35 Lux Asph falling apart - help

[carstenw]

I have a 35 Lux Asph, chrome version, which is great, but the entire front assembly is slowly working its way loose, and I want to fix it before it becomes a problem. I have two questions:

1) Can I re-tighten it myself, and if so, how?

2) If not, where in Europe can I send my lens and expect to have it back without disturbing the lack of focus shift? Ideally, I would also be able to get it 6-bit coded. I seem to recall a good repair centre somewhere in Holland?

[rubenkok]

Originally Posted by carstenw

I seem to recall a good repair centre somewhere in Holland?

Will van Manen Kamera-Service
Hope this is some help.
All the best
Ruben

[Eoin]

I'm sorry to read this Carsten, IIRC was there not a Leica Italy or polyphoto SPA card inside the box?. I can't remember if the lens was still inside the 5 year warranty.

I'd be more than happy to take a return as I miss it so much.

[carstenw]

Don't worry, Eoin, it is no big deal. I'll get it tightened somehow. Nothing is broken, just a little loose. I just wanted to deal with it before anything fell out. I still recall a couple of stories about a 28 Cron and some other lens...

Btw, I cannot imagine getting tired of this lens for quite a while. I took the WATE, 35 Lux Asph and 75 Lux to Cittadella, Padova and Venice, and used the 35 Lux Asph perhaps 80% of the time, if not more.

[archi4]

Will van Manen in Zoetermeer hier in holland has repaired one 35mm and adjusted backfocus on another for me with perfect results and for a more than reasonable fee.
and the backfocus adjustment was sent by post on the 10th and I had it back today.
Testing it at all distances on my Solms adjusted M8 it now focuses perfectly.

[carstenw]

May I ask in roughly what price range we are talking? I am also considering sending in one or two other lenses at the same time, if the price is not too high.

[jaapv]

You'd have to ask him yourself; it depends on the work done. I am surprised each time how reasonable he is. Think tens of Euros rather than hundreds. Excellent and fast too. I doubt that he would code. But that is basically a DIY job with the M-coder and a Dremel.

[carstenw]

So, no one knows if there is some way for me to tighten it myself, at least until I get around to sending it away? The looseness happens between the focusing ring and the distance scale.

[marknorton]

Carsten, do you mean the focussing ring and the depth of field scale - the distance scale is on the focussing ring. If you hold the back of the lens, is it the moving lens barrel which is loose or the focussing ring? Sounds like the helicoids are not properly anchored to the lens mount. Any sign of movement in the back of the lens mount?

[Neil Macmillan]

I had a similar issue with a new 28mm Elmarit 2.8 Asph (the one in my avatar).
The entire lens barrel was loose, and apparently getting looser. The fixed ring, focus ring and aperture ring, however, were all solid relative to the lens mount.
It was repaired under warranty at the Leica repair centre in Canada. The episode made me very disappointed with my first Leica purchase. I got my M8 + 2 lenses just in February. The sheen went off the brand for me but now that I have it back I am starting to feel better.

[palec]

Originally Posted by Neil Macmillan

I had a similar issue with a new 28mm Elmarit 2.8 Asph (the one in my avatar).
The entire lens barrel was loose, and apparently getting looser. The fixed ring, focus ring and aperture ring, however, were all solid relative to the lens mount.

I have the same experience, the lens is just on their way from Solms to me. I was really surprised as no other older design lenses I have show this problem.

[carstenw]

Hmm, my description was rather poor. Another try:

Relative to the mount, the depth of field scale is solid, and the focusing ring is solid. This is different than my description, which was not quite correct. Starting with the inner ring under the aperture ring and focusing ring, everything at the front moves as a unit, but very loosely related to the mount etc. There is about 2-3mm of play between the two assemblies at this point.

Addendum: looking from the rear, just the core of the lens moves, ie. the rear element and its mount, but not the focusing helicoid or the other brass ring in there.

[marknorton]

OK, so the part that's loose is the lens barrel itself which normally moves anyway when you focus. I assume the 2-3mm is axial - front to back?

Sounds like the attachment of the lens barrel to the front of the inner helicoid is coming apart, maybe a loose retaining ring, and at some point, it will unscrew completely and send the lens barrel earthwards. I doubt it's doing your images much good either.

Something to fix sooner rather than later, I would say.

[carstenw]

So it is an internal thing then. Too bad. Yes, I guess I will examine my bank account and try to send it away very soon, possibly accompanied by the 75 Lux, which has a grittyness to it at certain points in the focus movement.

I might try to get them both coded at the same time, but sadly the Dutchman who can fix these doesn't offer this service, as far as I can tell.

[lll]

Hi Carsten,

come to the Hessenpark International Meeting, show the lens to the CS and maybe you will get it fixed immidiately. Otherwise make clear what you want to be done and what not and leave it.

For coding think about the hint with the dremel. What can you do wrong? Ruin the original bajonett!? So what - it is exchanged to a new one when you let the lens beeing coded at Solms. You always have this second chance left.

I visited the CS at Solms a few days ago with a loosend R 2.8/19. They fixed it within a couple of minutes - I "paid" for the famous coffee...

Regards,
Friedhelm