Vivitar/Kiron 24mm f2

Mike Deep · Joined: 25 Oct 2008 Posts: 316 Location: Upstate New York

I just found one of these at a local Salvation Army store for $30. The lens does have two issues: The aperture is stuck, and there's a smudge/hazy spot inside the rear group. I did some searching and found some instructions from Luis for fixing the stuck aperture, so I think that problem's in the bag.

For the glass, though, how do I further disassemble the rear group?

slick204 · Expire: 2012-04-22

The rear group just unscrews from the body. It's easy to get a hold of with the mount off. Or did you mean disassembling the rear group itself?

Mike Deep · Joined: 25 Oct 2008 Posts: 316 Location: Upstate New York

Yep, I've already made it that far. The rear group itself needs to be disassembled - The smudge is between the last and second to last elements.

slick204 · Expire: 2012-04-22

I guess I should have figured that out since you were working on the aperture. I had to clean oil off mine.
Good luck! Mine is quickly becoming my favorite lens.

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18

I had with oily aperture too, it is cleanable, but not very easy.

aleksanderpolo · Joined: 24 Jan 2010 Posts: 684

For a kiron brand (not the vivitar), how easy/difficult is it to fix a stuck aperture for a zero-experience person like me?

Mike Deep · Joined: 25 Oct 2008 Posts: 316 Location: Upstate New York

Unfortunately no progress has been made with this lens. I haven't attempted to clean the aperture because the front side of the blades are much worse than the back side. The local repair shop won't touch "third party lenses" either.

Anyone have any ideas on how to proceed here? It's in really nice condition besides the aperture, clearly wasn't used much but was left in a hot place for too long. I hate to leave it in this condition.

Screamin Scott · Posted: Sun May 09, 2010 11:29 pm Post subject:

Try posting to the Kiron Klub group on Yahoo....Likely someone there (like Ralph) will know...My 24mm F2 is the Komine made version...Here's the link if you were not aware of the group

Kiron-Klub@yahoogroups.com

slick204 · Expire: 2012-04-22

Have you found any info yet? I have a Vivitar/Kiron 28/2 that I took apart to clean. They should be similar. In retrospect I didn't need to since I can only use it in stop-down mode anyway.

Let me know if you want details.

motleypixel · Joined: 12 May 2010 Posts: 135 Location: Austin, TX USA

I just picked up a Krion 24mm f/2 (doesn't say Vivitar anywhere on it) and it work smooth with snappy apertuer etc. I want to find an EOS EF adapter for it, does anyone know where I can find one?

Is it worth adapting to an 5DMK2 for video?

Thanks!

John Shriver · Joined: 24 Dec 2009 Posts: 192

I was able to clean the blades on a Vivitar/Kino 24/2 by just pulling the mount and the rear group. Then I used a cotton swab with naptha (lighter fluid), operating the iris over and over to get off as much oil as possible. Probably won't hold for more than a year, but not that hard to do periodically.

Mike Deep · Joined: 25 Oct 2008 Posts: 316 Location: Upstate New York

Another update on this. Tonight I got the aperture working again.

For the back side of the blades, I made numerous passes with q-tips wrapped in lens tissue while opening and closing the aperture to draw out as much of the oil as possible. The back now appears completely clean.

For the front side of the aperture, I placed a folded piece of a lens tissue between the blades and the next element and opened and closed the aperture, taking care not to let the edges of the tissue wedge between blades. Then I lightly pressed the blades down using a q-tip. I repeated this process several times with a new piece each time. The front of the blades are not completely clean, but it has helped. Attacking from the front would be preferred, but I lack the tools to go in this way.

Since the lens is only going to be used stopped down on an adapter, I also removed the spring that returns the aperture linkage lever, and I switched out the spring on the aperture lever for a higher tension spring pulled from a cheap donor lens (In this case a Komine-made 28/2.8).

I still need to address the haze in the rear group, if that's even possible. I'm hoping those elements aren't cemented. I'll probably pose this question to the Kiron Klub. If it comes down to it I can probably pick up another broken one and swap out the rear group.

motleypixel · Joined: 12 May 2010 Posts: 135 Location: Austin, TX USA

Just a thought...if you are ever able to completely remove all the glass and just have the aperture mechanics left behind, then a good soaking in napthalene has worked for me...just bathe it and while under the solution manually cycle the iris and it will flush any oil. I did this to a Minolta 58/1.4 and it worked great.

RioRico · Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2011 3:12 am Post subject:

My first Vivitar-Kiron 24/2 (in PK-M mount) was also a basket case when received. Aperture was stuck open, no connexion to the linkage flag, and the rear element seemed fogged. The aperture was fixable (by hands more skilled than mine), probably just a missing ball bearing, but that fogging was due to element separation. Take a very close look at the glass -- if you see tiny bubbles, then you'll need to swap out the rear elements. And those can be hard to find. I sold mine for parts and bought one in decent shape.

DConvert · Joined: 12 Jun 2010 Posts: 902 Location: Essex UK

mmelvis · Expire: 2015-05-09

You can send these folks an email and see if you can get a quote, http://vphotoatlanta.com/ , member dawg has used them to get some of his vivitar lens serviced.

motleypixel · Joined: 12 May 2010 Posts: 135 Location: Austin, TX USA