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I had a little accident with my camera the other day: please don't let your camera on the roof of your car and then drive your car. Now my lens is broken.

It's an old Yashica lens, it comes from the times where things were made to last, so it didn't completely shatter: the focus ring doesn't turn anymore but all the glass elements are intact.

I'm not interested to repair it because I already replaced it (it was really not an expensive lens) but is there anything useful I can make out of it?

Thank you.

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    Make a steam-punk monocular?
    – Steven Kersting
    Jun 12, 2022 at 14:04
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    Have you tried taking pictures with the lens? I have a cracked fisheye that I love to use for experimental art sessions - the output isn't always great but especially when light rays go into the cracked sections and refract inside, the broken glass sometimes makes wonderful images.
    – glenneroo
    Jun 13, 2022 at 18:43

4 Answers 4

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  1. Take it apart to see how it was constructed.

  2. Fix it. (I know you said you don't want to, but while disassembling it, you might find something easy to fix.)

  3. Optics experiments? I don't have any good ones in mind. Maybe Google can help.

  4. Save it for spare parts.

  1. Turn it into the world's only cup that looks like a lens that actually is a lens ;) – Tetsujin
  1. Doorstop
  2. Paperweight – MichaelC
  1. a pen/pencil holder.
  2. Something to put nuts in at a dinner party.
  3. If it's watertight, a little plant pot.
  4. If you can dismantle it and re-assemble it, a very small terrarium. – spikey-richie
  1. Any lens faster than about f/4 can be a fire lighter when the sun is out. – Zeiss Ikon
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    5. Turn it into the world's only cup that looks like a lens that actually is a lens ;)
    – Tetsujin
    Jun 12, 2022 at 15:23
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    6. Doorstop 7. Paperweight
    – Michael C
    Jun 12, 2022 at 22:01
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    Similar to 5, a pen/pencil holder. Something to put nuts in at a dinner party. If it's watertight, a little plant pot. If you can dismantle it and re-assemble it, a very small terrarium.
    – spikey_richie
    Jun 13, 2022 at 15:06
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    Any lens faster than about f/4 can be a fire lighter when the sun is out.
    – Zeiss Ikon
    Jun 13, 2022 at 15:55
  • #5 was my first thought.
    – FreeMan
    Jun 22, 2022 at 16:34
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If you shoot video, broken lenses are great for creating "other-worldly", "prism" or "dreamy" type effects whilst shooting by passing them over the lens of the camera whilst shooting, combined with different light sources and angles. Well worth experimenting with :)

If it's a fast lens, you can get an interesting effect by shooting through it backwards as long as all the glass elements are intact, just physically move the camera back and forth to focus instead.

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I have seen people making nice retro steampunk lamps out of those, looks great!

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Build a whole new camera around it.

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