NLsafari
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Everything posted by NLsafari
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Yes, for the 300FD S.S.C. Fluorite. I have posted the problem I am having with the diaphragm activating linkage of this lens. I have contacted numerous domestic camera techs including a highly respected repair center in Japan and there is reluctance in taking apart the aperture ring of this lens because of fear of losing a ball bearing and making the problem worse. They don't actually say this but I image that is what they are thinking when they remark "it was never designed to take apart" . However if it could be proved that the ball bearings are the same in FD lenses and thus interchangeable much of the fear of taking on this work would be eliminated.
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Does anyone know if the ball bearings for the aperture ring are the same for all FD lenses and thus interchangeable?
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I was going to give one of them to my youngest son when he shows a tad more maturity!
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Last time I reported that keeping the lens at room temperature for a day or so and then working the shutter release for close to 1000 times reduced the incidence of the diaphragm blades sticking. The diaphragm now sticks rarely and is snappy. So it seems I have resolved the problem. However, there is one last abnormality that I found and wondered if anyone participating in this forum could explain. Using my Canon F-1n (old non-electronic shutter ) I selected B for my shutter speed and while looking through the front of the Canon 300mm F/2.8 S.S.C. Fluorite I turned the F-Stop ring while holding down the shutter release I noticed that the diaphragm dragged a little and sometimes did not close down to the smallest diaphragm setting F/22. Then with the shutter speed still at B I set the F-stop to F/5.8 or F/4 and released the shutter I found the diaphragm would stick and hardly move. If I cranked the film advance and pressed the shutter release in the usual manner the diaphragm released and functioned normally. So something is still not right because my other 300mm Fluorite does not do this. In addition when the shutter speed is at B and the F-stop is at F/22 so that the diaphragm is closed to its smallest setting one can see at the base of the diaphragm blade a tiny area of shinny metal instead of black at the point where the blade pivots. This finding indicates abnormal wear in the diaphragm … none of my other lenses have this. Does anyone know if the diaphragm blades are disassembled for cleaning and service does this require taking apart the shutter release activating linkage/system? Any ideas that explain why the diaphragm is acting the way it does? Raphael
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Someone recommended that I keep the lens at room temperature instead of my attic where it really gets cold this time of year , I live in CT ,and see if that helps. That did the trick. Last weekend I put the FD 300 S.S.C. on my Canon F-1n and pressed the shutter release well over 500 times and the diaphragm got a little stuck maybe 3 or 4 times . I even made a run of over 125 and did not see a problem. The diaphragm was snappy. So is this problem due to lubrication or a change in the shutter activation linkage. Should a different lubricant be used ? The breech bayonet mount which contains the shutter activation linkage was never designed to be taken apart. It is very complex containing close to 100 tiny ball bearings and if you lose one of those ball bearings to adjust or to replace a part it will make things worse. Raphael
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Thanks for the feed back. I will certainly pass along this info to the tech who will service the FD 300 f/2.8 Fluorite. I will post the results of servicing this lens when completed.
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Thanks for the advice using lubricant. The shutter activating mechanism problem of the FD 300/2.8 Fluorite I think is related to something that happens a few years ago. I remember being in a rush to mount the FD 300/2.8 Fluorite on my F-1n and did not have the lens pins lined up properly with the camera when I tightened the FD chrome ring to secure the lens. The lens jammed on the camera body and with some difficulty I removed the lens but was unable to use it for the remainder of the trip. After this I noticed that when the f-stop was changed with any of my FD lenses the "Lollipop " in the view finder would often would get stuck. Eventually I had KEH fix this problem by swopping out the damaged part. I imagine the problem in the F-1n was due to a part that was bent. I am sure the problem in the FD 300/2.8 Fluorite is caused by a bent part in the shutter activating linkage. Does anyone know if the shutter activating linkage of FD lenses are inter changeable? If it is solving the problem is easy and cheap . If not then the part must be machined which means a lot more money.
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About two years ago I posted a thread asking for help with the diaphragm of my Canon FD 300 Fluorite. The problem with the diaphragm is that when the shutter is released the diaphragm does NOT return to its fully open resting position. Instead it only makes it back to 3/4 open or 7/8 open. Sometimes only a fraction of a millimeter of the shutter blade extends out of the resting position. This problem is intermittent occurring as little as 1/60 activations of the shutter but sometimes it can occur as often as 1/4. When I first posted the thread with this problem some of the participants in this forum suggested that it sounded like a shutter release linkage problem. I was given a couple of referrals where I could send my lens. The first referral said the lens required a part that is no longer available and returned it to me. The second referral said the sticky diaphragm was caused by the use of an improper lubricant . He serviced the lens and I found that it seemed to work perfectly. I usually check my analog equipment every 6-7 months and put the lenses on my F-1 and make sure diaphragms/shutters work and don't stick. Yesterday when I put the 300 Fluorite on my F-1 I noticed after a few dozen cycles the diaphragm began to stick. I could not believe my eyes. Maybe there is a part that is broken/worn and needs to be changed. Maybe the grease applied by serviceperson #2 only masked the problem. If it wasn't because this is a beautiful and rare lens with perfect glass I would not be wasting my time posting this thread. But his lens deserves to have this problem solved. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Raphael
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Hi Jim, Is there a specific lubricant that should be used to lubricate the aperture actuating mechanism and the internals of the Canon FD Fluorite 300 so that it does not dry out and stick ? Raphael
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Hi, I have the Canon FD 300 F/2.8 S.S.C. Fluorite with the GREEN line on the sun shade. Am extremely rare and sharp lens. With a 2X extender and using film it can resolve the legs of a fly at a distance of over 200 feet. Look at the pictures in my gallery they were taken with this lens using Portra 400 film.
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Steve is no longer in Sparks, Nevada he moved to MANDAM ND. He is the one who serviced my lens. Raphael
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A few months ago I posted a problem with my Canon FD 300/2.8 SSC Fluorite which had shutter blades that were sticking. I sent the lens to a few people and the problem was narrowed down to the aperture actuating mechanism. They how ever were reluctant to open up such a rare piece of glass and try to fix the lens. Finally I sent the lens to Steve Sweringen at Camera Clinic in Mandan , ND (775 829 2244 ) who serviced the lens. I just got the lens yesterday and the shutter works perfectly. Raphael
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A few months ago I posted a problem with my Canon FD 300/2.8 SSC Fluorite which had shutter blades that were sticking. I sent the lens to a few people and the problem was narrowed down to the aperture actuating mechanism. They how ever were reluctant to open up such a rare piece of glass and try to fix the lens. Finally I sent the lens to Steve Sweringen at Camera Clinic in Mandan , ND (775 829 2244 ) who serviced the lens. I just got the lens yesterday and the shutter works perfectly.
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<p>Jim, Good idea . I looked in ebay and did not find any. Let me know if one is available some where. Since I don't plan to dismantle the lens , I don't want to learn on a rare piece of glass like the FLUORITE, do you think another camera tech could figure things out without the manual and get it right without doing harm? I know this is not a fair question because it is like asking if a routine eye surgery can go wrong.</p> <p>Raphael</p>
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<p>Rick, I don't think he took it apart although I did not ask him if he did. The tech tried to get the "mount unit " from Canon but it was not available. How tricky is it to take the "mount unit" apart to better evaluate the root cause of the problem without making matters worst?<br> Raphael</p>
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<p>No. The "mount unit" is that part of the lens that contains the aperture signal lever and closes the shutter blades to the specified F/stop. I think that if the lever binds it will not return completely to the resting position and the shutter blades could stay partially closed instead of being completely open at rest. This is what I see happening to the diaphragm opening when I put the lens on the F-1n and look through the front. A stiff lever could also cause a sluggish diaphragm which I also see. I have never opened up a Canon lens but I think since the lever is not totally frozen this problem might be repaired with a little cleaning and lub. I am asking for ideas to solve this problem.</p> <p>Raphael</p>
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<p>I am not sure what camera my daughter has but the pictures I got were nothing compared to those of Raoul.</p>
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<p>I just had my Canon FD 300/2.8 FLUORITE evaluated for sticking shutter blades which I posted a few weeks ago. It turns out that it is not the shutter blades that is causing a problem but it is the mount unit that is defective. I don't know for sure but I assume the mount unit contains the small metallic arm that goes into the camera body and is activated when the shutter is released. This lens is a beauty the body is clean and the optics are mint. Hence, I have to find a way to either replace ( from a similar lens ) or repair the mount unit. I was thinking of using S.K. Grimes to machine the parts that have to be replaced. They machined an adapter for this lens so that a standard size filter could be fitted in front of the first element. Canon used an odd ball thread size for the front of the lens and no off the shelf filter can be used . I am open to suggestions for a way to solve this problem.</p> <p>Raphael</p>
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Canon FD 300mm f/2.8 Flurite with chrome ring shutter blades get stuck
NLsafari replied to NLsafari's topic in Canon FD Mount
<p>I just had my Canon FD 300/2.8 FLUORITE evaluated for sticking shutter blades which I posted a few weeks ago. It turns out that it is not the shutter blades that is causing a problem but it is the mount unit that is defective. I don't know for sure but I assume the mount unit contains the small metallic arm that goes into the camera body and is activated when the shutter is released. This lens is a beauty the body is clean and the optics are mint. Hence, I have to find a way to either replace ( from a similar lens ) or repair the mount unit. I was thinking of using S.K. Grimes to machine the parts that have to be replaced. They machined an adapter for this lens so that a standard size filter could be fitted in front of the first element. Canon used an odd ball thread size for the front of the lens and no off the shelf filter can be used . I am open to suggestions for a way to solve this problem.</p> -
<p>So there is light at the tunnel ! Will maybe rent an A7R for a few days and see if I like it.</p>
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<p>I have a set of nice Canon FD glass that I use with my Canon F-1n. I have been thinking about getting a Sony A7R or similar mirror-less camera to use with a Canon adapter. I understand that I have to stop down and focus manually. Can someone tell me how good is the focusing with these cameras in manual mode. If I use a long lens like a Canon 300mm F/2.8 Fluorite S.S.C. would there be a problem getting sharp pictures consistently? I say this because I used my daughters mirror-less camera with a Canon FD 85mm 1.2 aspherical S.S.C. and the pictures were O.K. but not great. I must admit I only shot a few pics and didn't have time to master her camera.<br> Raphael Vazquez</p>
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<p>Thanks for the explanation. I am really impressed by what Tim did to adjust the color of my photo. Shows me how much I am behind the times. Any suggestion as to the best hardware available to do this kind of digital processing.</p> <p>Raphael</p>
