Hello,
I apologize if this question has already been asked, but I couldn't find anything like it on the forums. I purchased a late-60's Chrome Distagon 50mm C lens for my 500 c/m off of KEH.com, it was bargain-rated, but nevertheless guaranteed to be mechanically functional. I got it, it looks beautiful, optically clear, but I just started to notice something: occasionally, the aperture blades will fail to return to the "open" viewing position when cocking after an exposure.
To be more specific: the shutter will fire, the blades will close; while winding the advance lever, I can see the blades retract, all normal up to this point. but then at the last millimeter of the turn of the handle, I'll hear a small "click" and the aperture blades will snap back and stop down to whatever F-stop the ring is set to. This click is the same sound that the lens makes when the DOF preview lever is pressed, and is, in fact, an identical action.
The only way to remedy it is to follow the same procedure that it takes to reset the DOF lever; move the aperture dial to the widest setting (f4) and then set it back on whatever aperture I'm trying to use, at which point, it stays at the viewing aperture.
This can get quite frustrating due to the interlocking feature of the Zeiss lenses, if I'm above EV 13, I have to disengage the aperture ring, forget which EV I was at, etc. It's not ideal.
But it's frustrating, because just as often as it does do it, it doesn't do it. There seems to be no cause or situation which triggers it, and nothing which specifically brings it back to normal. So it's all chaos.
Oh, and I've tested it with the lens off the body, and it's the same, so it's definitely isolated to the lens.
Basically: is it worth returning the lens? I can put up with the hassle for now, and I hate to go without my only lens for a week (to get an exchange), but if it's a sign of impending doom, I'll definitely return it, seeing as they don't produce parts for the chrome lenses anymore.
TL;DR: SOMETIMES my Zeiss C 50/4 lens, upon cocking, triggers its own DOF preview. Is it a hot potato?
Thanks!
I apologize if this question has already been asked, but I couldn't find anything like it on the forums. I purchased a late-60's Chrome Distagon 50mm C lens for my 500 c/m off of KEH.com, it was bargain-rated, but nevertheless guaranteed to be mechanically functional. I got it, it looks beautiful, optically clear, but I just started to notice something: occasionally, the aperture blades will fail to return to the "open" viewing position when cocking after an exposure.
To be more specific: the shutter will fire, the blades will close; while winding the advance lever, I can see the blades retract, all normal up to this point. but then at the last millimeter of the turn of the handle, I'll hear a small "click" and the aperture blades will snap back and stop down to whatever F-stop the ring is set to. This click is the same sound that the lens makes when the DOF preview lever is pressed, and is, in fact, an identical action.
The only way to remedy it is to follow the same procedure that it takes to reset the DOF lever; move the aperture dial to the widest setting (f4) and then set it back on whatever aperture I'm trying to use, at which point, it stays at the viewing aperture.
This can get quite frustrating due to the interlocking feature of the Zeiss lenses, if I'm above EV 13, I have to disengage the aperture ring, forget which EV I was at, etc. It's not ideal.
But it's frustrating, because just as often as it does do it, it doesn't do it. There seems to be no cause or situation which triggers it, and nothing which specifically brings it back to normal. So it's all chaos.
Oh, and I've tested it with the lens off the body, and it's the same, so it's definitely isolated to the lens.
Basically: is it worth returning the lens? I can put up with the hassle for now, and I hate to go without my only lens for a week (to get an exchange), but if it's a sign of impending doom, I'll definitely return it, seeing as they don't produce parts for the chrome lenses anymore.
TL;DR: SOMETIMES my Zeiss C 50/4 lens, upon cocking, triggers its own DOF preview. Is it a hot potato?
Thanks!
