I was digging in a box of junk the other day and found my old Soligor 400mm lens with OM mount. The aperture ring has lost it's click, and the blades sometimes move and sometimes don't. There is oil on the blades and the spring just isn't strong enough to close them when the button/lever is pushed. I paid $75 for it back in 1985 on clearance, and it never was really very sharp. It's not really worth fixing. So the question is what do I do with it? It's a gigantic heavy lens and looks funny mounted on my E-P1. Any ideas what I could make from the barrel/hood parts? I thought about using the front element for a magnifying glass, but don't know what to do with the rest of it.
It's definitely not worth pay to have someone else fix it. I picked up a couple at thrift stores for $20. On a Pen it's a 800mm lens. Use it for educational value. Try fixing it yourself. It just sounds like you have oil on the blades and lost the little BB for the ring click.
It would make a great pot-plant holder. Alternatively my juvinile side would want to - * Drop it from a tall building * Blow it up * Crush it * Burn it
Seriously though, the back of an OM mount is not that complex and they're fairly easy to put back together if you want try a bit of lens surgery. If the lens has the aperture ring at the back you'll be able to find if the spring loaded ball bearing in the aperture ring has gone awol. In some lenses you can also easily unscrew the rear lens unit which may also give you access to the diaphragm. If the alternative is to junk it or sell it for a pittance it might be fun for you to give it a go.
Hmmmmm.....nah my age is showing.. Nic,.... How many times in a lifetime does one get to mess with a lens without fear of breaking it? He should take out all the frustrations lenses cause and enjoy it. In fact, he should ship it to members so they can join in .... Spread it around ... It would actually be therapeutic ...
I had an editor who would place an old broken Nikon on his desk. He'd accidentally push it off the desk to see the reaction. Just a suggestion.
Ooohh that sounds like fun. I could really mess with my friends on that one. I have taken the OM mount off, I don't have the spanner to go any further. Maybe I'll pick one up and have some fun next time we get a snowstorm.
Sheesh, given how fashionable 'bokeh' is at present, you should be happy that the diaphragm doesn't shut down! Maybe just file a few notches and corners into the blades to give that bokeh extra special character and expression :tongue:
