Schneider Lens Issue

[AdamLuszniak]

Hi All,

I'm totally new to large format and would appreciate some help with a lens i recently acquired. It's a 135mm Schneider Symmar 5.6 mounted on a Synchro Compur shutter. This issue is that the lower speeds on the shutter (1/15th and below) do not function correctly. The timings are much longer then they should be and are very inconsistent. I'm aware that it's possible to open up the shutter and give it a blast with a can of air which i'm hoping may help. The rear lens element unscrews very easily however the front won't budge at all. Can anyone give any advice on what i'm doing wrong? 149590

[Kevin Crisp]

Welcome to the forum.

You aren't doing anything wrong. That fine lens you have there is around 50 years old. The Compur shutter is a complicated mechanical shutter of very high quality too. Over the years, the lubricants tend to congeal and stiffen up, and when that happens things stick and the timing is off. This happens to virtually every shutter with time and it doesn't mean there is really anything seriously wrong with yours. When it happens, the symptoms are just as you describe.

Compressed air won't help, at all, and I recommend you not treat this as a do-it-yourself job as this particular model of shutter is very complex. If you're an expert watch repair person then you might want to tackle it. You need what we call a "CLA," which stands for "clean, lubricate, adjust." The shutter will be disassembled, put in solvent, reassembled and lubricated to a very limited extent by somebody who knows just the right lubricant to apply in the right places in the right quantities. After that it will probably run trouble-free for years.

Depending on where you live, we can give you recommendations for getting it serviced.

Finally, the front element won't unscrew because it is stuck. That happens too after time. It will give a repair person no trouble.

[Peter De Smidt]

I'm going to second Kevin's post. You should get your lens serviced by a competent repair person. Bob Watkins, Carol Flutot, Grimes's shop....

[AdamLuszniak]

Thanks for all your help! I'm based in London, any recommendations for repair?

[Bob Salomon]

Any dealer in large format in London can either service it themselves or recommend a qualified service person. If you had checked with one earlier, before posting this, it could be well on its way to being fixed already.

[AdamLuszniak]

Bob, thanks very much for your insight. Infinitely useful.

[IanG]

Black on White in Bristol are good, I use them for my shutters, Very reasonable prices and fast turnaround,

Ian

[AdamLuszniak]

Thanks for your help. I managed to solve the problem. I was unable to remove the front element, but I was able to remove the black plastic surrounding the lens barrel by prising it up with a screwdriver. I was then able to access a small swing cover port on the shutter's front face. I sprayed some lubricant in and this solved the problem. All shutters speeds now function perfectly. I'm sure it's not as good as a proper CLA but it certainly solved the problem.

[Bob Salomon]

Thanks for your help. I managed to solve the problem. I was unable to remove the front element, but I was able to remove the black plastic surrounding the lens barrel by prising it up with a screwdriver. I was then able to access a small swing cover port on the shutter's front face. I sprayed some lubricant in and this solved the problem. All shutters speeds now function perfectly. I'm sure it's not as good as a proper CLA but it certainly solved the problem.

If that spray landed on the shutter blades then you will start to have more problems.

[AdamLuszniak]

Hi Bob, It didn't but thanks for your concern. The shutter works perfectly. All the best.

[Kevin Crisp]

Great! And even better if you are one of the rare folks who finds this a long term solution. Watch out for fog on the internal surfaces of the glass as your lubricant outgasses.

[MartinP]

Eek, WD40 (or similar) floating around in there. Really that lens/shutter needs to go and be cleaned properly very soon, if you want to use it for more than a few months. It is honestly not a sensible way to 'fix' the problem.

[Andy Eads]

Eek, WD40 (or similar) floating around in there. Really that lens/shutter needs to go and be cleaned properly very soon, if you want to use it for more than a few months. It is honestly not a sensible way to 'fix' the problem.
I have to agree. Proper shutter lubricants are chosen because they don't migrate. Most lubricants are designed to penetrate and they will...into the worst places in your shutter and lens.

[Bob Salomon]

Eek, WD40 (or similar) floating around in there. Really that lens/shutter needs to go and be cleaned properly very soon, if you want to use it for more than a few months. It is honestly not a sensible way to 'fix' the problem.

I don't see him saying that he did use WD40 but if he did he obviously does not know what it does. WD40 leaves a lasting deposit on whatever it is sprayed on. If it was on the shutter blades , which should be dry and not lubricated, then the shutter speed timings will be incorrect. The shutter, then, will require professional service even more then it did before.

[Luis-F-S]

I have two Compur 2's that are a little off. I wouldn't dream of trying to fix them myself. They're both going to SKG for a CLA next week.

[Jim Andrada]

http://www.partysuppliesdelivered.com/black-velour-derby.html?gdftrk=gdfV21650_a_7c1379_a_7c4648_a_7c400703&gclid=CO6wldGBkMwCFQFsfgodGhsIrA

[AdamLuszniak]

Hi all, thanks for all your posts. I can report happily that the shutter is still working perfectly! Really enjoying using film again. As soon as I have the negs scanned from my shoot yesterday I will happily post the results for you to see. The lens is fantastic and it's a joy to be using 5x4 rather than the Canon 5dmkiii i use for all my commerical work.