As the front glass element of my A 50mm f1.4 began to show again what I thought could be fungus (this very same lens had been previously cleaned by a pro for the same reason, first time around multiple elements being affected; fyi lens was unknowingly bought that way), I decided to disassemble it to attempt some cleaning.

I hunted around for a diagram or another how-to. Finding none, I thought this: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/do-yourself/153858-how-remove-fungus-50mm-f1-7-lens.html could be my best bet, so I decided to keep it as a reference.

After buying a (not so) rubber(y) plug (= useless, so make sure it really is rubbery, as in sticky) and precision screwdrivers, turns out all I needed was some tape and a random cap of the right size (roller deodorant in my case)...



As I took the retaining ring off, the front glass element fell in my hand. Luckily, being the only affected element, that was it... all I had to do was clean it and put everything back together!



I'm glad I didn't have to take it apart any further or it could have turned into a Humpty Dumpty situation, but if you got a problem with your front element only, then it really is an "anyone can do" thing.

This also means that the two lenses (A f1.4 and A f1.7) are fundamentally different. As a matter of fact, after taking off the front retaining ring, I couldn't see any screws (unlike in the A f1.7 how-to), so be aware that it's just different if you need to dig deeper!

[pilot*alexander]

How does the fungus was removed?

[hooverfocus]

How does the fungus was removed?

With alcohol and a microfibre cloth.

[pilot*alexander]

then it was not a mushroom, I think,

[hooverfocus]

then it was not a mushroom, I think,

I'm pretty positive it was.

[Sparkle]

A magic mushroom, perhaps!