dismantling lenses

today i learned some important lessons about lenses!


this afternoon i inadvertently dismantled the lens of the newest addition to my camera collection - the Herica 35F. in putting it all back together i managed to coat all the pieces with fingerprints, necessitating an on-purpose dismantlement this evening (when i wasn't surrounded by people and had a proper cleaning cloth). in the process of putting it back together again i learned a little bit more about lenses. sometimes it really is beneficial to forget the order in which things go, so that one may learn how it all works properly as you try to fix it. heh.



the lens of the Herica is constructed as follows:

*aperture* *convex plastic plate* *convex plastic plate with screwing-in rim* *convex on one side, concave on the other side plastic plate* *screwing-in rim that holds everything in*.


one of the pieces:




though i'd never realised it before, the Minolta Hi-Matic S's lens is constructed in entirely similar fashion - i think. from the outside, at least. but i don't wish to unscrew it all to check as i'm rather fearful of ruining it by putting things back together in the wrong order (it being a real camera instead of a cheeep copy of one).