Mamiya 80mm f/1.9 Hazy Lens Repair & Re-Cementing
A Mamiya Sekor C 80mm f/1.9 with a hazy rear optical group caused by degraded lens cement. We separate the elements, clean off the old cement and re-cement them — a definitive fix at a fixed price.
Symptoms
- Hazy or cloudy patch visible in the rear lens group
- Low contrast, glowing highlights in photos
- Milky veil inside the lens that won't wipe off
- Focus ring stiff or hard to turn
If you are looking into Mamiya 80mm 1.9 hazy lens repair, you have probably spotted a milky veil in the rear optical group of your Sekor C that no amount of external cleaning will shift. The cause is degraded optical cement between the elements — and it is fully repairable at a fixed price, by separating, cleaning and re-cementing the affected group.
The symptoms
- A hazy, cloudy area visible inside the rear optical group when you hold the lens against the light.
- In photos: reduced contrast, glowing highlights and a soft, veiled rendering that gets worse shooting into light.
- Cleaning the outer surfaces changes nothing — the haze is inside the lens.
- In this case the owner had also noticed the focus travel had become stiff, caused by ageing grease in the focusing helicoids.
What causes it
The elements of the optical group are bonded together with optical cement. Over decades, that cement can degrade and turn cloudy — this is the classic haze problem on vintage fast lenses, and the Sekor C 80mm f/1.9 is now old enough to show it. Because the cloudiness lives in the cement layer between two glued elements, it cannot be reached from outside: the haze you see is literally sandwiched inside the glass.
Can you fix it yourself?
No — and it is worth being clear about why. Wiping the outer surfaces does nothing, because the haze is internal. Separating cemented elements requires controlled technique, solvents and hours of careful work; re-bonding them demands fresh optical cement, exact centring and curing time. Get any step wrong and the group is ruined. If your Sekor is hazy, the honest advice is: do not open it.
How we repair it
A customer sent us his Mamiya 80mm f/1.9 asking for a cleaning of the rear optical group. After a careful examination, our technicians separated the optical group from the lens and dismantled the cell holding the elements. The bonded elements were then de-cemented, and both surfaces were cleaned until every trace of the old, clouded cement was removed.
The elements were re-bonded with fresh optical cement and left to cure for several hours before the group was reassembled into its housing and the lens put back together. That makes this a definitive repair — the degraded cement is gone, replaced, not masked. Before returning the lens we tested all the other components to confirm full compliance with factory specifications, as we do on every job. More medium-format and Mamiya work is listed on our Mamiya repairs page.
Price and turnaround
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| De-cementing, cleaning and re-cementing of the optical group | €300 (fixed) |
| Internal cleaning | Included |
| Final test & general check | Included |
Typical turnaround is 7 working days from arrival at our lab. Return shipping anywhere in the EU is a flat €20.
Ship your lens from anywhere in the EU — diagnosis is free and every repair is covered by a 6-month warranty. See how it works.
Frequently asked questions
What causes haze inside a Mamiya 80mm f/1.9?
In this case the haze was degraded optical cement between the elements of the rear group. As the cement ages it turns cloudy, and no external cleaning can remove it — the elements have to be separated and re-cemented.
Can hazy lens elements be cleaned without separating them?
No. If the haze is in the cement layer between two bonded elements, it sits inside the glass sandwich. The only definitive fix is de-cementing, cleaning both surfaces and re-bonding with fresh optical cement.
How much does it cost to repair a hazy Mamiya 80mm 1.9?
Our price for the complete de-cementing, cleaning and re-cementing service is €300, fixed, including a full functional check before return.
Is it worth repairing a Mamiya Sekor C 80mm f/1.9?
Yes — it is the fast standard lens for the Mamiya 645 system and clean examples are increasingly hard to find. A properly re-cemented lens is a definitive repair, not a patch.
