Bizarre primotar

PaulC · Joined: 23 Dec 2008 Posts: 2318

I've just noticed a bizarre aspect of my Primotar 135: although it focuses from roughly 1.5m to infinity, the barrel only rotates through about 220 degrees instead of the approx. 320 marked on the distance scale. As a result when it is actually focused on infinity, the scale says it is focused at about 5m.

Clearly, it must have the wrong helical in it. Yet I can't think of any reason why someone would change it and to all intents and purposes it was in new condition when I got it.

Is this a case of a hungover Meyer Optik worker picking up the wrong part? It has the triangle with an S quality mark. I can't remember what that means .... it isn't the rumoured "Export this to China because we really cocked it up" mark, is it?

BTW, regardless of its peculiarity, this is a very nice lens on the Canon 5Dmk2 (I switched its mount for a Pentacon 100's M42, they have the same screw holes and registration distance). I don't know what other ways there are of getting a 135mm Tessar lens for a Canon.

fish4570 · Expire: 2012-03-21

Well, I like the rhyme
of your subject line

Seele · Joined: 17 Apr 2009 Posts: 742 Location: Sydney Australia

It seems to me that the multi-start helicoid was taken apart and then reassembled incorrectly.

no-X · Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 5:01 pm Post subject:

Yes, this is typical example of poor and unprofessional servicing Neutral

PaulC · Joined: 23 Dec 2008 Posts: 2318

Ah, interesting.

Will it do any harm to leave it as it is? And will it have all the right bits in it to put it right if I want to send it to someone who can?

no-X · Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 5:57 pm Post subject:

PaulC · Joined: 23 Dec 2008 Posts: 2318

OK, thanks. It can stay like it is for the time being, then.

Seele · Joined: 17 Apr 2009 Posts: 742 Location: Sydney Australia

I do not think it needs any part, just need to take the helicoid apart and put the two halves in mesh correctly.

Boomer Depp · Expire: 2011-12-04

Good to know! I have a Meyer Optik Telemegor 250 that won't focus to infinity.Had the lens for a few years,but didn't find this out till recently when I tried a few infinity shots.Suspected someone hadn't aligned the helical when it was reassembled....had suspected someone took the lens apart a couple of years ago....When disassembling to clean the elements,there was a partial finger print on the edge of one of the elements.