Lens fungus on Yashica Electro RF

[metzalx]

I recently bought a Yashica Electro 35 GSN rangefinder online. When I received it today, this was the amount of fungus I saw:

Would this be possible to clean, or worth the cost of cleaning for that matter? I'm also not too sure what's the usual cost lol. In addition the rangefinder isn't well-adjusted, the vertical alignment of the images are somewhat off.

I have to give credit to the ebay seller, he apologised and refunded me the cost of the camera without requiring me to send the camera back. So now I have a free camera. If cleaning isn't feasible for this lens, I'd probably use this as a practice camera to take apart

 

[shepherdmoon]

if the lens is not expensive you can try to clean it yourself, but with appropriate tools.
I once cleaned my $500-800 vintage lenses by myself. not bad.

for pure mechanical MF lenses, actually it is not that complicated.

 

[metzalx]

Actually I'm seriously considering taking apart this camera to clean the lens myself if it's not worth paying for professional cleaning. So much so I just ordered a lens wrench online lol. But wow I wouldn't dare to touch lenses in that price range. The Yashica Electro does have some electrical circuitry around, does that still qualify the lens itself as "pure mechanical"?

Just wondering, I see online that many people use isopropyl alcohol to clean the lens. That's just the usual alcohol swabs we can get from the pharmacy right? If I take the lens apart and clean it myself, is there any risk that using alcohol swabs would damage any coating, etc on the lens?

Sorry for the noobie questions, I'm new to manual cameras ><

 

[shepherdmoon]

if there is electronic circuit inside, then I have no idea. since you've no experience before, I would suggest you find a consultant for evaluation/quotation before you take it apart.

for your question regarding the alcohol, you should use the pure isopropyl alcohol. i am not sure if the pharmacy swabs contain any other ingredients or not. better ask them. what I use is the pure isopropyl liquid(99.9% analytical grade) with the regular dry cotton swab tips as sold in pharmacy. dont use the surgical spirit as sold in phamcy, it contains 2.5% castol oil.

 

[shepherdmoon]

BTW: a spanner wrench only is definitely not enough. you also need a set of high quality precision drivers, which is very important.
otherwise if the screw dent is scratched, it will be a disaster.
blower, sharp tweezers, microfiber cloth etc

 

[SilentSeth]

I recently bought a Yashica Electro 35 GSN rangefinder online. When I received it today, this was the amount of fungus I saw:

Would this be possible to clean, or worth the cost of cleaning for that matter? I'm also not too sure what's the usual cost lol. In addition the rangefinder isn't well-adjusted, the vertical alignment of the images are somewhat off.

I have to give credit to the ebay seller, he apologised and refunded me the cost of the camera without requiring me to send the camera back. So now I have a free camera. If cleaning isn't feasible for this lens, I'd probably use this as a practice camera to take apart

Wah that's a fungus farm you have there..

Anyway since it's a a free lens I guess you can take a chance to open & clean it yourself =)

 

[virtualme78]

I say, google to see if there's step-by-step instructions on how to take the camera or lens apart... if there is read the details carefully... prepare yourself with all the tools you need and organise your workspace.. make sure you don't lose anything. Its always worth a try to DIY CLA your own lens or camera... good luck!

 

[Riotbmx]

http://mattsclassiccameras.com/electro_inside/index.html

 

[garyt]

Hi TS, feel free to download this file on cleaning yashica G,GS n GSN finder. Is done by me, you might need it when u want to adjust rangefinder. i did clean this lens before but nv document down. can PM me if face problem.

Yashica G, GS,GSN viewfinder cleaning photos-1.pdf

btw for me, best lens cleaning fluid is Zippo fluid. use together with clean cloth. but dont smoke while using it

some result

before

after cleaning

 

[shepherdmoon]

zippo fluid is a great idea! where did you get it? guess we cannot take MRT or bus after we buy it, right?

 

[crispy12]

Most camera disassemblies require some needle nosed pliers, and I mean really really tiny size. Not sure about Yashica but usually one of the internal rings require the pliers, also some other places like shutter advance lever (2 holes on top). Also a rubber torque wrench or similar contraption is really useful.

As another poster mentioned be very careful when removing screws, if you strip the thread or screw head (easy if it's phillips screw) then you'll have a lot of trouble so use only good quality screwdrivers that fit. Be extra careful around aperture blades or you'll have headache lol. I use isopropryl alcohol for cleaning, I think it's similar to lighter fluid. Very flammable, keep locked up in a safe place far far away from heat sources!!

Anyway if you screw up very bad and destroy some parts, you can always buy another broken parts camera from ebay for $10 and repair it. It'll be a good project!

 

[metzalx]

Wow thanks for all the replies guys! They were really helpful!

if there is electronic circuit inside, then I have no idea. since you've no experience before, I would suggest you find a consultant for evaluation/quotation before you take it apart.

for your question regarding the alcohol, you should use the pure isopropyl alcohol. i am not sure if the pharmacy swabs contain any other ingredients or not. better ask them. what I use is the pure isopropyl liquid(99.9% analytical grade) with the regular dry cotton swab tips as sold in pharmacy. dont use the surgical spirit as sold in phamcy, it contains 2.5% castol oil.

BTW: a spanner wrench only is definitely not enough. you also need a set of high quality precision drivers, which is very important.
otherwise if the screw dent is scratched, it will be a disaster.
blower, sharp tweezers, microfiber cloth etc

That's a good point, I realised the alcohol swabs I have say 70% isopropyl alcohol. So I guess it's not a very ideal thing to use. Luckily I do have the tools you mentioned at home (;

Hi TS, feel free to download this file on cleaning yashica G,GS n GSN finder. Is done by me, you might need it when u want to adjust rangefinder. i did clean this lens before but nv document down. can PM me if face problem.

Yashica G, GS,GSN viewfinder cleaning photos-1.pdf

btw for me, best lens cleaning fluid is Zippo fluid. use together with clean cloth. but dont smoke while using it

some result

before

after cleaning

Woah is that white mass lens fungus?! That looks really bad! The end result is really different, in this case I think I might be able to have some luck with mine. I was quite worried at first as I was quite sure with the amount of fungus in my lens it would probably have eaten into the lens coating already. Thanks for the PDF, it's really detailed and I'm sure it'll be a good guide when I finally get to take apart my camera

Most camera disassemblies require some needle nosed pliers, and I mean really really tiny size. Not sure about Yashica but usually one of the internal rings require the pliers, also some other places like shutter advance lever (2 holes on top). Also a rubber torque wrench or similar contraption is really useful.

As another poster mentioned be very careful when removing screws, if you strip the thread or screw head (easy if it's phillips screw) then you'll have a lot of trouble so use only good quality screwdrivers that fit. Be extra careful around aperture blades or you'll have headache lol. I use isopropryl alcohol for cleaning, I think it's similar to lighter fluid. Very flammable, keep locked up in a safe place far far away from heat sources!!

Anyway if you screw up very bad and destroy some parts, you can always buy another broken parts camera from ebay for $10 and repair it. It'll be a good project!

I've seen some guides online where they used tweezers instead of needle-nosed pliers for the shutter advance lever, would they work for the other places that require it? Haha I keep seeing people talking about cheap broken parts cameras on eBay, but when I browse all I see is very expensive shipping ):

 

[crispy12]

No tweezers won't work, it's ok for the shutter advance but not the lens. Sorry I meant adjustable jeweller's spanner wrench, looks like this.

 

[shepherdmoon]

this is my lens repair kit:

 

[fatigue]

It's good to know that there's a number of guys interested in fixing cameras and lenses.
Sometimes it's not about the savings but the joy of fixing something that is broken.

 

[metzalx]

No tweezers won't work, it's ok for the shutter advance but not the lens. Sorry I meant adjustable jeweller's spanner wrench, looks like this.

Ah this wrench hahaha, I ordered it and I'm waiting for it to come actually!

this is my lens repair kit:

What are the red and metal stuff above the lens tissue and the red/black box of things on the top left?

It's good to know that there's a number of guys interested in fixing cameras and lenses.
Sometimes it's not about the savings but the joy of fixing something that is broken.

Haha I think primarily now it's about the savings for me! But this will be a good learning experience, and I've always liked assembling stuff so I believe I will find it enjoyable too

zippo fluid is a great idea! where did you get it? guess we cannot take MRT or bus after we buy it, right?

Regarding that, I just found it at HomeFix today for $3.60. Technically can't take MRT/bus, but I believe there are people taking MRT/bus with Zippo lighters anyway. So should be ok la (;

 

[crispy12]

this is my lens repair kit:

Those black things top right, are they rubber bungs?

 

[shepherdmoon]

the black blocks are the rubber wrench to remove the front bezel of the lenses.
needs to be suitable for the size of the lens to be repaired.

 

[shepherdmoon]

the red-rubber with metal tube is a lens sucker to remove the glass without using fingers, very nice and easy to use.

 

[Riotbmx]

Off topic. But since we're on the DIY lens repair tak now, has anyone tried shimming FSU lens to work with Leica before?