[Solved] Cleaning the Lenses of a Kodak Junior 620

Marco-Polo · Mar 9, 2017

EDIT: Here's how I did it (apologies in advance for annoying mannerisms/voice):

Recently I was fortunate enough to inherit this Junior 620:

Everything works flawlessly (I even found 620 film for it!), but I'm unable to use it because of this [potentially?] photo-ruining dirt on the inside of the lens:

Before posting I did a quick read-through of other threads regarding the cleaning of a Junior 620, but they're either about the Junior II or don't include any information about the process itself.

Which leads me to my main question: How on earth do I get the dirt out of there?

Derrel · Mar 10, 2017

I am NOT a camera repairman, but I think the lens is retained by the threaded rear portion. see those little notches, the four indentations? Those are where a spanner wrench is to be inserted; the ends of the spanner fit into the slots on opposing pairs of notches, and the lens retaining ring can then be loosened, and then unthreaded. Again, I am NOT a camera repair guy, and doing this might leave the diaphragm blades exposed, for all I know, but I "think" there is probably just one, single element being held in place at the rear of the lens, and with that retaining ring removed, you could "likely" remove that element, and then be able to remove the dirt/debris.

I would definitely wait for more info from more knowledgedable TPF'ers like, say @compur.

As far as the dirt "ruining" photos? Unlikely I think.

Alexr25 · Mar 10, 2017

The dirt that your photos show inside the lens will have absolutely no effect on the image quality. For the dirt to show up in the final image it has to be at or near the plane of focus rather than inside the lens. Lots of dirt and finger marks on the lens surface can increase lens flare and reduce image contrast but the few specs inside your lens are not enough to degrade the image in any imaginable way.

Marco-Polo · Mar 10, 2017

Derrel said:
I am NOT a camera repairman, but I think the lens is retained by the threaded rear portion. see those little notches, the four indentations? Those are where a spanner wrench is to be inserted; the ends of the spanner fit into the slots on opposing pairs of notches, and the lens retaining ring can then be loosened, and then unthreaded. Again, I am NOT a camera repair guy, and doing this might leave the diaphragm blades exposed, for all I know, but I "think" there is probably just one, single element being held in place at the rear of the lens, and with that retaining ring removed, you could "likely" remove that element, and then be able to remove the dirt/debris.

I would definitely wait for more info from more knowledgedable TPF'ers like, say @compur.

As far as the dirt "ruining" photos? Unlikely I think.

Thanks for the help! You're correct about everything. I was able to successfully clean all of the lenses and now she's ready for use.

Alexr25 said:
The dirt that your photos show inside the lens will have absolutely no effect on the image quality. For the dirt to show up in the final image it has to be at or near the plane of focus rather than inside the lens. Lots of dirt and finger marks on the lens surface can increase lens flare and reduce image contrast but the few specs inside your lens are not enough to degrade the image in any imaginable way.

Very good to know - thanks!

compur · Mar 10, 2017

Nice looking German Kodak.

Marco-Polo · Mar 10, 2017

compur said:
Nice looking German Kodak.

Indeed. I'm thrilled to be its new custodian.

gezz58 · Mar 18, 2017

Is 620 film still available? I have heard of people winding 120 film onto 620 spools to get around it

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denada · Mar 22, 2017

^not available far as i'm aware. you just wind your own from a 120 roll. or you can buy from film photography project, which is them re-spooling it for you. ordering pre-rolled is a good way to get the spools to roll your own going forward.

table1349 · Mar 22, 2017

Mod Film for Use in Super Old Cameras (620 Film) - All

dxqcanada · Mar 23, 2017

gezz58 said:
Is 620 film still available? I have heard of people winding 120 film onto 620 spools to get around it

[URL="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?atclk=Format_620&ci=2545&N=4093113317+4130468169"]Roll Film | B&H Photo Video[/URL]

table1349 · Mar 23, 2017

dxqcanada said:
gezz58 said:

Is 620 film still available? I have heard of people winding 120 film onto 620 spools to get around it

Click to expand...

Roll Film | B&H Photo Video

Yeah at three time the price.
Kodak Professional T-Max 400 Black and White Negative 1695568

Marco-Polo · Mar 28, 2017

Well, I finished the roll of 620 that came with the camera and shipped it off. Now comes the waiting and hoping that my incredibly amateurish knowledge didn't mangle the batch too badly lol