4:00 I think I'm screwed... I removed the front element along with the lens without prior marking the relative position... Now I can't assemble the lens back... Any advice would be extremely appreciated!!!
At what focal length do you have it when taking apart? Do you have it sitting at the 70 or the 210 end? Can you get the whole aperture unit out from the back if you need to clean both sides of the blades? Thanks! And great video!
I think it was at the 70 end but I'm not sure. I don't remember having trouble getting it lined up again. I was never able to get the aperture all the way out but the alcohol seemed to clear up everything from the side I could access.
Thanks for this video! Made me confident I could take mine apart and clean/fix it, turns out someone already did and managed to leave not one but two screws rattling around inside. :D Working like new now. :)
Hey! I was wondering if the minolta beer optics are integrated in plastic. I recently bought an A330 with a "big beercan" 75-300mm lens. It's alright but it has fungus in every element observable. It's blurry at max zoom too. I just wish there was a video tutorial on minolta af lenses
I have two of these lenses and I would love to just lube the helicoid gears in the front. While the disassembly of the back was great, I can't seem to see how you removed the front element.
I'm not sure what brand is best but as little as possible is better. That way it is less likely to migrate around the body of the lens if it gets warm.
Very interesting segment Nick. You subscribe to the same thoughts on taking broken things apart that I do. Nice work getting the lens operational again. What brand of screwdriver set are you using here I am always looking for a really good set. Fred
It was a Master Craft mini screwdriver set (Canadian Tire brand). It has about 30 bits and a little extension. Glad you liked the video, I was surprised that I could get enough iso-alcohol in there the clean it out.
I have seen a big fungus under the glass element of my Minolta AF Zoom lens 35-80 1:4-5.6. It is at the bottom and I do not know how to access this piece of glass. Do you have any idea how to do it?
+RUS Sometimes you can find service manuals online that show how to tear down the lens properly. Otherwise you can try to do it unguided, I use trays for parts, take lots of pictures and take notes so I know how to put it back together. On older lenses it's usually not that complicated.
Nick Moore I do have the service manual but i'll have to remove every part of the lens so as to be able to get access to the bottom + the last lens element can't be removed, it would be quite tricky to wipe that fungus off. I'll get another lens and then I can try to play with this one.
+RUS I also get spare lenses when I can. That's sucks that you can't open it from the wrong end, my older lenses from the 70s can open from both. It help with cleaning.
I have one Hanimex lens that needs greasing and cleaning (there are sand between the parts -_- ). It seems easy to open even without a service manual, but these minolta af lens are so complex with so many tiny fragile components. It's great that these are cheap though.
Yeah, the price is right for tinkering. I took a quick look at a manual for the 35-80 f4-5.6 and I would say it is about the same as the 70-210 as far as complexity. If you get all your tools ready before hand and make sure to label/organize parts as you go it should be a less than 2hr project. At worst you get stuck somewhere and have to put it back together, if you are luck you will find the last element accessible before the lenses is completely apart and it saves you some time!
It's been about 2 years since I shot this and it is just starting to need another cleaning. If you can keep your lens out of the heat I would expect it to last at least that long. Glad I could help!
Since I do watch AvE, I somewhat expected both the damage and the repair to be much more tragic. However, if AvE had a polar opposite, I you'd be it. :)
I'm grasping at straws here, and every video I've seen never shows how to take off the first FRONT element. I've got a fungus spot on the top surface of the glass that is immediately UNDER the top glass. Is it just a matter of unscrewing that top retaining ring with a suitable spanner, then lifting the very top glass off? That's ALL I need to take off, the fungus is on the top surface of the glass immediately under it. Or does that top glass piece also need to be unscrewed somehow, once I have the top retaining ring removed? I am loathe to play with this as it's a lens I bought in 1986 and otherwise in perfect condition.
Thanks! I ended up taking the lens to a local repair shop. For $30 he did the work, well worth it to me. And that's when I discovered my 28-85 lens has mid-body "spotting". The cost to fix is more than a used lens on Amazon/Ebay. Looks like I'll be taking on that job myself. And for anyone reading.... yes, the top two pieces of glass that needed removal and cleanimg, do indeed come out just by unscrewing that retaining ring. There's also a spacer between the 2 glass lenses. The fit is quite snug, so it has to be "bumped" out, but it does drop out without need of any more tools. I've also ordered the spanner wrench to do the upcoming 28-85 lens.
Worked for me! Had the oily and slow aperture, now it's perfect. Thanks
Glad it helped. There are less and less resources for that era of cameras.
Thanks for the video! I cleaned lens fungus successfully.
4:00 I think I'm screwed... I removed the front element along with the lens without prior marking the relative position... Now I can't assemble the lens back... Any advice would be extremely appreciated!!!
At what focal length do you have it when taking apart? Do you have it sitting at the 70 or the 210 end?
Can you get the whole aperture unit out from the back if you need to clean both sides of the blades? Thanks! And great video!
I think it was at the 70 end but I'm not sure. I don't remember having trouble getting it lined up again. I was never able to get the aperture all the way out but the alcohol seemed to clear up everything from the side I could access.
Thanks for this video! Made me confident I could take mine apart and clean/fix it, turns out someone already did and managed to leave not one but two screws rattling around inside. :D Working like new now. :)
Hey! I was wondering if the minolta beer optics are integrated in plastic. I recently bought an A330 with a "big beercan" 75-300mm lens. It's alright but it has fungus in every element observable. It's blurry at max zoom too. I just wish there was a video tutorial on minolta af lenses
I have two of these lenses and I would love to just lube the helicoid gears in the front. While the disassembly of the back was great, I can't seem to see how you removed the front element.
I believe I had to remove the rubber grip to expose some screws but it has been a long time.
Hi, I have fungus on the front of apperture ring. Should I take it from front or back?
Excellent video! can you recommend a good grease brand that can be used for lenses ? thanks!
I'm not sure what brand is best but as little as possible is better. That way it is less likely to migrate around the body of the lens if it gets warm.
Very interesting. That's the first time I've seen the inside of a lens. Good video. I'm now convinced never to do my own lens repair.
Top Job, Do you use air duster to blow the cavity out before reassembly?
+Mike James I used one of those squeezy puffers because it doesn't cause condensation inside the lens. Thanks for watching!
Can I use a tripod collar mount ring with this lens?
Thank you for the great video and explanations !!!
Long Live the Beercan F4!
Very interesting segment Nick. You subscribe to the same thoughts on taking broken things apart that I do. Nice work getting the lens operational again. What brand of screwdriver set are you using here I am always looking for a really good set. Fred
It was a Master Craft mini screwdriver set (Canadian Tire brand). It has about 30 bits and a little extension.
Glad you liked the video, I was surprised that I could get enough iso-alcohol in there the clean it out.
I have seen a big fungus under the glass element of my Minolta AF Zoom lens 35-80 1:4-5.6. It is at the bottom and I do not know how to access this piece of glass. Do you have any idea how to do it?
+RUS Sometimes you can find service manuals online that show how to tear down the lens properly. Otherwise you can try to do it unguided, I use trays for parts, take lots of pictures and take notes so I know how to put it back together.
On older lenses it's usually not that complicated.
Nick Moore I do have the service manual but i'll have to remove every part of the lens so as to be able to get access to the bottom + the last lens element can't be removed, it would be quite tricky to wipe that fungus off. I'll get another lens and then I can try to play with this one.
+RUS I also get spare lenses when I can. That's sucks that you can't open it from the wrong end, my older lenses from the 70s can open from both. It help with cleaning.
I have one Hanimex lens that needs greasing and cleaning (there are sand between the parts -_- ). It seems easy to open even without a service manual, but these minolta af lens are so complex with so many tiny fragile components. It's great that these are cheap though.
Yeah, the price is right for tinkering.
I took a quick look at a manual for the 35-80 f4-5.6 and I would say it is about the same as the 70-210 as far as complexity. If you get all your tools ready before hand and make sure to label/organize parts as you go it should be a less than 2hr project. At worst you get stuck somewhere and have to put it back together, if you are luck you will find the last element accessible before the lenses is completely apart and it saves you some time!
Jahoo ! My beercan works again.
It's been about 2 years since I shot this and it is just starting to need another cleaning. If you can keep your lens out of the heat I would expect it to last at least that long. Glad I could help!
Since I do watch AvE, I somewhat expected both the damage and the repair to be much more tragic. However, if AvE had a polar opposite, I you'd be it. :)
Ha! He's a cool guy but polar opposite? I kludge as much as he does just on a much smaller scale.
+Nick Moore More at 90 degrees out of phase, yes. Not opposite.
Excellent.
+zoodidwa Thanks, it wasn't nearly as complicated as I thought it would be.
tnx.helpful
+Молекула 221 Glad you liked it.
How weird is it that I watched an AVE video right before this one?
He has a great channel, I'm always waiting for new videos by him.
Nick Moore i ended up becoming a "patreon" just to get more stuff.
x9x9x9x9x9 Once I am back in Canada (and working a real job) I'll be doing the same.
I'm grasping at straws here, and every video I've seen never shows how to take off the first FRONT element. I've got a fungus spot on the top surface of the glass that is immediately UNDER the top glass.
Is it just a matter of unscrewing that top retaining ring with a suitable spanner, then lifting the very top glass off? That's ALL I need to take off, the fungus is on the top surface of the glass immediately under it. Or does that top glass piece also need to be unscrewed somehow, once I have the top retaining ring removed? I am loathe to play with this as it's a lens I bought in 1986 and otherwise in perfect condition.
Yes, if you can find a tool that fits the retaining ring it just spins out. I can't remember if the front glass is on its own or in a group though.
Thanks! I ended up taking the lens to a local repair shop. For $30 he did the work, well worth it to me. And that's when I discovered my 28-85 lens has mid-body "spotting". The cost to fix is more than a used lens on Amazon/Ebay. Looks like I'll be taking on that job myself.
And for anyone reading.... yes, the top two pieces of glass that needed removal and cleanimg, do indeed come out just by unscrewing that retaining ring. There's also a spacer between the 2 glass lenses. The fit is quite snug, so it has to be "bumped" out, but it does drop out without need of any more tools. I've also ordered the spanner wrench to do the upcoming 28-85 lens.
watched this. followed this. Destroyed my lens.
Which lens?
@@NickMoore My Sweet sweet beer can. :(
That's AvE's other maxim - if it ain't broke, fix it until it is