[Ian in Brussels]

Hi all
My FA 50mm 1.4 is suddenly acting up — the turning of the focus blocks at about the 3 metre point.
I can turn it past my hand then it moves normally for the rest of the way till infinity is reached.
If I turn the lens around at certain angles (basically upside down) the blocking doesn't happen.
So something seems to be falling in the way and when gravity is pulling in a different direction, it doesn't get in the way.

Problem: I like the lens and would like to fix it, buuuuuut obviously if the cost of repair is too high it makes no sense and maybe I should buy another one if I can find an ok price.
I would prefer to repair and keep my lens, so how and where could I do that for a reasonable price?
I live in Brussels, Belgium and i suppose can ship the lens a reasonable distance, basically till shipping costs make the repair uneconomical.

Any suggestions?
Any help would be sincerely appreciated
Ian

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Last edited by Ian in Brussels; 06-17-2017 at 03:22 AM. Reason: typo

[Adam]

I don't think this would be a cost-prohibitive repair. Here's a list of all Pentax service shops we know of:

Pentax Repair Facilities (Wordwide listing) - PentaxForums.com

PM2S might be a good starting point, assuming you have no local shops. I'd expect most lens repair places to be able to handle this repair.

[Wild Mark]

There are fine, fingerlike brushes that maintain contact with the barrel as the focus through revolves around it. These could have been crimpled or damaged in some way and now buckled under. This can cause the 'failure' you speak of.

Opening up the lens is a little tricky and once in, the repair is tedious (if reversible). If not reversible then a new part is required.

Adam's advice is spot on if the above is true.