I will preface this with there are many version of the OM 50mm and some have different front plates. This will not apply to all 50mm lenses. I have been reading online about cleaning OM lenses..

“The 50mm F1.4 is cheap and plentiful on Ebay, probably not worth the bother or messing about trying to repair it yourself, just get a “like new” version off Ebay.”

“For the price of a “new” 50mm 1.4 why bother? The proper tools will cost more than the lens is worth.”

So I had to post something about the take apart and illustrate you don’t have to buy a bunch of tools. Chances are you have them sitting around the house. I used a simple metal pick to pull off the front plate. Be careful not to scratch the black paint. You will see two indents around the ring pop the pick in there and with downward pressure move the ring counter-clockwise. The ring should then slide out and the lens plate should come with it. If you don’t have a metal pick use a paperclip. Just be more careful with the paperclip.

Pick Olympus Fix

After that the center lenses that are cemented together should come out without any force. [Three philips screws] After that you should be able to clean anywhere dust should get in. Be careful now that it’s open not to get more dust in. Work in a clean area and use can air before you put it back together.

inside the om

After that put it all back together without any damage you just cleaned the lens. Not that hard… Fixing the blades was a different story. I took my other 50mm 1.8 apart for another project I am working on. I’ll post more on that when its good and done.

Blades

All photos were taken with the Olympus E-1 or E-510, 50mm F2.0 and FL-50.