February 1, 2021
Lesson Learned covid-19: day 315 | US: GA | info | act
The good news: I finally got the twin Zuiko 50s I won on eBay last week. The bad news: they are in terrible shape. Both have fungus and grit throughout and there’s other crud all over the elements. The f/1.4’s filter ring is dented and the front element has weird cleaning marks all over it. Neither have lens caps, and the f/1.8’s aperture ring is nearly impossible to turn. When I look back at the ad, I see I was foolish to even have bid on them in the first place. His description is barely literate and his photos show no details.
Yeah, looking at it now, I’m not too bright.
Well, no matter how it turns out, this will be a learning experience. This really will be my first bad experience on eBay, and considering the excellent seller I just dealt with, this guy is a real tool. His communication about this situation is about the same as what I posted above, and he seems pretty unwilling to help in any way. Funny thing: his feedback is excellent, so maybe I just missed something. Yeah, I did. Anyone who posts photos and a description like these should be avoided. I thought I was a better reader. Lesson learned.
Still, even if I end up with these lenses, this will provide me with the opportunity to learn to clean and repair them. These are excellent candidates for cleaning, lubrication, and adjustment (CLA). Why not, right? Maybe I can get them back into shape, and I might like them even more after putting a bit of love into their restorations.
I started looking in to repairing these lenses, and I think I can do it. However, I will have to invest in some tools, first, which looks like it might cost over $100. Ugh. I need a lens spanner wrench, a tool to fix the dented filter ring, some rubber friction knobs, chemicals (hydrogen peroxide 3% and acetone), wipes, rubber gloves, and probably some other stuff I haven’t thought of. I gleaned most of this by watching a couple of this guy’s videos. First, I need to see how this eBay thing turns out.
I’m not optimistic that this dude will work with me, so I need to wait until Friday to get eBay involved. I’m going to see what happens there before becoming a lens repair guy. Stay tuned...
