I overhaul every Zeiss lens.

This includes lenses for the Contax RF, Contax SLR, Nikon RF, Carl Zeiss and Carl Zeiss
Jena lenses and lenses by other makers for other cameras. If your lens is not listed on this page and you want to know
if it can be overhauled here and the cost please use this email link to contact me:
Lens Overhaul Question Email
Lens Overhaul Prices and Turaround Time:
If you have a lens that needs an overhaul or to be repaired and you want to know the price and turn around time please use this
email link to send me an email about it and I will reply promptly. Please send me all the information you have about the lens and
describe the problem that causes you to believe the lens needs an overhaul or repair. In the case of most overhauls a firm price
can be provided.
Lens Overhaul or Repair Cost Question Email
The Reason an Old Lens Needs a Complete Overhaul:
All lenses contain grease to lubricate the focusing and/or aperture control mechanisms. Grease is made of oil and other
ingredients that cause the oil to form a solid so that it will stay where it is applied. Over time the grease begins to degrade and it
will release this oil. The oil moves into the lens and coats the glass internal lens elements. Lenses must be absolutely clean in
order to do the job each lens element in a lens is designed to do. A lens full of oil coated elements will not focus precisely nor
will it render colors as it was designed to do. This oil is also food for mold. The mold eats the oil and exudes acid as a by
product. Depending upon the mold it can exude acid strong enough to etch coatings and glass. This is why it is necessary for a
lens to be completely overhauled with each and every piece of it thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. It does no good to
superficially service a lens by pouring oil into it or by merely cleaning the lens elements. Fungus spores can reside deep inside
a lens and continue to grow in one that has not been completely disinfected. All lenses overhauled here are completely cleaned.
Any lens over 20 years old should be considered to be old enough to need an overhaul. The fact that oil may not be visible on
the aperture blades may merely mean the grease in the lens released all of its oil a long time ago. How fast the grease in a lens
will degrade depends upon its storage and use conditions.
The Reality of Manufactured Lenses. Lens Testing and an Overhaul:
Over the years I've had the opportunity to examine thousands of lenses for every kind of camera and all of this experience
suddenly distilled itself into two thoughts about lenses that is the most important thing for anyone to know when selecting one to
buy. This is simply the one single most important thing about a lens is the optical glass used to make it. Everything else is just
window dressing. A lens is just like any other manufactured product. The better and the more expensive the raw materials used
to make it the more effort and craftsmanship will be expended on the fine details of manufacture. No one can imagine a lens
maker putting $1000.00 worth of labor into a lens made with the cheapest grade of optical glass. But, if you look at all the
advertising ever printed about every lens ever made you read nothing about the optical glass used in the lens. There is
absolutely nothing. A couple of years ago I read an interview with the owner of a company in Japan that manufactures lenses
with a very high name engraved on them. In this interview he said that his company only used the best optical glass for
prototypes and then used lesser quality glass for production lenses because "the customers don't notice it". The second thought
is that since nothing is written about optical glass and the lenses the best grade of glass is used in the only way to go is to test.
The problem is this takes custom made machines that only lens manufacturers can afford to make. Fortunately one of these
came up for sale on Ebay and I bought it. Here's a picture of the lens microscope made by the Canon camera co.:

This lens microscope is shown with a postwar T coated 50mm f1.5 Sonnar lens mounted on it. This microscope allows me to
view the sharpness of lenses, at high magnification, when they are sighted at a high resolution target in this three foot long
super high precision optical target collimator that was made to match with this lens microscope:
This lens evaluation equipment was manufactured by the Canon camera co and is labeled for "Factory Use Only". I believe it
was used to evaluate prototype lenses designed for the Canon line of Rangefinder cameras and was custom made by them for
this purpose. This equipment has allowed me to come to one conclusion and this is that Zeiss used only the highest possible
quality optical glass in the lenses they made for their entire range of cameras including the Super Ikonta, Contax and Contarex.
They held nothing back and engaged in a process of continuous improvement. Everything else I've seen is just not quite as
good. You can spend $2000.00 for a strangely named lens or other oddity but the fact is when it comes to optical performance
there are only two things to look for on a lens. This is "Carl Zeiss" and "Made in Germany". These days there is a superstition
against postwar Carl Zeiss Jena lenses. These lenses are optically just as good as West German made Carl Zeiss branded
lenses except that they are made of aluminum whereas the West German made lenses are made of chrome plated brass.
If you would like to read everything Zeiss ever divulged about the making of lenses, and it is quite a lot of very valuable
information, you can use this link to download the Zeiss booklet, "Photographic Lenses and How They Are Made" published in
1928:
How Lenses are Made
If you would like to know just about everything that can be known about modern optical glass please use this link to access the
article "Optical Glass" published recently by the Edmund Optical Company. It is very comprehensive:
Edmund Optical Article "Optical Glass"
If you would like to know just about everything that can be known about modern optical coatings please use this link to access
the article "Anit Reflection Coatings" published recently by the Edmund Optical Company. It is very comprehensive:
Edmund Article "Anti Reflection (AR) Coatings"
This Zeiss Article posted on the Carl Zeiss Web Site is a 33 page PDF document explaning everything you ever wanted to know
about photographic lenses and what makes a good or bad lens. This article is about as definitive and complete as can be and is
weill worth reading:
Zeiss Article "Reading MTF Curves"
The one remaining big secret about old lenses is the optical glass used in them is vastly superior to the optical glass available
today. The reason for this is modern safety and environmental regulations have resulted in the removal of both lead and arsenic
from modern optical glass. The removal of these ingredients has had a very strong effect upon the quality of optical glass
available making lenses made with optical glass that contains arsenic and lead to be very superior. Right now, given the
resolution limits on digital cameras this lower quality optical glass does not produce digital results that are visible. But, in time,
and with decreases in pixel size it will become evident.
Also, there are various grades of optical glass. Optical glass can cost the same as gold and so only the best lenses get the best
optical glass used in them. There is a famous maker of lenses today who admitted in an interview some years ago that they
used the best optical glass only in their prototype lenses and used less good glass in their production lenses. This is not true for
classic Zeiss lenses. Zeiss has always used the best possible optical glass in all of its lenses that are made in Germany.
Optical glass making is completely ruled by trade secrets. Little is known about it by persons not directly involved in its
manufacture who are bound by iron-clad secrecy contracts.. But it has been disclosed that small amounts of various metals,
some toxic, improve optical glass. The problem is modern safety regulations prohibit the use of some of these metals in optical
glass manufacture because the metals are toxic. This has resulted in a reduction of the overall quality of optical glass used in
the making of lenses. This quality decline has been obscured in recent times by the fact most modern made lenses are being
used on digital cameras and so it cannot be seen.....yet. You can be sure if you buy a German made Zeiss lens made prior to
the formation of the European Union you are getting the best possible optical glass that can be made.
I've seen some Zeiss lenses that have taught me a big lesson about lens performance. The most recent was a Contarex 18mm
Distagon. This is a very complex lens made up of nine groups. A customer sent me his 18mm Distagon lens for an overhaul
and at first examination it looked bad. It could plainly be seen that the inner lens elements had lots and lots of grinding defects.
When the lens was disassembled there was even one element covered with very severe grinding defects in a square cross
hatch pattern that were so deep they would catch a finger nail. But when all the elements had been cleaned and the lens
reassembled and it was collimated it was without a doubt the sharpest performing lens I've ever seen. The owner himself wrote
me about a year later to say that the performance of the lens astounded him and it was his sharpest Contarex lens by far.
The lesson of all this is that you cannot possibly judge the performance of a lens by its cosmetic appearance. There is a famous
instance where an astronomer who purchased a very large Zeiss telescope made a complaint to Zeiss about the bubbles in the
lens glass. The reply he received was "Lenses are for looking through and not for looking at".
The ugliest lenses can, and often do, provide the highest possible level of photographic performance. The conclusion I've been
led to by years of peering through Zeiss lenses is that while a cosmetically perfect lens will do the best on the marketplace, the
more the bubbles the better the pictures the lens will produce. If you're looking for pure Mokeh and you have to bet on a lens,
bet on the Zeiss lens with the most original factory defects.
 I get many comments from people so see things inside their lenses such as
wipe marks, spots, bubbles in the glass, scratches, and just about anything
else the eye can see. The simple fact of the matter is that lens making is a
thing shrouded in manufacturing secrecy, trade secrets, secret formulas and
a lack of factual information. No lens manufacturer has ever stated that the
lenses they make will be completely free of any kind of observable thing.
Manufacturer's typically provide only lens performance charts and this is all
there is. It is normal for a typical lens, and in particular an older lens, or a high
tech. lens made of superior optical glass, to have some bubbles in the glass,
discontinuities in coatings, spots in coatings and other flaws such as grinding
marks of various kinds. Optical glass is very expensive to make and in the
case of very high tech. lenses from premium manufacturers such as Leitz and
Zeiss, very rare and expensive pieces of optical glass containing obvious
visible defects were often used to make lenses because it was impossible to
get glass that didn't have both defects and highly desirable optical properties
at that time.
Many people like to observe their lenses by shining a bright light through it
from the rear and then examine it with a magnifying glass or a microscope.
There is no authoritative lens testing book I've ever seen that has described this test. The reason for this is that lenses are sold
based on performance and not on the individual cosmetic beauty of the elements that are assembled together to make the lens.
Lens elements can have significant coating and/or grinding marks on them and when assembled in a lens produce a lens that
has tremendously great performance. Paradoxically, cosmetically perfect lens elements can be assembled into the same lens
and produce a worthless piece of junk. Premium lens makers assemble their lenses using individual elements that produce the
best results from the lens as an assembly and this means that sometimes individual elements may not have as much cosmetic
beauty as others, but their optical performance is highly superior to others.
A dirty lens, when examined from behind with a bright light and examined from the front with a magnifying glass will have a
superior internal cosmetic beauty to one that has been very carefully cleaned. It is for this reason that there is absolutely no
guarantee of any kind with respect to any before/after defect or object anyone may see when a lens is examined by this
method, sent here for an overhaul, and then reexamined using the same method. My advice to you, if you are married to his
method of examining lenses, is to please take your lenses to someone who you are sure will take your money and will do
nothing other than to wipe off the outside of the lens and then return it to you. My policy is to not respond directly to any
comment, question or observation about a lens examined by this method other than to direct the person to this
paragraph.
When you send a lens here for an overhaul it will be completely disassembled. Each and every part and lens element will be
cleaned multiple times in several solvents. Each lens element will be examined carefully and will only be reinstalled unless it is
totally clean. Then the lens will be lubricated, assembled, adjusted and collimated. There are no short cuts or abbreviations.
The purpose of an overhaul is, to the maximum possible extent, to return your lens to factory original condition or better.
The lens overhaul process has been expanded to include the use of Swiss made Fixodrop lubricant fixative inside lenses. This
is a treatment that is brushed onto clean and oil free metal surfaces. It blocks the movement of oil or grease across any surface
treated with it. It does not expire, degrade, migrate or wear out. It's a permanent treatment.. Fixodrop is applied where
necessary to keep aperture lubrication in its place so that it does not migrate over time into other parts of the lens such as lens
element surfaces and aperture blades. Fixodrop is tremendously expensive, but it is used liberally and is applied lavishly inside
your lens so that your lens will retain the superior optical performance that comes from extreme cleanliness of the lens surfaces,
the aperture blades move freely, and the lens moving parts stay properly lubricated for a great many years.
This is a picture taken in the Zeiss Jena lens factory in 1946. It shows a technician using the machine that produces the knurled
ring around the upper lip of the Contax 50mm Sonnar lens.
\
The caption on the back of this picture reads:
ACME PHOTO SERVICE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 5/10/1946. "This worker is assembling Zeiss lenses prized by
shutterbugs the world over with 10,000 workers on the job, the Zeiss Plant is operating at all most full scale prewar levels.
Some of the cameras turned out here will be bought by the U.S. Army for PX distribution." It should be noted that the Russians
had confiscated 93% of the Zeiss machinery in Germany as war reparations and so the statement the Zeiss Plant is operating
at pre war levels of production had to be overly optimistic. Obviously the fact the picture shows that lenses for the Contax
camera were being produced demonstrates that Zeiss was producing the Contax, today called the "Jena Contax" at this time.
Filter Ring Dents and Dings:
There's nothing quite as tragic as a wonderful lens whose appearance has been ruined through the use of a lens vise or pliers
to "repair" a filter ring ding. Here special tools are used to gently bend the bent metal back into shape so that in most cases the
repair can be done without any sign that there had been a ding to begin with. Here are before and after pictures of a worst case
lens:

The filter ring is the same. It was straightened

and the filter threads brought into perfect
alignment with each other through the use of
this special tool. This tool is tapered so that
even the most deeply distorted filter ring can
be threaded onto it and then moved
downward and gently worked to straighten out
the dings and dents and align and form the
threads without affecting the original paint.
There are no pliers or other marks on the filter
ring.

Even if your lens is not a 50mm it is possible to make a special tool to suit it so that the best possible repairs can be
accomplished. If a special tool is needed for your lens you are not charged for it.
Epoxy and Balsam Cemented Lens Separation Repair:
It is possible to permanently and safety correct the most common Zeiss lens problem and this is the separation of epoxy
cemented lenses. The following two pictures show before and after views of the
same center triplet element from a Carl Zeiss Sonnar 50 mm f1.5 Lens with
cement separation.

The process does not affect the coatings, lens centering, element alignment or
any other optical attribute of the lens other than the separation. The procedure is
permanent and
does not use oil of
any kind. The lens
is actually
separated into its
component
elements and then
re cemented using
a modern lens cement. The Separation process does not affect the original coatings or any other lens property. Unlike other
separation processes that use great heat, remove the coatings, and require re polishing and re coating at great cost; the
separation process used here has absolutely no effect on the lens or its coatings. Only the original lens cement is removed. You
can clearly see the lens is much clearer and color free than it was before it was re-cemented. All lens cements from the past
deteriorate and separation is only the final stage of deterioration. The cement will discolor and become opaque and will degrade
the lens performance very much.
Here are three pictures showing an 85mm f2.0 Sonnar lens rear element with severe internal hazing and clouding caused by
deterioration of the original epoxy lens cement. The first picture is of the lens
element in its original condition. The arrows show the edge clouding and browning.

This picture shows the lens removed from its mount and separated into its three
component elements:
 This picture is of the lens element, back in its
mount, re cemented and ready for use:

The lens cement used is the latest high technology very slow curing military
specification type. It has a higher index of refraction than previous generation
cements, and this provides greater lens coupling with less internal dispersion
resulting in greater lens clarity and brilliance providing greater color correction,
sharpness and contrast. This is the lowest stress lens cement there is and this low stress further reduces the internal lens
dispersion and enhances coupling.. it is is much clearer and will not discolor under high temperature. It is also highly shock
resistant and does not over harden as the old epoxy cements do. it is just the best that there is available anywhere.
Here is a picture through a Carl Zeiss 50mm f1.5 Sonnar that has had both of its cemented elements (middle and rear)
separated and re cemented with the new high tech. lens cement::

This is a picture taken through the

eyepiece of the autocollimator when
evaluating this lens:

The pentagon is shape is due to the iris

of the lens used to take the picture
through the eyepiece. What you see in
this picture is that the center circular
section with its very sharp thin lines
demonstrates the super super sharpness of the re cemented Sonnar. The sharpness
of the outermost fringes show that the field of the lens is totally flat and there is
absolutely no distortion.
Lens centering and leveling during the re cementing process is critical to the success of the process.. In order to ensure that
lenses are aligned to tolerances greatly exceeding original factory tolerances a high precision Mitutoyo measuring microscope
and an ultra-precision rotating table on a leveling mount is used to ensure centering to well within 1/100,000 of an inch and an
absolutely level surface.. This is a picture of the rotating table with the center triplet from a 50mm f1.5 Sonnar lens placed on
top of the optical flat which is used when a lens is re cemented.

This picture shows the rotating stage

mounted on the Mitutoyo measuring
microscope:

If you have any lens, made for any

camera including large format, that
needs to be separated and re
cemented in order to improve the lens
or due to failure, clouding or separation of its original lens cement please send me an email to superwide@earthlink.net by
using this link:
Email to Superwide
 This is a picture from 1963 showing an apprentice in the Zeiss factory at
Oberkocken polishing a prism. The caption on the back of this picture
reads: "Stuttgart - The "Apprentice Workshop" of the Carl Zeiss
company, in the industrial area of Stuttgart, is the training ground for the
development of world famous lens specialists. In this miniature sized
plant, all the techniques of the operating factory are duplicated.
Apprentices enter the "Lehrlings Werkstatt" at the age of 14 or 15. The
normal training period of 3 years is free of charge as the entire training
costs plus spending money are covered by the company, an institution
that turns out many of the world's finest lens experts." In the background
of the picture you can see an eight station lens polishing machine. On
the work bench you can see all of the tools needed to polish a perfect
polished prism with perfectly flat sides from a cast optical glass blank
prism, two of which are shown on the bench. This bit of apprentice
training certainly taught the most extreme patience and persistence.
The Correction of Focusing Stiffness:
There have been a lot of comments about focusing stiffness of the larger diameter lenses over the years, and with regard to the
Zeiss Contax 85mm f2.0 Sonnar in particular. Not much could be done about it until now. I have recently compounded and
tested special grease, which when used in combination with a Swiss treatment, allows a
considerable reduction in focusing stiffness to be obtained. The custom compounded grease is made
here using components manufactured by a German lubrication company that supplies Zeiss with
optical grease. The problem is this grease is very light and fugitive and tends to move quickly
throughout the lens. This spreading is blocked by the use of a special Swiss made watchmaker's
compound specially designed to chemically block completely the spreading of oil and grease
permanently. This treatment hasn't been available in this country until recently. It's called Mobius
Fixodrop and is very expensive, costing about $125.00 per 100 milliliter bottle. But it works like a
charm to fence in the very high lubricity grease, keep it in the focusing helicals where it belongs for
many years, and allow this special grease to be used in an 85 mm Sonar to lighten up the focusing to
the maximum extent possible.

Lens Services Per Listed Lens:

The service consists of:
1. Complete disassembly and hand/ultrasonic cleaning of all mechanical components.
2. Removal and cleaning of all lens optical elements. Special laboratory grade solvents are used to clean them. These
evaporate without leaving a trace.
3. Note that fungus removal is automatically included with lens element cleaning. If the problem is determined to be
cemented lens element separation or lens separation, repair of this problem is priced in the LENS REPAIR section.
4. Black edge painting on individual lens elements is touched up or replaced as required.
5. Lubricants in the aperture and iris mechanism are removed completely using ultrasonic cleaning with pure solvents.
Replacement lubricant is teflon based synthetic grease which will not deteriorate.
6. Aperture/Focus Engraving paint is touched up as required using New Hermes Engravograph filling paint to obtain that
original factory sheen. We do not use lacquer sticks.
7. Lens aperture calibration is tested on a test camera body using a Precision Camera Tester.
8. The lens is mounted on a test camera and the final focus adjustment is taken to perfection using a ZTS Precision
Focus Tester and a Bligh Autocollimator.
9. Lens servicing results are always best when performed on the camera that the lens will be used on.
This is a picture of a set of aperture blades from a Zeiss-Opton 50mm f1.5 Sonnar
lens. They have been ruined by rust and staining of the bluing. This lens was
purchased by a customer who could not see this damage because it was obscured
by a thick coat of oil on the blades. The oil that comes from deteriorated grease
does not protect against rusting and can accelerate it by trapping moisture. This oil
can also make it very difficult to see damage.
 For years there have been a lot of discussions about the proper way to safety clean a lens. Zeiss has
ended all arguments by producing its own brand of packaged pre-wetted lens cleaning cloths. Just
follow the directions provided on the side of the box and you cannot go wrong. I highly recommend that
you exclusively use genuine Zeiss lens cleaning cloths on your fine pre and post war Zeiss Lenses. If
your lens needs cleaning there's no point in risking a scratch by using anything else. Packages of 50
individually sealed pre moistened 6" x 5" cloths (not paper) are available here.

Prices for Rangefinder and Contarex Lenses

The following lenses are accepted for regular overhaul service at the stipulated prices (Price when performed with camera body
overhaul). Modern Contax/Yashica Zeiss Lenses and Lenses for other cameras are also overhauled here but are not
specifically listed below so please inquire.
Many prices are On Request (OR). Please use this email link to request the current overhaul price and turnaround time:
Special Lenses:
There are a variety of extremely rare lenses made in Contax mount. Servicing for these special lenses is available. Please
inquire if your lens is not listed above by using this email link:
Lens Overhaul Question
If you have a non-Zeiss lens please inquire.
If ever you've wondered what the lens grinding department at Zeiss looked like back in 1947 here is a picture of the lens
grinding machines in action. The technician is applying some abrasive to the iron lens form being used to grind a lens. Note the
complex machinery above and below the grinding platform used to rotate the platform and move it from side to side during the
grinding process. Today lenses are manufactured using diamond coated lens shaped abrasive forms that form a lens surface
very quickly. These old machines are obsolete but many lenses being loved and used today were made on these machines in
the Jena factory.

Here is a
picture of
bubbles
contained in
the optical
glass of a
Contax 50mm
f2.0 Coated
postwar
Sonnar:

This bubbles are the result of a secret (toxic metal)

ingredient giving off gas when the Zeiss optical glass is
taken to a very high temperature during its
manufacture. There are three reasons bubbles are not
in the glass of lenses made today. The first is modern
European safety regulations prohibit the use of toxic
metals in optical glass. The second is with the
implementation of this insane requirement the
temperature of the optical glass need not be taken to
such a high temperature during its manufacture. The
third is that some manufacturers today use use
German names under license on their lenses but also
use inferior optical glass in them. It also means the lens
without bubbles will not perform as well as a lens with bubbles. What does all this tell you? It tells you that lenses made in
Germany by Zeiss prior to the introduction of the Euro as a common currency are to be very highly prized far above anything
made today and if you have a lens with bubbles in it this is a cause for rejoicing.
Please use this link to send email to superwide@earthlink.net:
Mail To Superwide
Difficult Lenses:
If you have sent your lens to other shops and have had it returned with the explanation that it is not economical for repair, or if
you lens has been badly damaged, or if you have been told it is impossible to repair send it here. There has not yet been one
lens that has come here and had not been completely restored.
Notes:
1. Servicing depends upon the ability to disassemble the lens without damage. Experience has demonstrated that some
lenses may be frozen together and be unserviceable. Unserviceable lenses will be returned without charge other than
for shipping and the estimate charge.
2. Damage to the filter thread ring or other lens parts may affect the ability to service the lens. If this is a problem, you will
be advised of available repairs. If servicing is not possible due to thread damage or other damage, the lens will be
returned to you at no charge other than for shipping and the estimation charge.
3. Excessive corrosion, mold or damage requiring extensive additional work is at additional cost. This cost will vary
depending upon the amount of time and effort and/or parts required.
Lens Repairs
Full machine shop services are available to replace missing or damaged components. Each damaged lens is different.
Repaired lenses are precision aligned using an Auto-Collimator to ensure original factory performance. Repair costs are in
addition to the stipulated servicing cost provided above.
Prices for typical repairs are as follows:
1. Filter Ring Straightening: $45.00 This service includes careful bending of the filter ring using a variety of tools specific
to this purpose to obtain the best possible appearance and smoothest possible filter attachment. The exterior of the
filter ring is cleaned and repainted.
2. Filter Ring Replacement: $95.00 Many lenses have separate filter rings. Replacement rings can be made of brass or
aluminum that are indistinguishable from the original. These replacements are painted with hard baked enamel.
3. Other parts as necessary. Price depends upon availability and/or the necessity to custom fabricate. Please inquire.
4. Lens Element Re cementing: $95.00 and up depending upon the lens. This price is for the separation, cleaning and
precision re-cementing of the the lens element. A complete lens overhaul is also necessary as part of the process of re
cementing and is not quoted here in this paragraph.
5. Zeiss Opton Sonnar 50 mm f1.5 Triplet Holder Repair: $50.00. This model lens utilizes a brass frame/aluminum bezel
threaded holder to encase the triplet and hold it in position. In some lenses the threads on the aluminum bezel are
improperly cut. The result is that the aluminum bezel cannot be fully threaded onto the frame. This defect was handled
at the factory through the application of additional black paint to "glue" the element in place. Over time this paint
shrinks, and the element becomes loose, and the element can move out of proper position due to normal bumps from
normal usage. Due to the high curvature of the front of the triplet this problem can only be diagnosed by examination
with the front element removed.
6. Lens Re coating. Lens element re coating services are available. Please inquire.
7. External corrosion removal and external re polishing $30.00.
Lens and Camera Fungus
There is a lot of confusion about lens and camera fungus. It's really not all that complicated. The first thing to understand is that
fungus cannot grow without food. In cameras food usually consists of old grease, oil from old deteriorated grease, rubber seals,
mirror damping and body sealing foam, and oil from photographer's sweat.
There are basically two types of mold and fungus, oxygen loving and non-oxygen loving. Oxygen loving mold typically exudes
carbon dioxide as it lives and is relatively harmless to lenses and coatings. But it does exhale water which can cause rust. It
generally will not consume plastic, rubber or foam. Mold that thrives in an oxygen deprived environment exudes a very powerful
acid. This acid is responsible for coating damage and lens etching. It also dissolves rubber, some plastics and foam.
Determining which type of mold inhabits a particular lens or camera is almost impossible for anyone but an expert to do based
upon appearance. Mold is like mushrooms and can have a variety of appearances based upon what stage of life it is in. It's
usually best to just assume its the worst kind.
Cameras and lenses that are stored in carefully sealed containers can develop both kinds of mold in sequence. First the oxygen
loving mold gets to work and uses up the oxygen in the camera or lens and then the low oxygen loving mold will get to work.
Even if a camera or lens is sealed tightly in a plastic bag with fresh desiccant mold will grow given the right temperature,
atmosphere and food conditions.
To prevent mold the best thing to do is to keep the camera or lens in a proper humidity environment of 40 degrees of relative
humidity, temperature at about 72 degrees Fahrenheit, and to exercise it regularly to keep the internal lens or camera
atmosphere well oxygenated.
Getting back to the matter of mold food it is important to realize that petroleum based lubricants and mold have grown up
together over many millions of years. There is nothing strange about mold eating petroleum based aperture damping or camera
lubricating grease. It's a normal thing. The simple fact of the matter is the longer a camera or lens has been in existence the
more likely it is that the grease inside it has become inoculated with one or more species of mold who are just waiting for some
optimum condition to occur so that they can grow.
The one and only way to ensure that your camera or lens cannot become a victim of mold is to ensure that it is cleaned
completely of the old lubricant and then all parts must be thoroughly cleaned to remove all traces of the oil that has leaked from
the grease over time. Then it must be properly lubricated with modern synthetic grease that is not petroleum based.
Keep in mind that just because a shop says it is using modern synthetic grease and oils doesn't mean they are. If you are
unsure just give your camera or lens the smell test after it has been serviced. If it smells like "machine oil" or has a slightly
sulfurous odor then the lubricants are not modern synthetic ones. Modern synthetic oils and greases have very large molecules.
These molecules are so large they do not get released into the air and so they have no smell.
Once a lens is infected with mold or fungus there is no easy way out. The only remedy is a thorough and TOTAL cleaning and
disinfect ion. In some cases it is even necessary to remove and replace lens edge blacking paint because it also can become
infected. This is the only hard and fast rule. There are many kinds of molds and fungi that can infect a lens and once a lens is
infected the spores are everywhere inside it and the cleaning must be complete to ensure it does not return.
Lens and Camera Grease
There is a lot of confusion about lens and camera grease and oil. Here's how it is. All petroleum based greases consist of three
parts. These are a soap, oil(s), and stabilizers. Typically the soap component is a soap made with lead or lithium metal and
which is not water soluble. Soap made for the home is typically made with sodium and is water soluble. When one uses
household soap to wash the hands, the soap dissolves in the water and the petroleum component of the soap attaches to the
the oil on the skin and carries it away down the drain. In camera grease the soap holds the oil to keep it in one place and to
keep it from running away. The stabilizer is used to slow down the attack of oxygen on the soap which tends to break it up and
reduce its effectiveness in holding the oil. Over a long time, as the soap breaks down, the oil is released to migrate into the
camera or lens. All petroleum based grease deteriorates over time. Based upon the quality and purity of the products this
process can be either long or short.
Once a petroleum based grease has completely deteriorated and released all of its oil the remaining soap will tend to harden
and become sticky and then will form a hard deposit. Once grease looses its oil it is no longer a lubricant. It is more like an
adhesive.
In the 1960's manufacturer's started to use a new type of grease called "molybdenum disulfide" (MD) grease. MD is a powdery
solid lubricant like graphite but better. MD grease is basically all the same. Today you usually come across it when it used in the
wheel bearings of automobiles. The problem with MD grease is that there is no soap in it to contain its oil. The result is the oil
gets released from the grease quickly and the sold MD remains making the camera or lens sluggish or sticky. The use of MD
grease in the Zeiss Ikon Contarex is a big reason why this camera put Zeiss out of the camera making business.
It is possible today to substitute modern synthetic greases for the old ones in many applications. It is also possible to have
these hand made to be analogues of the older greases that used MD. Some applications require the older grease. These are
typically lenses with aluminum helicals using sliding pads or lenses made right after the war that use primitive aluminum alloys.
These lenses require a grease that has the property of preventing self welding. Greases that prevent self welding typically are
proprietary and are available only in Germany, and are petroleum based.
Why Aperture Blade Oil is So Bad
When there is visible oil on the aperture blades there is oil on the lens element surfaces inside the lens assembly. Lenses work
on a basic principle of physics that says the degree to which a ray of light is bent is proportional to the hardness difference
between the surfaces through which the light travels. When a manufacturer assembles a lens at the factory great care is taken
to ensure the lens elements are clean and free of any trace of oil. When a lens becomes coated with oil the oil acts as a
secondary surface which bends the light itself. The oil films on the various elements in effect becomes a number of thin lenses
that have become introduced into the lens design and the results are never good.
If you have an old camera or lens and there is oil on the aperture blades there is absolutely no point in judging the performance
of the lens. It is only when the lens has been properly cleaned that the true performance of the lens will be revealed. Old lenses
with oil films on them will generally produce disappointing results when the results are compared to lenses which are freshly
manufactured, even fresh ones that are intrinsically vastly inferior.
When one looks inside an old lens what is actually seen is an optical illusion. This optical illusion is caused by all of the possible
partial reflections of all of the inner surfaces of all of the lens elements. Shining a flashlight through an old lens with oil films on
the elements is effectively turning the lens into a special form of kaleidoscope. It's no way to judge the potential "Bokeh" of and
sharpness that the lens can produce when it is brought back to the originally manufactured state of cleanliness.
Keep in mind that a lens in which the original damping grease has released all of its oil can show no oil on the aperture blades.
In lenses that are very old, or which have been kept in hot environments, it is possible that all the oil released from all of the
grease has migrated away from the blades and into inner recesses of the lens. The best rule of thumb is that if a lens is 20 to 25
years old or more, and it has not been thoroughly cleaned, its best to assume the inner lens elements have an oil film on them.
It's not simple to clean a lens coated with oil released from deteriorated aperture grease. Typically a number of cleanings using
different solvents are required to get it all out of the lens and off the lens surfaces. The reason for this is that grease
manufacturers would typically use a mixture of specially prepared oils whose properties would help each other stay with the
grease base soap longer. These oils are typically soluble in solvents which are chemically different from each other in a
fundamental ways and the chemical terms for these differences are "polarity" and "chirality". To get every trace of all of the oils
out of the lens it is necessary to use solvents whose basic chemical properties match those of the oils.
The Dangers of Buying an Oiled Lens
An oiled lens is one that has been treated with oil to "correct" separation of the elements. There are basically three types of lens
cement: Balsam, Epoxy and UV Curing Adhesive. All lenses up to sometime in the mid 1960's used Balsam. Balsam is a sticky
highly refined tree resin that never actually hardens. It's easy to use and highly effective but sensitive to heat and discoloring
due to oxidation over time. We all know about Epoxy. It's a modern chemical two part chemical adhesive. It just gets harder and
harder over the years and never stops curing and getting harder. As it hardens it can become hard enough so that it looses its
adhesive attachment to the lenses. This causes the separation evident in a number of Zeiss lenses made in the 1960's to the
1980's. UV curing adhesive is what is used today. It can be removed, it remains pliable and sticky like Balsam, and its generally
a good thing.
The problem with epoxy is that when its fully cured all the atoms inside it are attached to each other. This makes it one big
molecule and so solvents will not work on it. Heat works, but the temperature must be so high as to cause the coatings to
evaporate. When the lens is separated with heat it must be recoated afterward.
Some enterprising people have found a shortcut by using oil. When a lens is separated partially the distance between the two
separated lens elements is extraordinarily small, about the same as a wavelength of light. If very fine oil is applied to the edge
of the separation capillary action will pull the oil into the lens. The oil will fill the void and the lens will appear to be cured. But
once the oil in inside this space it is there forever. The main problem with this is that the oil lubricates the edge of the separation
and acts to increase it over time. The effect is temporary and it will list shorter or longer depending upon many factors such as
temperature cycling, mechanical shocks and the oil that is used.
I have purchased lenses which have later turned out to be oiled. In time the oil will largely find its way out of the lens. It may
take years but this will happen. I know this because lenses I have purchased, which were oiled, in time had their original
separation restored while they were on the shelf. I have also seen oiled lenses sent here for repair. When the lens elements
were properly cleaned the oil came out of the separation and the lens was a wreck.
When you buy a lens always buy it with a guarantee that it has not been oiled. Get at least a three year return guarantee. If you
want to read the ramblings of a group of people who actually do this kind of thing and then sell their lenses use the link provided
below.
Link List:
1. If your Contax, Contarex, or other Zeiss lens has a problem and you want it to be corrected please email me
2. If you want to read about people who oil lenses and sell them use this link: Separation
3. This site is the history of lens cementing : Lens Cementing
4. If you want to know about the One Year Lens Repair or Overhaul Guarantee use this link: Guarantee.