Oh, I have to share my story of a Zunow lens.
I was vacationing in Vancouver, and there are only two camera stores
that carry used gear these days. So I always visit both of them.
So I walk into Leo's Camera, and browse through their Leica gear, and I
spot this chrome LTM lens. It is a Zunow 5cm f1.1. Marked $650.
Absurd. I try it out on a digital camera, and it shoots fine. I spot
that an inner surface is covered with some stuff - not fungus, but some
foggy coating. Okay, the digi-cam shot fine with it and it focuses
properly and it all checks out, so I buy it.
Months later, I'm obsessed with trying to clean out the haze and
research on the web that this haze is quite characteristic of the
Zunow. Also characteristic is the extreme difficulty of disassembling
the lens. One of the foremost technicians on this lens, who has
repaired many of them (so many that he is bored of doing them), advises
me that there is a significant - more than 50/50 - chance of damage
trying to disassemble the lens.
Well, I gambled and I lost. No glass got fractured, but the lens mount
and barrel were irreversibly damaged and distorted trying to take the
lens apart.
I ended up selling it for parts and recovered my investment, but, am
still sorry that it turned out so badly.
I still keep a search out for a Zunow, but anticipate that I will never
get one at $600. Perhaps if I had paid thousands for it, I wouldn't
have attempted the repair.
...Vick
On 18/06/2013 8:02 AM, Piers Hemy wrote:
> Don't underestimate Vick's ability to find the gems, Andrew - for it was he
> who located a Zunow 50/1.1 for sale in Lochcarron, Wester Ross (pop. 923),
> and found someone relatively local to go pick it up.
>
> Shame it didn't work out in the end...
>
> Piers
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