Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2007/04/05

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Subject: [Leica] Question about my poor broken lens.
From: hoppyman at bigpond.net.au (G Hopkinson)
Date: Thu Apr 5 00:29:50 2007
References: <7.0.1.0.2.20070404170443.02610d08@comporium.net><200704050009.15383.photo.forrest@earthlink.net><000501c7773a$4d66f4f0$6501a8c0@asus930> <200704050051.22586.photo.forrest@earthlink.net>

Aah Philip, I've stopped dry retching now. Combat related damage is 
honourable in a camera. Not so acceptable when happening to the
photographer, I imagine. 
I have had the very good fortune to never have been shot at. I was an 
armourer/weapons and egress systems specialist in our defence
force for my peaceful military service.
If I may loosely paraphrase from my favourite combat photographer (Joe 
Galloway) movie moment. "Cain't take no pitchers lying down
there sonny!"
Being serious for a momeent, I have the utmost respect for people going into 
harm's way in obedience to orders.
All the same you have made it onto my black list of LUG photographers that I 
will never buy gear from. Up there with those pros who
dunk their lenses in creeks and clean the front elements with steel wool, 
'cos the coatings are tuff!

Cheers
Hoppy 

-----Original Message-----
From: lug-bounces+hoppyman=bigpond.net.au@leica-users.org 
[mailto:lug-bounces+hoppyman=bigpond.net.au@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of
Philip Forrest
Sent: Thursday, 5 April 2007 14:51
To: Leica Users Group
Subject: Re: [Leica] Question about my poor broken lens.

Hoppy,
I was nauseous that moment.
If you want to hear a real story, talk to Sherry Krauter about my M4 which 
she just repaired.  Talk about DAMAGE.
I was wearing my M4 around my neck like a tourist when on patrol in 
Fallujah, Iraq back in Nov, 2004 when I had to as low to the
ground as fast as possible because of incoming 122mm rockets.  I basically 
fell right on the camera, bending the winder lever,
over-winding the shutter and stripping some brass collar from the winder 
shaft.  After the patrol a few days later I was in my
office (being the public affairs guy has it's perks) & took the camera 
apart.  
Once again using the aforementioned tools.  I saw what was wrong to my naked 
eye and having just a bit of camera hacking/repair
experience I decided to give it a go.  The shutter was bound up & I "flexed" 
it through it's entire travel which reset it (it had
worked before on a spotmatic of mine.)  After that, out machinist (US Navy 
Combat Engineering Battalion, we had all the cool tools
and people) fabbed me up a brass collar which was as good as the original if 
not better Then we pressed it on the shaft & off I
went.  The camera to this day still has a bit of vulcanite missing from that 
rocket attack.  It worked quite well, albeit with a
little sloppy winding for the next few months.  I was on battalion movement 
to the states and deployed to Spain for 1 month to
create our deployment book and gather up all the documentary media for the 
DON archive.  It was there in Spain where the death blow
came.  I fell into the Bay of Cadiz while taking one of my two days off 
during that deployment and the camera barely recovered from
that.  I had a minor CLA (lack of funds) done but eventually the corrosion 
caught up with it & Sherry just finished it.  I should be
receiving it this friday as a matter of fact.
I always have wondered what the people walking by my bench on the beach 
thought while looking at me, soaking wet, frantically taking
my Leica apart in an effort to dry it out...
It's all better now.
...and it's just a camera.

Philip

On Thursday 05 April 2007 00:24:29 G Hopkinson wrote:
> Philip, you have just made me quite ill. Never post any message again 
> that includes the words Summicron, vise, vicegrips and a file. Yes, I 
> do understand your circumstance ;-)
>
> Cheers
> Hoppy
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: lug-bounces+hoppyman=bigpond.net.au@leica-users.org
> [mailto:lug-bounces+hoppyman=bigpond.net.au@leica-users.org] On Behalf 
> Of Philip Forrest
> Sent: Thursday, 5 April 2007 14:09
> To: Leica Users Group
> Subject: Re: [Leica] Question about my poor broken lens.
>
> Since it's a heavy Voigtlander lens, it's some nice brass.  Easily 
> bendable when dropped, but this works to your advantage in repair.
> I dropped my 50 DR Sunnicron out in Iraq on a marble floor & bent the 
> mounting flange good. ...an hour later after some work with a vise, 
> channel locks, vise-grips and a file the lens was back to working 
> fine.  The glass was still perfect & that's what mattered.
> I'm not encouraging you to do a hack like I did.  Leica repair is hard 
> to come by in Iraq, so I had to.  It's not too hard though with the 
> proper tools and knowledge.
> You probably bent a bit of the flange on the rear of the lens and it's 
> impeding the motion of the focusing helical.  As long as your glass is 
> intact, a repair should definitely be worth it.  Especially so if you 
> like this lens. Philip
>
> On Wednesday 04 April 2007 22:30:06 alvaro sendon wrote:
> > Hello everybody,
> >
> >     I had what I like to call a "Bonk" moment last night.  Where for 
> > no reason at all my Voigtlander 28mm F1.9 slipped out of my hands 
> > and smacked the floor.
> >
> > Nothing seemed apparently broken until I checked the focus ring and 
> > noticed the extreme stiffness when rotating it.  Does anyone know 
> > what is actually broken?
> >
> > Just trying to decide if it is worth fixing considering the price of 
> > the lens.  Where can I send it to get fixed? Is it worth shipping it 
> > out to DAG or Sherry Krauter?
> >
> >  I am thinking that if it is $225 and under I will fix it, anything 
> > above and I will have to consider it. Any opinions or suggestions 
> > will be appreciated.
> >
> > Thank you;
> >
> > Alvaro Sendon
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Leica Users Group.
> > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information



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Replies: Reply from leicam4pro at yahoo.com (Photo Phreak) ([Leica] Question about my poor broken lens.)
In reply to: Message from images at comporium.net (Tina Manley) ([Leica] News of BD)
Message from photo.forrest at earthlink.net (Philip Forrest) ([Leica] Question about my poor broken lens.)
Message from hoppyman at bigpond.net.au (G Hopkinson) ([Leica] Question about my poor broken lens.)
Message from photo.forrest at earthlink.net (Philip Forrest) ([Leica] Question about my poor broken lens.)