[Harryf]

Good day everybody!

I got myself a brand new Pentax Z-70 SLR in 1997 — and accidentally dropped it, with the 28-80mm lens attached, in 1998.

The glass elements of the lens were not damaged, but one of the lens elements moving in and out of the lens body seemed to have a "kink" in it and did not align properly with the actual zooming plane - if you get my drift... I was holidaying in an extremely beautiful (but remote) place at the time and could not bear not being able to take pictures and decided to open the lens up to fix it.

Ooooops...

Everything seemed to go well, and my set of ultra small screw drivers came in very handy, until I needed one with a longer stem to reach a screw deep inside the body. Well, that's what I'd decided I needed to get at to open the lens up enough to fix it.

The parts of the lens have been in plastic bags and 35mm film canisters since then.

I phoned around a bit to see whether I could get any camera repair shop to help me in putting it back together, but nobody wants to touch it. "Just buy a new lens", is all I get.

But I WANT to fix the thing! hehe - it's just one of those things with me - and a lot of you, too, I suppose. Now that it's broken - fix it.

Does anyone know where I can get hold of an owner's manual for such a lens, please?

I am sure that it can be fixed if I can just lay my hands (or preferably my eyes) on such a thing.

Any help, please?

With kindest possible regards

Harry

[interested_observer]

Good Morning Harry,

Welcome to the Forum!!!

Two suggestions:

1. On this other thread there appears to be a member that has the lens, and perhaps the manual (user's manual but probably not the service manual).

   • https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-slr-lens-discussion/204822-looking...mm-f5-6-a.html

2. Eric Henerickson - he is a legend here for Pentax in terms of repair. He has been doing Pentax repair since 1969. Email him and he can help you.

• Home
• https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-film-slr-discussion/105296-pentax-...ndrickson.html

hope that helps...



____________________

PS - I did not realize that you were in South Africa.

[Harryf]

Hey Interested_Observer!

Thanks for the welcome — and the tips about where I could get some help!

The first one did give me a great user's manual, but no service manual, as you said it might. Ever the optimist, I'm saving the user's manual just in case I get the lens to work again...

I emailed Eric, blamed you for it (hehe ), provided a link to this thread and a link to a site with a review on the lens and which I'd only just thought of adding (SMC Pentax-FA 28-80mm F3.5-4.7 Reviews - FA Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database) and am now hoping for the best.

And if the answer is one where he cannot help, then that's going to be the best.

Have a great day!

h

[Harryf]

Hi everybody - and interested_observer specifically

Eric was very helpful, but the lens is so old that the parts lists that he may (or may not) have had will (or will not) be stored away where they may never be found again. I told him that I'd then simply have to resort to innate intelligence, deductive reasoning and simple logical thinking to see how far I can get. Anybody know where I can get those things???

And I should have asked for a PARTS LIST, it seems, anyway.

Well, it's been fun!

Happy days!

Harry