New Resource for Professional & DIY Lens Restoration/Rep

mo · Expire: 2016-07-30

Have you done a carl Zeiss Jena Pancolar 2/50 yet? In either M42 or Exakta mount.

retrooptical · Joined: 13 Jun 2016 Posts: 26 Location: Newport, WA

mo · Expire: 2016-07-30

I have a pet project happening with this particular lens, and have been too scared to strip one right down.Lke most people I do like finding someone who has gone before and has images to help see how to do it properly.

Charlemeign · Joined: 19 Aug 2016 Posts: 1

I sent Retro Optical my m42 Tamron Adapt-a-matic 105mm f/2.5. The focus was so tight that the lens often unscrewed when I tried to focus, and the original owner appears to have used it in a dust storm. What I received back seems to be a brand new lens. The dust is gone, it focuses smoothly, and I didn't realize how much dirt was on the other metal parts. Now to figure out what lens I should send next...

retrooptical · Joined: 13 Jun 2016 Posts: 26 Location: Newport, WA

Thank you so much for your business! It's a stunning lens - sharp wide open and has us looking for a personal copy. Colors a bit cool but should PP out just fine. We will add an album for the lens to our Flikr account soon.

barrystock · Joined: 19 Sep 2016 Posts: 2 Location: Hollywood, FL, USA

I want to thank Retro Optical for the FANTASTIC job they performed cleaning, aligning and reassembling my odd little Petri lenses. Both lenses function like brand new (according to their feedback, one is 95% and one 98%). Focus is super smooth, and the (previously very sticky) aperture control is silky. I can recommend their shop as a killer resource for those with oddball retro lenses needing an expert's touch. Attached are some shots taken with the newly-energized glass, wide open of course, on my Pentax k5ii.

Thanks again Retro Optical!

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retrooptical · Joined: 13 Jun 2016 Posts: 26 Location: Newport, WA

Hi Barry,

Thanks again for your business! We are thrilled that you are thrilled with the "new" old lenses you received. We try to achieve as new or better function and treat all lenses as if they were our own, and are excited to hear we met that standard with your glass.

A note for others on these primes:

1. Extremely well built, especially helical machining, as is to be expected from glass dating to the "golden age of industry".

2. Amazing "Meyer (orestron) like" bokeh that blurs the foreground like nothing else we have seen. We shoot everything we service for quality assurance purposes and because it's a HUGE side bonus to our business. So far we have made our way through several hundred lenses and this one has very vintage rendering and is a top shelf portrait lens.

3. Like most lenses with older coatings the colors are a bit cool so we recommend, as we do with all vintage glass, that you set white balance with an 18% gray card or white card stock to ensure consistency in color rendering within your workflow.

[quote="barrystock"]I want to thank Retro Optical for the FANTASTIC job they performed cleaning, aligning and reassembling my odd little Petri lenses. Both lenses function like brand new (according to their feedback, one is 95% and one 98%). Focus is super smooth, and the (previously very sticky) aperture control is silky. I can recommend their shop as a killer resource for those with oddball retro lenses needing an expert's touch. Attached are some shots taken with the newly-energized glass, wide open of course, on my Pentax k5ii.

Thanks again Retro Optical!