F28 f/2.8 broken aperture mechanism

Try a repair shop. If they can't improvise parts, your best bet is to watch eBay until one shows up. If a broken one shows up, you could use it for parts.

Joe

Paul_R_H wrote:

Hi

I banged this lens, and now the aperture blades flop about. The stop-down lever does nothing and they pivot randomly and individually across the circle rather than forming a nice neat iris.

Is it a hard job to fix? I'm not going to attempt it myself, but could a competent repair shop? Clearly parts supply will be unavailable, but do you think it's the sort of thing where a repairer could adapt existing generic linkage and spring parts? After all this is not some complex electronic-heavy zoom.

Or will the expense and improbability of such a repair mean I should look for another one?There are none on eBay, though there are a few FA28s.

I don't need a full-frame lens – I have a K3ii and I don't want the weight of a K1, never mind the likely focussing errors from a thinner depth of field. But the 28mm FL really works for me and I like the small size versus wide aperture. A DA31 or would be too close to my FA50, and the FA31 is silly expensive, and the DA21 too close to my DA15.

Luckily I recently got a DFA16-85 so I'm covered for most purposes except low light.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

Paul

Setting up aperture blades can be a very finicky thing, I can't speak for this lens specifically but I think its generally expected. Now that optical formula is the same as the M28mm F2.8 Version 2, A 28mm F2.8 and Takumar A 28mm F2.8, Maybe even the Takumar Bayonet 28mm F2.8... IMO probably one of the best 28mm F2.8s available so if you don't mind downgrading to manual focus there are plenty more options.

GPGeneralPhoto wrote:

I've had a F-50mm f/1.7 apart and It is not as hard to work on as one might expect, BUT repairing a broken aperture blade sounds tough. I would sell the lens on ebay as a broken lens for parts only and buy the FA-28mm.

I may consider playing with it if the price is right

Hi Andrew

I think it's your number 2.

I have a good repair shop 15 mins walk from where I live – Sendean Cameras Clerkenwell. They have quoted £150 plus VAT. They once repaired my K5 when the lens change button fell off.

Anyway, I found an FA28 2.8 AL on the other forum marketplace; it's somewhere in the postal system now. Everyone says the FA28 is a better lens than the F28 (I can't imagine it could be much better given the lovely results from the F28). Now of course the one coming to me could be a bad copy, and I will have to pay import duty, but even so buying the FA28 looked like a no-brainer.

So if anyone here wants a F28 with broken mechanism, make me an offer.

Paul

I have been quoted £150 plus tax (>US$200) to fix so am doing what you advise.

Paul

GPGeneralPhoto wrote:

I've had a F-50mm f/1.7 apart and It is not as hard to work on as one might expect, BUT repairing a broken aperture blade sounds tough. I would sell the lens on ebay as a broken lens for parts only and buy the FA-28mm.

Mike - see my reply to Andrew above. Make me an offer if you like.

Paul

MightyMike wrote:

I may consider playing with it if the price is right

Paul_R_H wrote:

Hi Andrew

I think it's your number 2.

I have a good repair shop 15 mins walk from where I live – Sendean Cameras Clerkenwell. They have quoted £150 plus VAT. They once repaired my K5 when the lens change button fell off.

Anyway, I found an FA28 2.8 AL on the other forum marketplace; it's somewhere in the postal system now. Everyone says the FA28 is a better lens than the F28

I must not be everyone, I have the optical formulas from the patents in an optics program, to me it looks as though the F28 is better, the FA design likely came about in the desire to have it cost less overall. Still neither are a slouch.

(I can't imagine it could be much better given the lovely results from the F28). Now of course the one coming to me could be a bad copy, and I will have to pay import duty, but even so buying the FA28 looked like a no-brainer.

So if anyone here wants a F28 with broken mechanism, make me an offer.

Paul

Ha ha… well at least the FA will look nice and orderly alongside my FA50 and FA135. They're all ugly compared with the M28, M50 and M135 I had in film days, but they're all the same sort of ugly. The F28 is a different ugly.

Paul

MightyMike wrote:

Paul_R_H wrote:

Hi Andrew

I think it's your number 2.

I have a good repair shop 15 mins walk from where I live – Sendean Cameras Clerkenwell. They have quoted £150 plus VAT. They once repaired my K5 when the lens change button fell off.

Anyway, I found an FA28 2.8 AL on the other forum marketplace; it's somewhere in the postal system now. Everyone says the FA28 is a better lens than the F28

I must not be everyone, I have the optical formulas from the patents in an optics program, to me it looks as though the F28 is better, the FA design likely came about in the desire to have it cost less overall. Still neither are a slouch.

(I can't imagine it could be much better given the lovely results from the F28). Now of course the one coming to me could be a bad copy, and I will have to pay import duty, but even so buying the FA28 looked like a no-brainer.

So if anyone here wants a F28 with broken mechanism, make me an offer.

Paul