Dear Leica advisers,

I'm new to Leica M system, and just recently purchased a Leica M3 D/S and a Summicron DR lens. The camera is fine, the lens is fine, but the close focus eyelet has something in both the glass cells. They don't look like chips or scratches, but rather like fungi IN the glass. How can I clean them? Or where can I send it for repair/cleaning? Any idea how much it will cost? Thank you all in advance. Regards,

-- Dave E. Schneider (desgoerz@yahoo.com), March 22, 2002

Answers

Any of these should be able to tell you if it can be cleaned out:

http://teachnet.edb.utexas.edu/~leica/repair.html

-for optics, i've had good luck with Van Stelten.................

-- david kelly (dmkedit@aol.com), March 22, 2002.

That stuff in your goggles that looks like fungi...??? Well, it probably is the dreaded Leica fungus! You can send them off to have them professionally cleaned, and they should work well enough for when you need them for close focus on you DR. HOWEVER, please take a moment to perform the Leica Fungus-check on your DR... You accomplish by shining a flashlight through the lens from the rear while viewing throught the front -- best done in a darkened room -- and NO, you cannot simply hold the lens up to a bright light source to perform this test. If clear, you are fine. However, if you see similar "fungi" in your DR, it will need to be sent off for a complete cleaning as well. Now for the bad news: in severe cases the fungus can actually permanently etch the glass, and thus it cannot be completely cleaned.

Good Luck!

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), March 22, 2002.

Dave: I recently had a 50 DR Summicron cleaned by: Focal Point Inc.

It cost me about $225.00 to have the lens cleaned and the front element recoated as it had the dreaded soft coating and had quite a few marks in the coating. The lens came back in good shape. I did not have the goggles cleaned as they are fine. I have had the lens for 30 years. The lens may have been fogged when I got it, but in reality it occurred during it's life with me.

Good luck and enjoy the lens and camera.

-- Mark A. Johnson (logical1@catholic.org), March 22, 2002.

Now, a word from the cheap seats:

If the lens itself is clear, and the problem with the close-up eyes isn't very bad, you might be able to use things as they are. Setting the eyes in the sun for a while and making sure they are completely dry (e.g. seal in bag with some dessicant) should kill any fungus and stop further growth.

-- Mike Dixon (mike@mikedixonphotography.com), March 23, 2002.

Thank you all! Since so many people recommend Sherry Krauter on this forum, I will send my stuff to her for repair/CLA.

How can one tell the difference between severe separation from fungus infection on the eyelet cells? Regards,

-- Dave E. Schneider (desgoerz@yahoo.com), March 27, 2002.