Hello,

I bought a Kodak Aero Ektar 7" f/2.5 in San Jose photo fair on Saturday, and tested out with some color Polaroids. Apart from the yellowish tint people talk about, there is a general softness/fuzziness over the whole photo. It's as if someone smeared some serious vaseline on the lens, even though the front and back surfaces are clear and clean.

I dissembled the elements, and found that the cemented pair in the front group has something wrong. I'm talking about the cemented element 2 and 3 in this Biotar design, if element 1 is towards the object and element 7 is towards the film. There are some fuzziness between the two elements, so is it balsam fault?

Are there anyway to fix it other than hunting for another front group or new Aero Ektar? On the other hand, this particular fault does create a specific visual quality.

Thanks,
Zheng