careful not to leave it too long.

First I want to thank all participants of this forum who helped me fixed the lens diaphragm problem of my Canon 300/2.8 FD Fluorite. My question now pertains to dust inside the lens. Does dust inside a lens significantly increases the possibility/risk for mold to grow? I noticed that my 300 Fluorite has accumulated some dust inside and have been wondering if I should send the lens for cleaning? This is not the same lens that had the shutter problem. Raphael

My first 300/2.8 was a present from my wife it was the lens with the problem. The second I picked up on EBAY about 6 years ago for about $500 the glass is perfect only needed cleaning by Steve Serota who passed away a number of years ago. When my youngest son who likes photography learns to take care of his equipment I will give it to him. I gave him a nice Tamron 50-300 zoom and it was junk after a about year.

Just wanted to report back regarding my problem with the diaphragm hanging up on my Canon 300 Fluorite S.S.C. The problem has been fixed and the diaphragm works good as new thanks to Steve at Camera Clinic in Mandam, ND. It did not require any fabrication only thoroughly clean/lubricate the aperture linkage mechanism. Steve did what nobody even wanted to touch including Kanto Camera in Japan. Thanks also to all of you who gave advice and info. Raphael

Sounds like something I might try if I was sure the assembly wasn't rigged like a booby trap. My fear is that I can't put it back together after I take it apart. Has anyone seen this on YOUTUBE?

Sounds like something I might try if I was sure the assembly wasn't rigged like a booby trap. My fear is that I can't put it back together after I take it apart. Has anyone seen this on YOUTUBE?

I like it. I will pass it along to the tech servicing the lens.