Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/06/30
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Christer Almqvist wrote: > I had a sharpness problem with my 40 Focotar which was due to paint > particles coming off the aperture blades and sticking on to one of the > inner lens surfaces. The particles could be clearly seen when placing the > Focotar on a light box and looking into it with the help of a loupe (as it > is otherwise difficult to focus your eyes on an inner lens surface). I had > bought the lens used and it had obviously been out of action for a long > time and I guess the aperture blades had got stuck together. The lens was > sharp when I first used it, but then deteriorated quickly. I had it cleaned > by Leica, and it is now second to none. I checked my Focotar and there are black paint particles inside the elements! Very, very interesting. I bought this V35 brand new, four months ago, circa 1979, still sealed in its original shipping box from Germany with papers/card, etc. When I set it up, I looked through the lens and saw these black particles and thought nothing of it. I assumed it was kind of like the old Nikon lenses that had bubbles in the glass, a "sign of quality" thing. But, I had a previous V35 that I bought used (have since sold it) and its Focotar had the same black specs in it. Maybe I should send this back to Leica for a cleaning. Probably would help. Thanks for the insight. Louis DiBacco