8mm Forum: Servicing Kern Paillard Lenses

This is topic Servicing Kern Paillard Lenses - Any advice? in forum 8mm Forum at 8mm Forum.

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Posted by Carl Richards (Member # 6011) on August 20, 2017, 01:40 PM:

Hi everyone. This is my first post on 8mm Forum.

I am just starting out with 8mm film. I have a Bolex B8 and a Bolex C8.

I have a few lenses (Taylor Hobson 1/2 inch) and Kern Paillard lenses:

13mm 2.5 Yvar fixed focus
13mm 1.9 Yvar visifocus (x2)
36mm 2.8 Visifocus.

I have been using them with my first reel of film.

I had assumed that the focus on all of them was fixed,(and the visifocus scale thing was just showing the DOF)and then noticed this afternoon that the 36mm ring turned a bit.

So chances are that some of my footage will be out of focus!

One of the 13mm Visifocus that I bought off eBay was so full of dirt and fungus (despite being reassured by the seller that it was perfect!) that the seller refunded my money and told me to keep the lens. I decided I would strip it down and see what they are like to clean (if I broke it, it wouldn't matter so much).
I have stripped basic lenses before, but when I stripped this lens, and put it back together, the focus ring moves, but I cannot see any difference in the length of the lens like you normally do.

I was wondering if anyone else has CLA'd one of these lenses and knows what I may have gone wrong? Also, if anyone has any service manuals or similar?

Thanks in advance for any advice anyone can offer.

Regards

Carl

Posted by Terry Byford (Member # 6093) on September 26, 2017, 10:42 AM:

Can't answer you servicing enquiry, but if your Taylor Hobson lenses are focusing Seritals and use the standard D mount, you can easily check because they will screw into your Bolex camera, then these are superior optics to the Yvars you have. If they won't fit, then they have an older non-standard mount as used in the GB Bell & Howell Viceroy.

Yvars are Bolex's 2nd tier. Top lenses are Switars. But way back in the 1960's friends said the TTH lenses were superior to even the Switars.

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