help - lens stuck

Hi

I would really appreciate some help - my 50 mm lens has become stuck on my Pentax 100 mm auto extension tube. It started when the aperture ring felt stiff and odd as soon as I'd put the lens on. Now it won't disengage. The aperture ring won't turn freely either. Any ideas please? Thanks!

Peter

Which 50mm lens is it?

SMC-M 1.7

I can't think how the aperture ring can have any bearing on your being unable to get the lens off the tube. You don't have a young son with a fondness for super-glue, by any chance?

Is the little lever that operates the locking pin on the tube stuck? Or broken? If you can feel it move up and down, I should be prepared to use a reasonable amount of force to twist the lens anti-clockwise.

G

My only thought on this is that you have managed to put the lens on incorrectly. When you move the aperture ring, the linkage will also move to indicate to the body the aperture set for metering. If this is somehow jammed against the receiving pin in the tube, you would experience such a problem.

Kim

I think I have put the lens on wrong - but how? In all my years (22 and counting) of owning Pentax lenses, I've never managed that ...

There is always a first time for everything.

Kim

Your best bet is probably to buy another M 50mm. Then you'll have a dedicated macro version, and an everyday walking-around one.

G

I had thought of that

My wife's gonna kill me!

Will that work? If the aperture ring is stiff and not turning properly, it would seem that although the new lens would work, the "macro" setup might not.

As an aside, with a 100mm tube, you must be close to or greater than lifesize with a 100 tube. In which case it would be better to work with the lens reversed in any case.

Kim

I'll certainly bear that in mind - if I ever get the damn thing off!