Thank you for this great information! I just fixed a Minolta 58mm 1.4 and your Informattion did the trick. Your advice of not worrying because it is already broken really calms the nerves. The little fella has a second life.
I'm so glad you did this video. I have several of these exact lenses, and every other one has stuck aperture blades. I have one halfway disassembled right now but I got scared and put it aside. It's a lot simpler than I thought. Thanks as always for the fantastic video!
If you want to avoid removing the mounting flange assembly to get to the rear lens group you can easily pull the internals out out from the front-just leave the rear group threaded into the diaphragm housing. Once out the rear group is out with the rest of the internals it’s very accessible. Sometimes-if you have a good grip-you can even spin it out by hand. No spanner required. Properly aligning the lens groups/diaphragm module back into engagement with the mechanisms in the barrel base can be fiddly, but it’s not impossible and I think the ease of disassembly makes it worth it. I LOVE how repairable these old Rokkors are, especially compared to the later Rokkor X lenses, etc. with their sealed elements. Thanks for the great content. I watch every time, even if you’re working on something I’ll probably never lay hands on myself.
Thank you for the detailed description of your method and for the using the word fiddly. Fiddly is a good word that belongs near the top of the vintage camera repair lexicon... for so many of the procedures outlined in comments and demonstrated in the FOC videos are just that.
It would be nice to see a video talking about common problems with popular old cameras. A lot of people don't realise how often they need a lot more than just a dust and clean and a fresh roll of film!
That style of spanner (SP4) is apparently not presently available. The ones feature in the FOC videos have been around for 4 decades. They were purchased from NATCAM of Englewood CO. (they disbanded years ago). There are SP4 spanner tips(bits) still available.
Hi! Would you know how to disassemble the helicoid in a minolta 35-70 please? I need to clean it up and put some oil as the zoom ring was completely stuck... I cannot remove the diaphragm mechanism and separate the helicoid. Thank you!
Hi, can you make a video on how to re-assemble a dismantled helicoid (i.e. with no markings of the infinity focus and/or the place when helicoid parts "pop" loose so you dont know where to start over?). Thank you for all you videos, you are the guru of camera/lens repairs for me.
It is strongly advised not to separate the threads. Extend them to the point of separation. If you do separate them it is matter of persistence and patience. With out a timing mark it is a trial and error. methodology. Keep track of your attempts by marking each failure point with different colored finger nail polish. You can use the tip of a tooth pick dipped to make the marks.
I just tried this fix and upon reassembly the aperture ring won't click between each f stop and just feels like the focus ring. Any suggestions and what I might have done wrong? Thanks!
My Rokkor 58mm f/1.4 had the same issue. Aperture stuck wide open. I disassembled the lens and cleaned it with Quid Dry Electronic Cleaner. The aperture immediately worked again! I reassembled the front and rear elements. However, when I removed the rear lens mount, four curved pieces of metal and 5 tiny ball bearings came flying out. Now I have no idea how to reassemble the aperture ring and lens mount. Help!
I have a 50 mm Minolta maxxum auto focus 1.7 lens. The aperture doesn't stay stopped down. I took the rear ring off on that came off I checked the spring and returned fine. I'm not sure if the spring is weak it needs lubrication. Give me advice would be helpful.
I figured out how to reassemble the lens. Unfortunately, I lost one of the ball bearings. Amazon sells steel ball bearings in almost any size from 0.5mm and up. Would you know the size of the ball bearings in the MC Rokkor 58mm f/1.4 lens? THANKS!
can you do a video on how to rebuild a lens that has been improperly serviced in the past? just bought an ol' SMC Pentax 85mm 1.8 that feels like it was serviced with baby oil. the focus ring is waay too loose, almost no friction whatsoever. that and the aperture is oily -- it won't stop down past f4... 😭
I've meaning to ask. Where do you get the very thin blade slotted screwdrivers. Every set of Jeweler style screwdrivers I buy have slots to thick/wide for most Japanese slotted screws. Thanks
Great comments and questions The Starret .040 and .055 often work without modification. However, in many applications of what you describe the tips can simply be carefully filed to the proper thickness. If you can already file the tip of your screw driver easily to shape, it probably isn't of a high enough quality of steel to be hardened and tempered, but for the sake of a bit of gas and a few minutes of your time it may be improvable. A basic propane or map torch can be used. If you have a good quality silver steel or carbon steel screw driver (one you can't readily mark with a file) even better. Have a mug of water standing by for “emergencies.” Have a small perfectly flat anvil or swagging block and a small cross pein hammer. Heat the tip of the screw driver until it is glowing bright red, shape with light taps of the hammer on the anvil. Reheat and shape as needed, many light taps are better than a few heavy taps. Reheat to glowing bright red and with draw it slowly from the flame so it cools slowly. Set aside to finish cooling. Do Not in quench the mug of water yet. Let it air cool. When it is cool enough to handle dress the tip with a fine file and do any additional shaping and smoothing. When the tip is has it should be it is time to harden. Heat the tip to glowing red and quench in cold water, the blade should still be bright red when it enters the water. Clean the blackened oxide layer off with emery cloth or wet and dry paper if the hardening has worked properly it should be difficult to actually mark the metal with just finger pressure and emery cloth. The whole tip of the blade needs to be bright. Double check it is hardened by seeing if it is difficult to mark with a file. The trickiest part is the temper. Because of the small mass the metal condition changes quickly. Heat below the tip of the blade so the oxide colors flow towards the tip. When the color turns dark brown and reaches the tip quench in the mug of water. Beware that it can creep into the blue color quickly and at this point is a little to hot for the proper temper but it probably will not be to brittle and still work. Aim for the dark brown and repeat if goes too deep into the “tempering blues”…
Continue to flush while gently working the aperture stop down... it might take several applications until the residual oil is carried away. Yes you can use a gentle controlled stream of air to facilitate the drying process. Once completely dry if they do not move freely, flush again.
Hello my sigma mini wide 28mm has a similar problem but in this case the aperture blades move by adjusting the aperture ring but the aperture lever does not close the blades but moves
A quick dry non residual contact cleaner www.amazon.com/shop/fixoldcameras Please be advised that the link provided is an affiliate link and a small commission is received by the creator of this channel if you choose to make a purchase using this link. This adds no extra expense to your purchase. Your support of this channel is greatly appreciated. Thank you for making any purchases through the link on this channel.
Hi - have you ever reset the actual 1.4 and 16 stop points in the iris diaphragm mechanism (brass screw stops) to their proper adjustment positions? I have a Minolta MC Rokker PF 1:1.4 f 58mm lens 1969 vintage (Lens No 5179627) wherein someone had obviously pulled it apart most probably to fix the notorious sticking aperature blades issue, had not put any witness marks on the inner lens body to aid reassembly before pulling it apart and also left the above 1.4 - 16 brass stop positions screws both loose!!! If you divide the lens focal length by the aperature setting you arrive at the theoretical iris opening diameter for that f-stop; which in the f-16 iris opening case equals 3.6mm diameter and in f-1.4 case equals 41.4mm diameter. I have tried correcting the f-16 opening to about this dia but having three variables (manually minutely sliding the aperature blades housing, plus the two physical adjustment positions for the 1.4 and 16 stops, it all gets a tad complicated??? Really appreciate any advice you can offer, please. Cheers, Ian from Down Under
Not clear as to what screw you are referencing. But if something such as a screw is not the same as the video then a work around would be in order. Take you time while trying to determine what is different and why it is different. By charging in you may mess something up. The first step was asking questions. No answer... so now back off and look at things from off-beat rhythms of observation. Maybe you will find that the extra care was not needed. But rarely is any harm done and often from hence springs the solution.
Thank you for this great information! I just fixed a Minolta 58mm 1.4 and your Informattion did the trick. Your advice of not worrying because it is already broken really calms the nerves. The little fella has a second life.
Very good that you stayed calm and steady and were able to successfully complete the repair.
I have one from the series 3, the one with bigger notches on the focusing ring. Same problem and I’m gonna give it a shot
I'm so glad you did this video. I have several of these exact lenses, and every other one has stuck aperture blades. I have one halfway disassembled right now but I got scared and put it aside. It's a lot simpler than I thought. Thanks as always for the fantastic video!
Sounds like you are on the right track. Keep'em going.
If you want to avoid removing the mounting flange assembly to get to the rear lens group you can easily pull the internals out out from the front-just leave the rear group threaded into the diaphragm housing. Once out the rear group is out with the rest of the internals it’s very accessible. Sometimes-if you have a good grip-you can even spin it out by hand. No spanner required. Properly aligning the lens groups/diaphragm module back into engagement with the mechanisms in the barrel base can be fiddly, but it’s not impossible and I think the ease of disassembly makes it worth it.
I LOVE how repairable these old Rokkors are, especially compared to the later Rokkor X lenses, etc. with their sealed elements.
Thanks for the great content. I watch every time, even if you’re working on something I’ll probably never lay hands on myself.
Thank you for the detailed description of your method and for the using the word fiddly. Fiddly is a good word that belongs near the top of the vintage camera repair lexicon... for so many of the procedures outlined in comments and demonstrated in the FOC videos are just that.
Very nice. Great lens as well.
Thank you for your comments and for your interest in FOC.
It would be nice to see a video talking about common problems with popular old cameras. A lot of people don't realise how often they need a lot more than just a dust and clean and a fresh roll of film!
Thank you for the suggestion and for your continued interest in Fix Old Cameras. A FOC general repair video is a possibility.
Nice job as always, Thanks. I've got a 90mm Omegon with the same problem. One of these days I'll have a go at it. Regards Tom
Right on. Good to hear from you and thank you for your long time interest in FOC,
Nice and fast video :-), what kind of lens spanner brand do you use.
That style of spanner (SP4) is apparently not presently available. The ones feature in the FOC videos have been around for 4 decades. They were purchased from NATCAM of Englewood CO. (they disbanded years ago). There are SP4 spanner tips(bits) still available.
Thanks, this was helpful. Any suggestions on where you can buy the various springs and what their sizes are?
Informative and entertaining as always, thank you :)
Thank you for your comments and for your interest in FOC.
Thanks, very helpful.
Good to hear this video might have helped.
i really love the way you explain everything. thank you for your work!
Halo FOC.. I love your videos..
can you make a tutorial how to dissambly ricoh f-50s lens, i need to clean this camera from my father
Thank you for the comment. It is possibility... so many cameras and lenses you just never know what might crop up.
Hi! Would you know how to disassemble the helicoid in a minolta 35-70 please? I need to clean it up and put some oil as the zoom ring was completely stuck... I cannot remove the diaphragm mechanism and separate the helicoid. Thank you!
Hi, can you make a video on how to re-assemble a dismantled helicoid (i.e. with no markings of the infinity focus and/or the place when helicoid parts "pop" loose so you dont know where to start over?). Thank you for all you videos, you are the guru of camera/lens repairs for me.
It is strongly advised not to separate the threads. Extend them to the point of separation. If you do separate them it is matter of persistence and patience. With out a timing mark it is a trial and error. methodology. Keep track of your attempts by marking each failure point with different colored finger nail polish. You can use the tip of a tooth pick dipped to make the marks.
Love your vids! Just a requesr but can you do a general camera cleaning tutorial?
Thank you for the suggestion and for your general interest in FOC.
I just tried this fix and upon reassembly the aperture ring won't click between each f stop and just feels like the focus ring. Any suggestions and what I might have done wrong? Thanks!
My Rokkor 58mm f/1.4 had the same issue. Aperture stuck wide open. I disassembled the lens and cleaned it with Quid Dry Electronic Cleaner. The aperture immediately worked again! I reassembled the front and rear elements. However, when I removed the rear lens mount, four curved pieces of metal and 5 tiny ball bearings came flying out. Now I have no idea how to reassemble the aperture ring and lens mount. Help!
I have this exact lens. It is currently functioning just fine but it is good to know how to maintain it.
Very nice lens indeed. Thank you for your interest in FOC.
I have a 50 mm Minolta maxxum auto focus 1.7 lens. The aperture doesn't stay stopped down. I took the rear ring off on that came off I checked the spring and returned fine. I'm not sure if the spring is weak it needs lubrication. Give me advice would be helpful.
I figured out how to reassemble the lens. Unfortunately, I lost one of the ball bearings. Amazon sells steel ball bearings in almost any size from 0.5mm and up. Would you know the size of the ball bearings in the MC Rokkor 58mm f/1.4 lens? THANKS!
can you do a video on how to rebuild a lens that has been improperly serviced in the past? just bought an ol' SMC Pentax 85mm 1.8 that feels like it was serviced with baby oil. the focus ring is waay too loose, almost no friction whatsoever.
that and the aperture is oily -- it won't stop down past f4... 😭
update: yesterday i took it into the local shop for a full restoration -- well worth the $90... 😁
Good to hear you were able to get it going again. Thank you for your comments and your interest in FOC.
I have the MC Rokkor 58mm f1.4 with the same problem! Would that one be the same design?
I've meaning to ask. Where do you get the very thin blade slotted screwdrivers. Every set of Jeweler style screwdrivers I buy have slots to thick/wide for most Japanese slotted screws. Thanks
Great comments and questions The Starret .040 and .055 often work without modification. However, in many applications of what you describe the tips can simply be carefully filed to the proper thickness. If you can already file the tip of your screw driver easily to shape, it probably isn't of a high enough quality of steel to be hardened and tempered, but for the sake of a bit of gas and a few minutes of your time it may be improvable.
A basic propane or map torch can be used.
If you have a good quality silver steel or carbon steel screw driver (one you can't readily mark with a file) even better.
Have a mug of water standing by for “emergencies.”
Have a small perfectly flat anvil or swagging block and a small cross pein hammer.
Heat the tip of the screw driver until it is glowing bright red, shape with light taps of the hammer on the anvil. Reheat and shape as needed, many light taps are better than a few heavy taps. Reheat to glowing bright red and with draw it slowly from the flame so it cools slowly. Set aside to finish cooling.
Do Not in quench the mug of water yet. Let it air cool. When it is cool enough to handle dress the tip with a fine file and do any additional shaping and smoothing. When the tip is has it should be it is time to harden.
Heat the tip to glowing red and quench in cold water, the blade should still be bright red when it enters the water. Clean the blackened oxide layer off with emery cloth or wet and dry paper if the hardening has worked properly it should be difficult to actually mark the metal with just finger pressure and emery cloth. The whole tip of the blade needs to be bright. Double check it is hardened by seeing if it is difficult to mark with a file.
The trickiest part is the temper. Because of the small mass the metal condition changes quickly. Heat below the tip of the blade so the oxide colors flow towards the tip. When the color turns dark brown and reaches the tip quench in the mug of water. Beware that it can creep into the blue color quickly and at this point is a little to hot for the proper temper but it probably will not be to brittle and still work.
Aim for the dark brown and repeat if goes too deep into the “tempering blues”…
Correction, 5 thin curved metal pieces (not 4), Please help if you can. Thanks
I've flushed the mechanism but after drying up goes back to almost stuck with a ton of resistance. Should I let it dry up by itslef or use a blower?
Continue to flush while gently working the aperture stop down... it might take several applications until the residual oil is carried away. Yes you can use a gentle controlled stream of air to facilitate the drying process. Once completely dry if they do not move freely, flush again.
@@FixOldCameras Thank you. Worked after 70-100ml of isopropyl
Hello my sigma mini wide 28mm has a similar problem but in this case the aperture blades move by adjusting the aperture ring but the aperture lever does not close the blades but moves
Sounds like a disconnected aperture linkage.
I've always been curious as to what type of contact cleaner you use. Would you mind sharing?
A quick dry non residual contact cleaner
www.amazon.com/shop/fixoldcameras
Please be advised that the link provided is an affiliate link and a small commission is received by the creator of this channel if you choose to make a purchase using this link. This adds no extra expense to your purchase. Your support of this channel is greatly appreciated. Thank you for making any purchases through the link on this channel.
Hi - have you ever reset the actual 1.4 and 16 stop points in the iris diaphragm mechanism (brass screw stops) to their proper adjustment positions? I have a Minolta MC Rokker PF 1:1.4 f 58mm lens 1969 vintage (Lens No 5179627) wherein someone had obviously pulled it apart most probably to fix the notorious sticking aperature blades issue, had not put any witness marks on the inner lens body to aid reassembly before pulling it apart and also left the above 1.4 - 16 brass stop positions screws both loose!!! If you divide the lens focal length by the aperature setting you arrive at the theoretical iris opening diameter for that f-stop; which in the f-16 iris opening case equals 3.6mm diameter and in f-1.4 case equals 41.4mm diameter. I have tried correcting the f-16 opening to about this dia but having three variables (manually minutely sliding the aperature blades housing, plus the two physical adjustment positions for the 1.4 and 16 stops, it all gets a tad complicated??? Really appreciate any advice you can offer, please. Cheers, Ian from Down Under
You always have the F1.4 aperture as a reference to be able to adjust it.
Okay so I have the same lens as this one but it doesn’t have those initial screw you took off ? What do I do then? Any help is appreciated Thankyou
Not clear as to what screw you are referencing. But if something such as a screw is not the same as the video then a work around would be in order. Take you time while trying to determine what is different and why it is different. By charging in you may mess something up. The first step was asking questions. No answer... so now back off and look at things from off-beat rhythms of observation. Maybe you will find that the extra care was not needed. But rarely is any harm done and often from hence springs the solution.
Fix Old Cameras thank you !
Can you please make a video on how to adjust the shutter speeds of a minolta srt 101? The repair shop near me charges 90 dollars.
Thank you for your suggestion and your interest in FOC.
I have the 55mm f1.8 Auto Rokkor. Probably the same design.
Similar.
Tried it... it Worked for few days then stuck again.. will re-do when able to
May be should use another cleaner
Persistence and patience... you will get it.
Mine is stuck 😢
Cool!
Thank you for your comment. Short and sweet.